Angolan authorities have taken action and decided to ban Islam, which they consider a cult, NOT a religion 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 Thursday 03 October in the morning, the Angolan authorities decided to destroy the mosque Zango located in the urban district of Viana 17 km. The governor of Luanda Bento announced in a radio spot that radical Muslims are not welcome in Angola and the Angolan government is not ready for the legalization of mosques in Angola. According to the International Religious Freedom Report 2008, Islam in Angola is a minority religion with 80,000 – 90,000 adherents, composed largely of migrants from West Africa and families of Lebanese origin. The Muslims comprise between 2.5 to 3 percent of Angola’s overall population of 17 million people, most of them Christians. In the last decade, but especially during the last few years the Muslim community in Angola has grown appreciably and Islamic activities have become more common in major cities. Mosques have sprung up in a number of places and Qur’anic schools have been built to provide Islamic instructions and teach Arabic language to adherents. Since the September 11 attacks, there has been a deliberate attempt to link Muslims with terrorism. It has become a matter of routine at Luanda airport for security officers to detain Muslims arriving from Sahelian countries. Even though Muslims are a tiny minority the government sees Islam as a threat, because the Islamic dawah has the ability to influence and change hearts and minds of the most ardent disbeliever. If the government regards Islam as a cult and false religion then instead of demolishing masjids they should engage in debate and discussion on live TV. But they have adopted the method of the tyrants and ignorant by labelling Muslims and Islam, and demolishing peaceful places of worship. There has been no outcry from any Muslim leader or nation regarding these latest atrocities against Muslims, and we should not expect any either. The brave Muslims in Angola and elsewhere will continue to persevere and hold onto their deen in the face of hostility, and inshAllah soon a state will emerge that implements Islam, and protects the rights of the oppressed Muslims around the globe.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 00:47:02 +0000
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