Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

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 adherents of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

being a minuscule minority. Due to

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

nature of the Eswatini's constitution,

Muslims 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 ...

are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. The nation is home to over a million people, of which less than 2% identify as

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 ...

, most of whom belong to

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 dis ...

branch. Islam in Eswatini probably dates to the colonial period, when, as in Eswatini's much larger neighbor

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, many Muslims settled in the country from other countries under the dominion of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

History

While Muslims settled in Eswatini during the colonial period, an active community emerged around the early 1960s when

Malawian Muslims This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malaw ...

arrived in Eswanti to work in

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

mines. A few locals converted and Malawi-Swazi communities formed in some small towns. Islam became a recognized religion in 1972 by the approval of

Sobhuza II Sobhuza II, (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was ...

. Muslims since then have partaken in the national Good Friday festivities to pray for the well-being of the monarch and many Islamic institutions have been established in urban areas.

Population

According to the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

World Factbook, only 2% of Eswatini's Christian-majority population are Muslim. The Muslim community in Eswatini comprises local Muslim (most of whom identify as

Muslims) and refugees and immigrants from Asia and neighbouring African states. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community claims 250 members in the country.''Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosques Around the World''. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. 2008. pg. 107.

Law and politics

Muslim marriages in Eswatini are not included in the Marriage Act of 1964 which governs civil marriages. However, according to local

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

Luqman Asooka, Muslim marriages are considered as custom marriages that are allowed in the constitution which guarantees "freedom of worship".

Mosques

Ezulwini Mosque The Ezulwini Mosque is a mosque in Lobamba, Hhohho Region, Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. ...

References

External links