Angola's government on Tuesday
denied it had banned Islam and closed
mosques in the country, after
speculation that sparked outrage
among Muslims worldwide.
"There is no war in Angola against Islam
or any other religion," said Manuel
Fernando, director of the National
Institute for Religious Affairs, part of the
ministry of culture.
"There is no official position that targets
the destruction or closure of places of
worship, whichever they are," Fernando
told AFP.
Reports that Angola, a traditionally
devout Catholic nation, would crack
down on Muslims had drawn
condemnation from the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation and others.
In Egypt, mufti Shawqi Allam said such
a move would be "a provocation not
only to Angolan Muslims but to more
than 1.5 billion Muslims all over the
world".
The oil-rich southern African nation has
a population of about 18 million people,
several hundred thousand of whom are
Muslim.
Religious organisations are required to
apply for accreditation in Angola, which
currently recognises 83, all of them
Christian.
In October the justice ministry rejected
the applications of 194 organisations,
including one from an umbrella Islamic
community group.
David Ja, a spokesperson for local
Muslims, challenged the government's
account and said that a number of
mosques had already been closed.
Ja condemned what he described as
"political persecution" and "religious
intolerance".
"A mosque was closed last week in
Huambo (in the south) and we have
been subjected to pressure this week
regarding a mosque in Luanda," he
said.
According to the ministry of culture,
these closures were related to a lack of
necessary land titles, building licenses
or other official documents.
Analyst Alex Vines said the rumours
followed Culture Minister Rosa Cruz e
Silva's announcement last week that
the government would crack down on
"sects".
The measure "was targeting mostly
Brazil-style evangelical groups that
have mushroomed across Angola",
according to Vines, Africa programme
head at UK-based think-tank Chatham
House.
Brazilian religious groups "have
particularly worried establishment
churches that have seen their
congregations dwindle", he wrote on
Chatham's website.
The headlines were the result of the
government's "clumsy policy" and
"poor communication", he said, warning
they "might not only radicalise Muslim
communities in Angola but could make
Angola a legitimate target for jihadists".
Source: http://news.ng.msn.com/africa-
news/angola-denies-banning-islam-
after-outcry-1
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