Christianity in Somaliland is a small minority in numbers ranging from 100 to 200
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
s. The Christians of
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
mainly consist of refugees from neighbouring countries, who continue to practise their religion secretly.
[Somaliland: Local and Expatriate Christians Exercise Constitutional Right to Freedom of Belief]
The country's Christians are mostly foreigners.
The Christian demographics include United Nations workers or other humanitarian agencies with bases in
Hargeisa.
As of 2021, however, there are at least some known local Christians in Somaliland.
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.
History
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
Millefiori () is a glasswork technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns on glassware. The term millefiori is a combination of the Italian words "mille" (thousand) and "fiori" (flowers). Apsley Pellatt in his book ''Curiosities of ...
glass; it features red flower disks superimposed on a green background.
However, prior to Islam, Christianity had no foothold in Somaliland until after the Colonial Era.
British Somaliland
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
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...
. The small number of Christians in the region today comes mostly from similar Catholic institutions in
Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
,
Djibouti and
Berbera.
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
is located within the bishopric area in the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
and under the administration of the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
diocese in Egypt. However, there are no current Anglican communities in the region. However, since 1990 no bishop has been appointed from
Mogadishu, and currently the bishop of Djibouti serves the diocese as an apostolic official.
Adventist Mission
The General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland and oversees the church in directing its various divisions an ...
indicates that there are no members in Somaliland.
Bibliography
* Tripodi, Paolo. ''The Colonial Legacy in Somalia''. St. Martin's Press. New York, 1999.
See also
*
Religion in Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still consid ...
*
Christianity in Somalia
Christianity is a minority religion in Muslim-majority Somalia, with an estimated 1,000 practitioners in a population of over 10 million inhabitants. Although early Christian Orthodoxy was practised by ethnic Somalis prior to Islam, most modern-da ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianity In Somaliland
Persecution of Christians by Muslims