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Religion in Africa is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art, culture and philosophy. Today, the continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity, Islam, and to a lesser extent several traditional African religions. [2] In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions. [3] [4] [5]
Africa encompasses a wide variety of traditional beliefs. [6] Although religious customs are sometimes shared by many local societies, they are usually unique to specific populations or geographic regions. [7] All traditional African religions are united by a shared animistic core with special importance to ancestor worship. [8]
According to Dr J Omosade Awolalu, The "olden" in this context means indigenous, that which is foundational, handed down from generation to generation, meant as to be upheld and practised today and forevermore. A heritage from the past, yet not treated as a thing of the past but that which connects the past with the present and the present with eternity. [5]
Often spoken of in the terms of a singularity, deliberate; yet conscious of the fact that Africa is a large continent with multitudes of nations who have complex cultures, innumerable languages and myriad dialects.[ clarification needed ] [5]
The essence of this school of thought is based mainly on oral transmission; that which is written in people's hearts, minds, oral history, customs, temples and religious functions. [9] It has no founders or leaders like Gautama Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammed. [10] It has no missionaries or the intent to propagate or to proselytise. [11] Some of the African traditional religions are those of the Serer of Senegal, the Yoruba of Nigeria, and the Akan of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and the Bono of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The western coast is also consisted of the Yoruba and Anglican religion of syncretism. [12] The religion of the Gbe peoples (mostly the Ewe and Fon) of Benin, Togo and Ghana is called Vodun and is the main source for similarly named religions in the diaspora, such as Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, Cuban Vodú, Dominican Vudú and Brazilian Vodum.
Some distinctions between West African and East or Hornn religion often includes considering the supernatural and natural or tangible as being one and the same, and using this stance to incorporate divination. Clergymen from this region who would historically catechize to the masses was often referred to as waganga. [13] Another distinction of East African and Horners is the greater prevalence of prophets within the oral traditionas and other forms of generational transmissions of traditional African religion. [14]
The most prominent indigenous deity among Cushitic Horners is Waaq, which continues to be manifested into the modern era with religions such as Waaqeffanna and Waaqism. [15] According to the author Lugira, the Traditional African religions are the only religions "that can claim to have originated in Africa. Other religions found in Africa have their origins in other parts of the world." [16]
The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam. African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] Abrahamic religions are widespread throughout Africa. They have both spread and replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. The World Book Encyclopedia has estimated that in 2002 Christians formed 45% of the continent's population, with Muslims forming 40%. It was also estimated in 2002 that Christians form 45% of Africa's population, with Muslims forming 40.6%. [22]
Christianity is the most widely practiced religions along with Islam and is the largest religion in Sub-Saharan Africa. Several syncretistic and messianic sects have formed throughout much of the continent, including the Nazareth Baptist Church in South Africa and the Aladura churches in Nigeria. There is also fairly widespread populations of Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. The oldest Christian denominations in Africa are the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (which rose to prominence in the fourth century AD after King Ezana the Great made Ethiopia one of the first Christian nations. [23] )
In the first few centuries of Christianity, Africa produced many figures who had a major influence outside the continent, including St Augustine of Hippo, St Maurice, Origen, Tertullian, and three Roman Catholic popes (Victor I, Miltiades and Gelasius I), as well as the Biblical characters Simon of Cyrene and the Ethiopian eunuch baptised by Philip the Evangelist. Christianity existed in Ethiopia before the rule of King Ezana the Great of the Kingdom of Axum, but the religion grasped a strong foothold when it was declared a state religion in 330 AD, becoming one of the first Christian nations. [24]
The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity to Africa is mentioned in the Christian Bible's Acts of the Apostles, and pertains to the evangelist Phillip's conversion of an Ethiopian traveller in the 1st century AD. Although the Bible refers to them as Ethiopians, scholars have argued that Ethiopia was a common term encompassing the area South-Southeast of Egypt.
