Islam in the Central African Republic

Islam accounts for approximately 15% (750,000 people) of the population of the Central African Republic, making it the second most followed organized religion in the country after Christianity (80%).[1] The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni of Maliki school of jurisprudence. Most Central African Muslims live in the north-east, near the border with predominantly Muslim Chad and Sudan.

History

Islam arrived in Central African Republic with the first Arab slave traders in the 17th Century as part of the expansion of the Saharan and Nile River slave routes. They sent slaves to North Africa or South the Ubanqui and Congo rivers. In February 2014, tens of thousands of Muslims fled the Central African Republic for Chad as they felt they were no longer safe in the country.[2]

See also


References

  1. ↑ Ministère du Plan et de l'Economie
  2. ↑ International Business Publications, USA (7 February 2007). Central African Republic Foreign Policy and Government Guide (World Strategic and Business Information Library) 1. Int'l Business Publications. p. 47. ISBN 1433006219. Retrieved 25 May 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.