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Christianity in Somaliland is a minority religion, estimated to have 7,642 followers according to the 2023 report by the Somali Bible Society. [1] This census did not count for the Christians in Somaliland who continue to practice their religion secretly or could not be contacted due to language barriers or fear of persecution. [1] The country's Christians are mostly native born. [2] The foreign Christian demographics include United Nations workers or other humanitarian agencies with bases in Hargeisa. [2] As of 2021, however, there are at least some known local Christians who feel persecuted. [3] The church and its institutions such as Caritas International also work in relief and charitable work, and also run programs such as rehabilitation of schools and hospitals, food aid, and assistance to poor children.[ citation needed ]
In the ancient city of Mundus, located near Heis, archaeologists have found evidences of Christian worship in the fifth century. Excavations here have yielded pottery and shards of Roman glassware with Christian symbols from a time between the 1st and 5th centuries. Among these artefacts is high-quality millefiori glass; it features red flower disks superimposed on a green background. [4] However, prior to Islam, Christianity had no foothold in Somaliland until after the Colonial Era.
In 1913, during the early period of the colonial era, there were practically no Christians in Somaliland, with about 100 to 200 adherents coming from schools and orphanages affiliated with the Catholic missions in the Protectorate of British Somaliland. [5] The small number of Christians in the region today comes mostly from similar Catholic institutions in Aden, Djibouti and Berbera. [6]
Somaliland is located within the bishopric area in the Horn of Africa and under the administration of the Anglican diocese in Egypt. However, there are no current Anglican communities in the region. [7] However, since 1990 no bishop has been appointed from Mogadishu, and currently the bishop of Djibouti serves the diocese as an apostolic official. [8] Adventist Mission indicates that there are no members in Somaliland. [9] [10]
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or (usually) ceremonial precedence.
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall. Somalia has an estimated population of around 17.1 million, of which over 2 million live in the capital and largest city Mogadishu, and has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the south. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic. Most people in the country are Muslims, the majority of them Sunni.
Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia to the east. Its claimed territory has an area of 176,120 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The Government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which, as the briefly independent State of Somaliland, united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic.
Greater Somalia is an irredentist concept to unite all ethnic Somalis comprising the regions in or near the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited. The territory historically encompassed British Jubaland Province, British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, parts of French Somaliland, the Somali Region in Ethiopia, the Northern Frontier District in Kenya, and the intra-46th meridian east territories. At the present, it encompasses Somalia proper, Jubaland, southern and eastern Djibouti, the Somali Region, Harar, and Dire Dawa in Ethiopia, and the Garissa, Wajir and Mandera Counties in Kenya. A few sources even included the islands of Socotra, Abd al Kuri, Samhah, Darsah, Sabuniyah and the Ka'l Fir'awn islands in Yemen's Socotra Archipelago.
Christians in Bangladesh account for 0.30% of the nation's population as of 2022 census. Together with Judaism and Buddhism, they account for 1% of the population. Islam accounts for 91.04% of the country's religion, followed by Hinduism at 7.95% as per 2022 census.
The history of Somaliland, a country in the eastern Horn of Africa bordered by the Gulf of Aden, and the East African land mass, begins with human habitation tens of thousands of years ago. It includes the civilizations of Punt, the Ottomans, and colonial influences from Europe and the Middle East.
The Dir is one of the largest and most prominent Somali clans in the Horn of Africa. They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region. Its members inhabit Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya.
Islam in Djibouti has a long history, first appearing in the Horn of Africa during the lifetime of Muhammad. Today, 98% of Djibouti's 490,000 inhabitants are Muslims. According to Pew, 77% follow the denomination of Sunnism, whilst 8% are non-denominational Muslim, and the remaining 13% follow other sects such as Quranism, Shia, Ibadism etc.. After independence, the nascent republic constructed a legal system based in part on Islamic law.
The Catholic Church in Somalia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Christianity is the religion of 6% of the population of Djibouti. Christians are mostly of Ethiopian and European ancestry. Most Christians are Ethiopian Orthodox or Roman Catholic. The constitution of Djibouti includes freedom of religion, although Islam is the state religion. There is a tolerant attitude between religions in general. Proselytizing by any faith in public is not allowed.
Christianity is a minority religion in Muslim-majority Somalia, according to a report by the Somali Bible Society in 2023 there is estimated, population of 178,869 Christian practitioners in a population of over 19 million inhabitants in 2024.
Protestants make up less than 1% of the population of Libya.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Djibouti is the Latin sole diocese in the country of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area of 23,200 km2 (8,958 sq mi).
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Galla was a Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate established in 1846, and embracing the territory of the Oromo people in the Ethiopian Empire.
Italian Somalis are Somali-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Somalia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Somalia. Most of the Italians moved to Somalia during the Italian colonial period.
Christians in the Gambia constituted Muslim 96.4%, Christian 3.5%, other or none 0.1%.
Somaliland is an unrecognized de facto sovereign state in East Africa. The Holy See, in line with all other UN member states, does not recognize the independence of Somaliland, favouring a peaceful solution of unity for all of Somalia. Very few native Christians exist and, owing to its unrecognized status, few expatriate Christian are in the country either.
Mogadishu Cathedral is a ruined Catholic cathedral located in Mogadishu, Somalia. Between 1928 and 1991, it served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogadiscio. Built in 1928 by Italian colonial authorities, much of the building was destroyed in 2008 by al-Shabaab. In 2013, the diocese announced plans to refurbish the building.
The predominant religion in Somalia is Islam, with tiny minorities of Christians, traditional African religions and others.