Islam in Uganda is the second largest religion in the country behind Christianity. Islam is practised by 14 percent of the population. The

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It ...

in 2014, however, estimated that 11.5 percent of Ugandans were Muslim. The vast majority of

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 ...

s in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

are

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 ...

. Small

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

and

Ahmadi 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 ...

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 Dist ...

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

History

The presence of Islam in Uganda was first recorded in 1844 when an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

trader preached to Suuna II, the ruler of the

Kingdom of Buganda Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 14 ...

in central Uganda. Islam was also spread throughout Uganda by Muslim colonial administrators who originally worked in

northern Uganda The Northern Region is one of four regions in Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Northern Region had 30 districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some co ...

when it was controlled by the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...

but were later employed by British colonial administrator

Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong Kong (1907� ...

when Egyptian control collapsed in the south. Despite persecution by the British, Islam flourished in the colonial period and was said to be fastest growing religion in Uganda by a colonial officer in the 1950s. Mosques were built in almost every established city in Uganda and the Uganda Muslim Education Association, founded by prince

Badru Kakungulu Badru is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Badru Hafidh, Tanzanian football manager * Badru Kateregga (born 1948), Ugandan academic * Badru Kiggundu, Ugandan civil engineer * Badru Lusambya (born 1982), Ugand ...

with help by Asian Muslims, built hundreds of primary schools through introducing western educational curriculum into madrasah schools across the country.

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 dist ...

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

Mayuge Mayuge is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the location of the headquarters of Mayuge District. Location Mayuge is located on the Musita–Mayuge–Lumino–Majanji–Busia Road, about southeast of Musita. This is about south of ...

(36%) and

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

History

2002 census

Geographical distribution

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links