Other traditions have the convert as a Jew who was a steward in the Queen's court.[ clarification needed ] All accounts do agree on the fact that the traveller was a member of the royal court who successfully succeeded in converting the Queen, which in turn caused a church to be built. Tyrannius Rufinus, a noted church historian, also recorded a personal account as do other church historians such as Socrates and Sozemius. [25]
Some experts predict the shift of Christianity's center from the European industrialized nations to Africa and Asia in modern times. Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh stated, that "African Christianity was not just an exotic, curious phenomenon in an obscure part of the world, but that African Christianity might be the shape of things to come." [26] The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa. [27]
A 2015 study estimates 2,161,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in Africa, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. [28]
Islam is the other major religion in Africa alongside Christianity, [30] with over 40% of the population being Muslim, accounting for about one fourth of the world's Muslim population. The faith's historic roots on the continent stem from the time of Muhammad, whose early disciples migrated to Abyssinia (hijira) in fear of persecution from the pagan Arabs.
The spread of Islam in North Africa came with the expansion of Arab empire under Caliph Umar, through the Sinai Peninsula. The spread of Islam in West Africa was through Islamic traders and sailors. The religion had also began influencing Harla Kingdom in the Horn of Africa early on.
Islam is the dominant religion in North Africa and the Horn of Africa. It has also become the predominant religion on the Swahili Coast as well as the West African seaboard and parts of the interior. There have been several Muslim empires in Western Africa which exerted considerable influence, notably the Mali Empire, which flourished for several centuries and the Songhai Empire, under the leadership of Mansa Musa, Sunni Ali and Askia Mohammed.
The vast majority of Muslims in Africa are followers of Sunni Islam. [31] [32] There are also small minorities of other sects. [33] [34]
Adherents of Judaism can be found scattered in a number of countries across Africa; including North Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Southern Africa.
The Baháʼí Faith in Africa has a diverse history. It especially had wide-scale growth in the 1950s which extended further in the 1960s. [35] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) lists many large and smaller populations of Baháʼís in Africa [36] with Kenya (#3: 512,900), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (#5: 282,900), South Africa (#8: 238,500) and Zambia (#10: 190,400) among the top ten numerical populations of Baháʼís in the world in 2010, and Mauritius (#4: 1.8% of population) joining Zambia (#3: 1.8%) and Kenya (#10: 1.0%) in the top ten in terms of percentage of the national population.
All three individual heads of the religion, Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, were in Africa at various times. More recently the roughly 2000 [37] Baháʼís of Egypt have been embroiled in the Egyptian identification card controversy from 2006 [38] through 2009. [39] Since then there have been homes burned down and families driven out of towns. [40] On the other hand, Sub-Saharan Baháʼís were able to mobilize for nine regional conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice 20 October 2008 to celebrate recent achievements in grassroots community-building and to plan their next steps in organizing in their home areas. [41]
Hinduism has existed in Africa mainly since the late 19th century. There are an estimated 2-2.5 million adherents of Hinduism in Africa. It is the largest religion in Mauritius, [42] and several other countries have Hindu temples. Hindus came to South Africa as indentured laborers in the 19th century. The young M.K. Gandhi lived and worked among the Indian community in South Africa for twenty years before returning to India to participate in India's freedom movement. [43]
Buddhism is a tiny religion in Africa with around 250,000 practicing adherents, [44] and up to nearly 400,000 [45] if combined with Taoism and Chinese Folk Religion as a common traditional religion of mostly new Chinese migrants (significant minority in Mauritius, Réunion, and South Africa). About half of African Buddhists are now living in South Africa, while Mauritius has the highest Buddhist percentage in the continent, between 1.5% [46] to 2% [47] of the total population.
Other faiths are practiced in Africa, including Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Rastafari among others. [48]
A Gallup poll found[ when? ] that the irreligious comprise 20% in South Africa, 16% in Botswana, 13% in Mozambique, 13% in Togo, 12% in Ivory Coast, 10% in Ethiopia and Angola, 9% in Sudan, Zimbabwe and Algeria, 8% in Namibia and 7% in Madagascar. [49]
Syncretism is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. In the commonwealth of Africa syncretism with indigenous beliefs is practiced throughout the region. It is believed by some to explain religious tolerance between different groups. [50] Kwesi Yankah and John Mbiti argue that many African peoples today have a 'mixed' religious heritage to try to reconcile traditional religions with Abrahamic faiths. [51] [52]
Jesse Mugambi claims that the Christianity taught to Africans by missionaries had a fear of syncretism, which was carried on by current African Christian leadership in an attempt to keep Christianity "pure." [53] Syncretism in Africa is said by others to be overstated, [54] and due to a misunderstanding of the abilities of local populations to form their own orthodoxies and also confusion over what is culture and what is religion.[ citation needed ] Others state that the term syncretism is a vague one, [55] since it can be applied to refer to substitution or modification of the central elements of Christianity or Islam with beliefs or practices from somewhere else.
