Freedom of religion in Mauritania is limited by the Government. The constitution establishes the country as an Islamic republic and decrees that Islam is the religion of its citizens and the State. Non-Muslim resident expatriates and a few non-Muslim citizens practice their religion openly with certain limitations on

proselytization Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between '' evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invo ...

and transmission of religious materials. Relations between the Muslim community and the small non-Muslim community are generally amicable.

Religious demography

Officially, 100% of Mauritanian citizens are Muslim. In reality, 99.1% are Sunni Muslims, although there are a few non-Muslims (approximately 0.9%).

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and non-denominational Christian churches have been established in Nouakchott, Atar, Zouerate, Nouadhibou and Rosso, but are not open to local citizens. A number of expatriates practice

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

but there are no synagogues.

Status of religious freedom

Islam is generally considered to be the essential cohesive element unifying the country's various ethnic groups and castes. There is a cabinet-level Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation and a High Council of Islam, consisting of six imams, which, at the Government's request, advises on the conformance of legislation to Islamic precepts.

Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s and

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

ic schools are funded privately by their members and other donors. One exception is a small stipend to the imam of the Central Mosque in the capital city of

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provided by the government. The Government does not register religious groups; however, secular

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s, inclusive of humanitarian and development NGO's affiliated with religious groups, must register with the Ministry of the Interior. Nonprofit organizations, including both religious groups and secular NGO's, generally are not subject to taxation. The judiciary consists of a single system of courts with a legal system that conforms with the principles of

Shari'a Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

(Islamic law). The Government observes Muslim holidays as national holidays. A magistrate of Shari'a, who heads a separate government commission, decides the dates for observing religious holidays and addresses the nation on these holidays.

Restrictions on religious freedom

There is no religious oath required of government employees or members of the ruling political party, except for the President and the members of the 5-person Constitutional Council and the 10-person High Council of Magistrates presided over by the President. The Constitutional Council and the High Council of Magistrates advise the President in matters of law and the Constitution. The oath of office includes a promise to

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

to uphold the law of the land in conformity with Islamic precepts. All schools except international schools are required to provide four hours of Islam education every week. Students completing the Baccalaureate exam must complete religious education in Arabic. There are several foreign faith-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) active in humanitarian and developmental work in the country. New laws in 2021 make it easier for faith-based NGOs to register and operate, but they are not allowed to proselytise or promote non-Islamic religions. In April 2018, the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

passed a law making the death penalty mandatory for "blasphemy". This follows laws which give the death penalty for adultery and homosexual activity, although these penalties have not been used since the 1980s.

Proselytization to Muslims

Although there is no specific legal prohibition against

proselytizing Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invol ...

by non-Muslims, in practice the Government prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims through the use of Article 11 of the Press Act, which bans the publication of any material that is against Islam or contradicts or otherwise threatens Islam. The Government views any attempts by practitioners of other religions to convert Muslims as undermining society. Foreign faith-based NGO's limit their activities to humanitarian and development assistance. In June 2009 American aid worker Chris Leggett was murdered for allegedly proselytizing, according to the

Barnabas Fund The Barnabas Fund is an international, interdenominational Christian aid agency based in Coventry, in the West Midlands of England that supports Christians who face discrimination or persecution as a consequence of their faith. It was established ...

Possession and distribution of Bibles

Under Article 11 of the Press Law, the Government may restrict the importation, printing, or public distribution of

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

s or other non-Islamic religious literature, and in practice Bibles are neither printed nor publicly sold in the country. However, the possession of Bibles and other non-Islamic religious materials in private homes is legal.

provides the legal principles upon which the law and legal procedure are based. Mauritania follows the

Maliki The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary ...

madhab, which has certain unique laws not applicable to other

madhabs A ( ar, مذهب ', , "way to act". pl. مَذَاهِب , ) is a school of thought within ''fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence). The major Sunni Mathhab are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries CE an ...

International Views

In 2022 Freedom House rated Mauritania religious freedom as 2 out of 4,Freedom House 2022 report, Retrieved 2023-04-25
/ref> noting that while apostasy is a crime punishable by death, to date, no one has been executed for the crime. However, in April 2018, parliament passed a new law that strengthens the existing death penalty punishment for certain blasphemy offenses.

References

{{Mauritania topics Religion in Mauritania Mauritania Human rights in Mauritania