Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Malawi, with significant populations of the adherents of Islam and traditional faiths. [2] Religious pluralism is both a prominent social value and enshrined in the country's constitution. [3]
Malawi is a secular state. The Christian festivals of Christmas and Good Friday are recognised as the national holidays.
Malawi is a majority Christian country, with a significant Muslim minority. Government surveys indicate that 87% of the country is Christian, with a minority 11.6% Muslim population. [2] According to the World Religion Database, Protestants made up the largest group of Christians in 2020. [4] The largest Christian churches in Malawi are the Roman Catholic Church, of which 19% of Malawians are adherents, and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) to which 18% belong. [2] The CCAP is the largest Protestant denomination in Malawi with 1.3 million members. There are smaller Presbyterian denominations like the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Malawi. There are also smaller numbers of Anglicans, Baptists, evangelicals, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Lutherans. [5]
Most of the Muslim population is Sunni, of either the Shafi'i or Hanafi groups. [6] [7]
Other religious groups within the country include Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventist, Anglicans and Pentecostals, Rastafari, Hindus, Baháʼís, (0.23% [8] ) and a small number of Jews and Sikhs; [6] atheists make up around 2% of the population.
The constitution of Malawi prohibits discrimination based on religion and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, belief, and thought. [6] It also specifies that eliminating religious intolerance is a goal of education in Malawi.
Religious instruction is mandatory in public primary schools, with no opt-out provision, and is available as an elective in public secondary schools. In some schools, the religious curriculum is a Christian-oriented “Bible knowledge” course, while in others it is an interfaith “moral and religious education” course drawing from the Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Baháʼí faiths. According to the law, local school management committees, elected at parent-teacher association meetings, decide on which religious curriculum to use. Private Christian and Islamic schools offer religious instruction in their respective faiths. Hybrid “grant-aided” schools are managed by private, usually religious, institutions, but their teaching staffs are paid by the government. In exchange for this financial support, the government chooses a significant portion of the students who attend. At grant-aided schools, a board appointed by the school's operators decides whether the “Bible knowledge” or the “moral and religious education” curriculum will be used. [6]
Rastafarian children face obstacles to obtaining education, as school children in Malawi are generally required to shave their heads, and Rastafarian religious practice requires them to wear dreadlocks. This has resulted in several Rastafarian children being denied access to public schools, although the majority concede to shaving their heads and complying with the school's rules. Litigation is ongoing in 2023, but in the meantime, a High Court injunction was issued in 2020, compelling the Ministry of Education to allow all Rastafarian children to be enrolled in government schools. The MOE is also looking at a policy for Muslim children who wish to wear a hijab. [6]
In 2007, it was noted that religious pluralism is enshrined by Malawi society, and members of Christian, Muslim, and Hindu faiths regularly engage in business and civil society together. [3]
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom. [9]
A Christian school is a religuous school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.
Religion in Trinidad and Tobago, which is a multi-religious country, is classifiable as follows:
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Christianity is the predominant religion in Uganda. According to the 2014 census, over 84 percent of the population was Christian, while about 14 percent of the population adhered to Islam, making it the largest minority religion. Anglicanism and Catholicism are the main Christian denominations in the country.
The World Religion Database noted that in 2020, 47% of the population of Eritrea were Christian; almost 4% are Protestant.
The predominant religion in Kenya is Christianity, which is adhered to by an estimated 85.5% of the total population. Islam is the second largest religion in Kenya, practised by 10.9 percent of Kenyans. Other faiths practised in Kenya are Baháʼí, Buddhism, Hinduism and traditional religions.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Zambia and is recognised as the state religion by the country's constitution. Before the arrival of European missionaries, the various ethnic groups residing in the territory of modern day Zambia practiced a variety of African traditional religions.
Christianity in Uzbekistan is a minority religion.
Traditional religions such as the Akan Traditional Religion and Dagbon Traditional Religion are the indigenous religions of Ghana. Islam was the first Abrahamic religion to be introduced in the country between the tenth and 15th centuries, by Muslim traders. Later, Christianity was introduced via contact with the European missionaries. Today, Christianity is the largest religion in Ghana, with substantial adherents of Islam and traditional faiths. Christianity is mainly in the country's south while Islam is based in the north. Islam gained widespread acceptance in northern Ghana after Yaa Naa Zanjina accepted the faith in the 17th century.
According to various polls, the majority of Kazakhstan's citizens, primarily ethnic Kazakhs, identify as Sunni Muslims. In 2020, Shia Muslims made up 0.55% of the population.
Islam is the official religion in Kuwait, and the majority of the citizen population is Muslim.
Religion in Guyana is dominated by various branches of Christianity, with significant minorities of the adherents of Hinduism and Islam.
Christianity is the largest religion in Tanzania, with a substantial Muslim minority. Smaller populations of Animists, practitioners of other faiths, and religiously unaffiliated people are also present.
Religion in Namibia is dominated by various branches of Christianity, with more than 90 percent of Namibian citizens identifying themselves as Christian. According to the government's survey, in 2013 up to 75% of the country was Protestant, including as much as 50% Lutheran.
Christianity is the largest religion in Cape Verde, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents. Different sources give varying estimates on the relative sizes of various Christian denominations. More than 94% of the population of Cape Verde is Christian, with almost 85% being Roman Catholic. About 5% of the population is Protestant. The largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene. Other groups include the Church of the Nazarene, the Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, independent Baptists and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups.
Christianity is the predominant religion in the Federated States of Micronesia and represents an integral part of the nation's identity.
The Constitution of Panama provides for freedom of religion.
The most common religion in Dominica is Christianity, with a majority of practitioners identifying as Catholic. Various minority religious groups are also present on the island.
Religion in Togo is diverse, with Christianity being the most widely professed faith. A substantial number of the Togolese also practice traditional faiths and Islam.
The status of religious freedom in Africa varies from country to country. States can differ based on whether or not they guarantee equal treatment under law for followers of different religions, whether they establish a state religion, the extent to which religious organizations operating within the country are policed, and the extent to which religious law is used as a basis for the country's legal code.