The consequences under this definition, according to missiologist Keith Ferdinando, are a fatal compromise of the religion's integrity. However, communities in Africa (e.g. Afro-Asiatic) have many common practices which are also found in Abrahamic faiths, and thus these traditions do not fall under the category of some definitions of syncretism. [56]
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algeria | 42,200,000 | 99 | 41,780,000 | 0.28 | 119,128 | 0.02 | 8,509 |
Egypt | 97,521,500 | 94.7 [59] | 92,352,860 | 5.3 | 5,168,639 | N.A | N.A |
Libya | 6,470,956 | 99 | 6,410,956 | 1 | 60,000 | 0.1 | 6470 |
Morocco | 34,779,400 | 99.1 | 34,466,385 | 0.9 | 313,014 | N.A | N.A |
Sudan | 40,810,080 | 97 | 39,585,777 | 3 | 1,224,302 | N.A | N.A |
Tunisia | 11,446,300 | 99 | 11,423,407 | 0.5 | 50,000 | 0.6 | 43,150 |
North Africa | 233,268,236 | 96.9 | 226,019,385 | 3.0 | 6,945,083 | 0.1 | 58,129 |
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Djibouti | 1,049,001 | 97 | 1,017,530 | 3 | 31,470 | N.A | N.A |
Eritrea | 5,200,000 | 36 | 1,872,000 | 63 | 3,276,000 | 1 | 52,000 |
Ethiopia | 105,000,000 | 34 | 35,700,000 | 63 | 66,150,000 | 3 | 3,150,000 |
Somalia | 12,693,796 [66] | 99.8 [67] | 178,869 [68] | N.A. | N.A. | ||
Horn of Africa | 125,381,925 | 42.9 | 53,761,455 | 55.3 | 69,467,470 | 2.6 | 3,202,000 |
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burundi | 5,341,186 | 5 | 1,068,118 | 70 | 6,942,770 | 25 | 2,670,296 |
Comoros | 850,688 | 98.3 | 836,226 | 0.7 | 5,954 | 1 | 8,506 |
Kenya | 50,000,000 | 11 | 5,500,000 | 85 | 42,500,000 | 4 | 2,000,000 |
Madagascar | 26,262,810 | 10 [73] | 2,626,281 | 40 | 10,505,124 | 45 [74] | 13,131,405 |
Malawi | 17,931,637 | 20 | 3,586,327 | 79.9 | 14,327,377 | 0.1 | 17,931 |
Mauritius | 1,264,887 | 17.3 | 218,825 | 32.7 | 413,618 | 50 | 632,443 |
Mayotte | 256,518 | 98.8 | 253,439 | 1.2 | 3,078 | N.A | N.A |
Mozambique | 28,861,863 | 20 [79] | 11,544,745 | 60 | 14,430,931 | 10 | 2,886,186 |
Réunion | 865,826 | 4.2 | 36,364 | 84.8 | 734,220 | 11 | 95,240 |
Rwanda | 12,001,136 | 4.8 | 576,054 | 93.4 | 11,209,061 | 1.8 | 216,020 |
Seychelles | 94,205 | 1.1 | 1,036 | 93.1 | 87,704 | 5.8 | 5,463 |
South Sudan [83] | 12,323,419 | 20 [84] | 2,464,683 | 60.5 | 7,455,668 | 19.5 | 2,403,066 |
Tanzania | 55,000,000 | 35 | 19,250,000 | 61 | 33,550,000 | 4 | 2,200,000 |
Uganda | 38,823,100 | 14 | 5,435,234 | 81 | 31,446,711 | 5 | 1,941,155 |
Zambia | 16,887,720 | 1 | 168,877 | 87 | 14,692,316 | 12 | 2,026,526 |
East Africa | 266,764,995 | 20.1 | 53,566,209 | 70.6 | 188,304,532 | 9.3 | 30,234,237 |
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benin | 11,362,269 | 27.7 | 3,147,348 | 48.5 | 5,510,700 | 22.6 | 2,567,872 |
Burkina Faso | 20,244,080 | 61.5 | 12,450,109 | 29.8 | 6,032,735 | 8.7 | 1,761,234 |
Cape Verde | 544,081 | 2 | 10,881 | 85 | 462,468 | 13 | 70,730 |
Ivory Coast | 24,571,044 | 42.9 | 10,540,977 | 33.9 | 8,329,583 | 23.2 | 5,700,482 |
The Gambia | 2,163,765 | 95.7 | 2,070,723 | 4.2 | 90,878 | 0.2 | 4,327 |
Ghana [93] | 29,614,337 | 18 | 5,330,580 | 71 | 21,026,179 | 11 | 3,257,577 |
