Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

majority country, with adherents of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

being a minority. Due to the

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

nature of Eswatini's constitution,

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

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

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, most of whom belong to the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

branch of Islam. Islam in Eswatini probably dates back to the colonial period when some Muslims settled in the country from other countries under the dominion of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. In the post-colonial period, Islam became a officially recognized religion.

History

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

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

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 ''Ngwenyama'' (King) of Swaziland (now Eswatini) for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was bo ...

. 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; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

World Factbook, about 2% of Eswatini's 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 Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

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 (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

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 Sunni Islam mosque in Lobamba, Hhohho Region, Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in South ...

References

External links