Old Homepage
Demo Site for Dynamic Page List (DPL)
DPL is a mediawiki extension.
- Cameroon
- Nigeria
Nigeria has a variety of religions which tend to vary regionally, this situation accentuates regional and ethnic distinctions and has often been seen as a major source of sectarian conflict amongst the population. All religions represented in Nigeria were practiced in every major city in the 1990s. Islam dominates in the north and the South western part of the country with some northern states having incorporated Shari'a law amidst controversy.
According to the world CIA Factbook, Nigeria's population is comprised of 50% Muslims, 40% Christians and 10% indigenous groups [1].
Nigerian Muslims are historically 100% Sunni and of the Maliki School of Jurisprudence. Starting in the 80s, a small Shi'a population began taking root in some urban centers of the North.
Protestantism and local syncretic Christianity predominate in Yoruba areas, while Catholicism has a strong historical presence amongst the Igbo and closely-related ethnic groups. Indigenous beliefs such as Orisha and Voodoo (Vodun) are still widely held amongst the Yoruba, Igbos and other ethnic groups in the southwest and east of the country. Recently however, such worship has undergone significant decline, as many adherents are converting to Islam and Christianity.
- Somalia
The Somalis are primarily Sunni Muslims. Christianity's influence was abolished in the 1970's when church-run schools were closed and missionaries sent home. There has been no bishop of the Catholic Church in the country since 1989; the cathedral in Mogadishu has been destroyed. The Somali constitution prohibits talking about any religion except Islam. A secret underground Christian community exists in certain parts of the country.
Loyalty to Islam reinforces distinctions that set Somalis apart from their immediate African neighbors, many of whom are either Christians (particularly the Amhara and others of Ethiopia) or adherents of indigenous African faiths.
- Sudan