Guinea | 11,883,516 | 86.2 | 10,243,590 | 9.7 | 1,152,701 | 4.1 | 487,224 |
Guinea-Bissau | 1,584,763 | 45.1 | 714,728 | 22.1 | 350,232 | 32.8 | 519,802 |
Liberia | 4,382,387 | 27 | 876,477 | 70 [97] | 1,752,954 | 1.5 | 1,752,954 |
Mali | 19,107,706 | 95 | 18,152,320 | 2.4 | 458,584 | 2.6 | 496,800 |
Mauritania | 3,984,233 | 99.9 | 3,979,733 | 0.01 | 4,500 | N.A | N.A |
Niger | 21,466,863 | 98.3 | 21,101,926 | 1 | 214,668 | 0.7 | 150,268 |
Nigeria | 216,730,000 | 50.77 | 110,300,300 | 48.12 | 104,300,080 | N.A | N.A |
Senegal | 15,726,037 | 96.1 | 15,112,721 | 3.6 | 566,137 | 0.3 | 47,178 |
Sierra Leone | 7,719,729 | 78.6 | 6,067,706 | 20.8 | 1,605,703 | 0.5 | 38,598 |
Western Sahara [104] | 567,421 | 99.99 | 567,321 | 0.01 | 100 | N.A. | N.A |
Togo | 7,352,000 | 20 | 1,470,400 | 29 | 2,132,080 | 51 | 3,749,520 |
West Africa | 399,004,231 | 55.7 | 222,137,840 | 38.6 | 153,990,282 | 25.7 | 22,876,109 |
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angola | 29,250,009 | 1.0 [59] | 292,500 | 95 | 27,787,508 | 4.0 | 1,170,000 |
Cameroon | 23,794,164 | 25 [108] | 5,158,082 | 65 | 15,466,206 | 10 | 2,787,508 |
Central African Republic | 4,737,423 | 15 | 710,613 | 50 | 2,368,711 | 35 | 1,658,098 |
Chad | 15,353,184 | 58 | 8,904,846 | 41 | 6,294,805 | 1 | 153,531 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo [111] | 84,004,989 | 10 [112] | 8,404,989 | 78 | 65,523,891 | 12 | 5,880,349 |
Republic of the Congo [83] | 5,399,895 | 1.6 | 86,398 | 79 | 4,265,917 | 19.4 | 1,047,579 |
Equatorial Guinea | 1,222,442 | 10 [114] | 122,2442 | 86 | 1,051,300 | 4.0 | 48,897 |
Gabon | 2,067,561 | 10 | 206,756 | 73 | 1,509,319 | 17 | 351,485 |
São Tomé and Príncipe | 197,700 | 3 | 5,931 | 96 | 189,792 | 1 | 1,977 |
Central Africa | 166,027,347 | 14.4 | 23,916,359 | 75.0 | 124,456,729 | 7.9 | 13,099,424 |
Country | Population | Islam | Muslim Population | Christianity | Christian Population | Other | Other Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Botswana | 2,302,878 | 0.6 | 13,817 | 79.1 | 1,821,576 | 20.3 | 467,484 |
Lesotho | 2,263,010 | 0.1 | 2,263 | 80 | 1,810,408 | 19.9 | 450,338 |
Namibia | 2,413,643 | 0.4 | 9,654 | 85 | 2,051,596 | 15 | 362,046 |
South Africa | 57,725,600 | 1.9 | 1,096,786 | 79.7 | 46,007,303 | 18.5 | 10,679,236 |
Eswatini | 1,300,000 | 1 | 13,000 | 90 | 1,170,000 | 9 | 117,000 |
Zimbabwe | 14,848,905 | 3 | 445,467 | 84 | 12,473,080 | 13 | 1,930,357 |
Southern Africa | 80,854,031 | 2.0 | 1,580,987 | 80.8 | 65,333,963 | 17.2 | 14,006,461 |
Muslims are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraham as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previous revelations, such as the Tawrat, the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injeel (Gospel). These earlier revelations are also associated with Judaism and Christianity, which are regarded by Muslims as earlier versions of Islam. The majority of Muslims also follow the teachings and practices attributed to Muhammad (sunnah) as recorded in traditional accounts (hadith).
