Religion in The Gambia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunni Muslims constitute more than 90 percent of the population of The Gambia.[1] The vast majority are Malikite Sufis, of which the main orders represented are Tijaniyah, Qadiriyah, Muridiyah, and Ahmadiyya.[1] Except for the Ahmadiyya, Sufi orders pray together at common mosques.[1] A small percentage of Muslims, predominantly immigrants from South Asia, do not ascribe to any traditional Islamic school of thought.[1]
An estimated 9 percent of the population is Christian, and less than 1 percent practice indigenous animist religious beliefs.[1] The Christian community, situated mostly in the west and south of the country, is predominantly Roman Catholic; there are also several Protestant groups including Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and various small evangelical denominations.[1] There is a small group of followers of the Baha'i Faith and a small community of Hindus among South Asian immigrants.[1]
Intermarriage between Muslims and Christians is common.[1] In some areas, Islam and Christianity are syncretized with animism.[1] There are few atheists in the country.[1]
Foreign missionary groups operate in the country.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Benin. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
