Monday, November 25, 2013

Angola Bans Islam, Closes All Mosques in Nation; Authorities Consider Islam to Be a Cult, Not Rel.

Authorities in Angola -- a predominantly Christian nation and former Portuguese colony in southwestern Africa -- have taken action and decided to ban Islam throughout the country, because they consider it to be a cult, not a religion.

On November 19, Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz da Silva, said: "Regarding Islam, the legalization process has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Therefore, all mosques would be closed until further notice."

In early October 2013, the Muslims living in Luanda in the municipality of Viana Zango were shocked to see the minaret of their mosque dismantled into pieces on the ground without permission. On October 3, the Angolan authorities decided to destroy the Zango mosque located in the urban district of Viana.

The governor of Luanda Bento announced in a radio spot in early October that Muslims are not welcome in Angola and the Angolan government is not ready for the legalization of mosques in the country. Muslims comprise between 2.5 to 3 percent of Angola's overall population of 17 million people, most of them Christians.

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