The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing the relative levels of civility in different societies, but this practice has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures.
As of the year 2021, Christianity had approximately 2.38 billion adherents and is the largest religion by population respectively. According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up to 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people. It represents nearly one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three largest groups of Christians being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The largest Christian denomination is the Catholic Church, with 1.3 billion baptized members. The second largest Christian branch is either Protestantism, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.
Religion in Nigeria is diverse. The country is home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim populations, simultaneously. Reliable recent statistics do not exist; however, Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the northern region, and Christians, who live mostly in the southern region of the country. Indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, have been declining for decades and been replaced by Christianity or Islam. The Christian share of Nigeria's population is also now on the decline, due to a lower fertility rate relative to the Muslim population in the country.
The beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse, including various ethnic religions. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and are passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, and include beliefs in spirits and higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme being, as well as the veneration of the dead, and use of magic and traditional African medicine. Most religions can be described as animistic with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects. The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonizing nature with the supernatural.
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism. All major religious traditions are practiced in the region and new forms are constantly emerging. Asia is noted for its diversity of culture. Islam is the largest religion in Asia with approximately 1.3 billion adherents.
Christianity in Africa first arrived in Egypt in approximately 50 AD. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. In the 4th century, the Aksumite empire in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. From the late fifth and early sixth century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms. Important Africans who influenced the early development of Christianity and shaped the doctrines of Christianity include Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, Cyprian, Athanasius and Augustine of Hippo.
Religion in Ethiopia consists of a number of faiths. Among these mainly Abrahamic religions, the most numerous is Christianity totaling at 67.3%, followed by Islam at 31.3%. There is also a longstanding but small Ethiopian Jewish community. Some adherents of the Baháʼí Faith likewise exist in a number of urban and rural areas. Additionally, there is also a substantial population of the adherents of traditional faiths.
Christianity is the predominant religion in the Republic of the Congo, with Catholicism being its largest denomination.
Christianity is the largest religion in Benin, with substantial populations of Muslims and adherents of traditional faiths. According to the most recent 2020 estimate, the population of Benin is 52.2% Christian, 24.6% Muslim, 17.9% traditionalist and 5.3% follows other faiths or has no religion.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Eswatini, with Protestantism being its largest denomination.
Religion in Guinea-Bissau is diverse, with no particular religion comprising an absolute majority of the population. Islam is the most widely professed faith, and significant populations of Christians and adherents of traditional African religions are also present in the country.
According to the 2012 census, Islam is the most followed religion in Niger and is practiced by 99% of the population. According to Pew, roughly 80% of Muslims are Sunni of Maliki school of jurisprudence, whilst 20% are non-denominational Muslims Other religions practiced in Niger include Animism and Christianity.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Tanzania, but in the island of Zanzibar most of the population is Muslim.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Central African Republic, with significant minorities of the adherents of Islam and Traditional African religions.
The main religion in Morocco is Sunni Islam, which is also the state religion of the country. Officially, 99% of the population are Muslim, and virtually all of those are Sunni. The second-largest religion in the country is Christianity, but most Christians in Morocco are foreigners. There is a community of the Baháʼí Faith. Only a fraction of the former number of Maghrebi Jews have remained in the country, many having moved to Israel.
Islam in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. According to an estimate by the CIA, it is followed by 63% of the country's total population. Sunnis make up 31.9%, Twelver Shia make up 31.2%, next to smaller percentages of other Shia branches, such as Alawites and Ismailis. The Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities, even though most Druze do not identify as Muslims, and they do not accept the five pillars of Islam.
Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni or Shia. Islam is the majority religion in several subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East. The diverse Asia-Pacific region contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, surpassing the combined Middle East and North Africa.
often mix.When Africans are converted to other religions, they often mix their traditional religion with the one to which they are converted. In this way they are not losing something valuable, but are gaining something from both religious customs
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