Laika ac Gaddafi National Mosque, Kampala (6693328097)

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

is an overwhelmingly

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 ...

majority country, with

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

being the second most widely professed faith. According to the 2013 National Census, Islam in Uganda was practised by 13.7 percent of the population. The

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the w ...

in 2014, however, estimated that 11.5 percent of Ugandans were Muslim, compared to 35.2 percent of Tanzanians, 9.7 percent of Kenyans, 6.2 percent of South Sudanese, 2.8 percent of Burundians, and 1.8 percent of Rwandans. The vast majority of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) 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 Abrah ...

s in

are

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

. Small

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

and Ahmadi minorities are also present. The

Iganga District Iganga District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Iganga is the site of the district headquarters. Location Iganga District is bordered by Kaliro District to the north, Namutumba District to the northeast, Bugweri Di ...

in the east of Uganda had the highest percentage of Muslims according to a 2009 published report.

19th century

Islam had arrived in Uganda from the north and through inland networks of the East African coastal trade by the mid-nineteenth century. Some

Baganda The Ganda people, or Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are official ...

Muslims trace their family's conversion to the period in which

Kabaka the kabaka Palace in kireka Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and ...

Mutesa I converted to Islam in the nineteenth century. Islam entered Uganda through the Buganda route in the 1840s and the northern Uganda route through the Turko-Egyptian influences. Kasozi, (1986: 23) gives 1844 as the year when the first Muslim Arab trader, Ahmed bin Ibrahim, reached the King's court in Buganda.Kasozi, A.B.K., 1994. Social Origins of Violence in Uganda, 1964-1985

2002 census

The 2002 national census recorded that Muslims represented 12.1 percent of the population.

Geographical distribution

Yumbe District Yumbe District is a district in Northern Region, Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Yumbe, where the district headquarters are located. Location Yumbe District is one of Uganda's most northern district ...

is the only district with a Muslim-majority (76%). Muslims form a significant minority in the districts of Mayuge (36%) and

Iganga Iganga is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Iganga District. Location Iganga is located in Uganda's Busoga sub-region. It lies approximately , by road, northeast of the ...

(34%).

References

External links

Muslim population estimates on islamicweb.com

{{Uganda topics

19th century

2002 census

Geographical distribution

See also

References

Further reading

External links