
Islam is the dominant religion in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...
. Other than the vast majority of Sunni Muslims, there are also small
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'' (Χρ ...
communities, composed exclusively of immigrants.
Coptic Orthodox Christianity
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...
, which is the Christian Church of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
, is the
largest and most historical Christian denomination in Libya. There are over 60,000 Egyptian
Copts
Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are ...
in Libya, as they comprise over 1% of the population alone.
[Looklex Encyclopedia: 1% of Libya's population density (6.1 million) adhere to the Coptic Orthodox faith](_blank)
There are an estimated 40,000
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Libya who are served by two Bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the
Italian community) and one in
Benghazi
Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and '' Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Gha ...
(serving the
Maltese
Maltese may refer to:
* Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta
* Maltese alphabet
* Maltese cuisine
* Maltese culture
* Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people
* Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...
community). There is also a small
Anglican community, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli; it is part of the
Anglican Diocese of Egypt
The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria is a province of the Anglican Communion. Its territory was formerly the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa. On 29 June 2020 the diocese was elevated to the status of an eccle ...
.
Libya was until recent times the home of one of the oldest
Jewish communities in the world, dating back to at least 300 BC. A series of
pogrom
A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian ...
s beginning in November 1945 lasted for almost three years, drastically reducing Libya's Jewish population.
[Harris, David A. (2001), "In the Trenches: Selected Speeches and Writings of an American Jewish Activist", 1979–1999, pp. 149–150]
Religious freedom
Religious liberties
The Libyan constitution states that
Islam is the state religion and that
Sharia is the primary source of legislation. However, under sharia law, freedom of religion is guaranteed to Christians and Jews (including the right to govern familial matters such as divorce and inheritance) and discrimination on the basis of religion is prohibited. Religious minorities other than Christians and Jews are not granted the same religious freedom under Libyan law. Regarding conversion from one religion to another, there is no protection of the right to do so or explicit prohibition of
conversion away from Islam or proselytizing, however missionary work and conversion are effectively prohibited. Libyan law prohibits insulting Islam and the Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
, as well as publications that aim to "change the fundamental principles of the constitution or the fundamental rules of the social structure." These laws are used to deter missionary work as well as the circulation of non-Islamic religious materials.
Religiously motivated violence
The rights of religious minorities provided by Libyan law are often violated and religiously motivated violence is common. Religious minorities can face intense pressure to convert or revert to Islam, especially in areas controlled by
Salafist
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generat ...
militant groups. Non-Muslims face heightened risk of violence (including sexual assault) in refugee detention centers and one Christian refugee reported that the guards treated refugees from
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
, a Muslim-majority country, better. The SDF (Special Deterrent Force), a Salafist armed group previously affiliated with the
GNA, have reportedly arrested several people accused of violating Islamic law.
Islam

During the seventh century, Muslim conquerors reached Libya, and by the eighth century most of the resistance mounted by the indigenous Berbers had ended. The urban centers soon became substantially Islamic, but widespread conversion didn't happen until later.
A residue of pre-Islamic beliefs blended with the pure Islam of the Arabs. Hence, popular Islam became an overlay of Qur'anic ritual and principles upon the vestiges of earlier beliefs—prevalent throughout North Africa—in jinns (spirits), the evil eye, rites to ensure good fortune, and cult veneration of local saints. The educated of the cities and towns served as the primary bearers and guardians of the more austere brand of orthodox Islam.
Before the 1930s, the
Sanusi Movement was the primary Islamic movement in Libya. This was a religious revival adapted to desert life. Its ''zawaayaa'' (lodges) were found in
Tripolitania
Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
and
Fezzan, but Sanusi influence was strongest in
Cyrenaica. Rescuing the region from unrest was very conservative and somewhat different from the Islam that exists in Libya today. A Libyan form of
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
is also common in parts of the country.
Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
is a minority religion in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...
. The largest Christian group in Libya is the
Coptic Orthodox made up entirely of Egyptian immigrant workers, with a population of over 60,000.
The Coptic (Egyptian) Church is known to have several historical roots in Libya long before the Arabs advanced westward from Egypt into Libya. However, the
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
have a large number as well, with 40,000 members. There is one
Anglican congregation in Tripoli, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli and which belongs to the Egyptian Anglican diocese. The Anglican bishop of Libya has his see in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...
, as most Christians in Libya originate from Egypt, including the Copts. According to
Open Doors' World Watch List 2021, Libya is ranked #4 in the world for the persecution of Christians because of the lack of religious freedom and frequent violence against Christians.
A 2015 study estimate some 1,500 Christians from a Muslim background living in the country.
Judaism

Jews had a presence in Libya at least since the time of Hellenistic rule under Ptolemy Lagos in 323 BC in Cyrene. Once home to a very large and thriving Jewish community, Libya is now completely empty of Jews due to anti-Jewish pogroms and immigration to Israel.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Libya's Jewish population was subjected to
anti-Semitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
laws by the
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
Italian regime and deportations by
German troops. After the war, anti-Jewish violence caused many Jews to leave the country usually for
Palestine. A savage pogrom in Tripoli on 5 November 1945, killed more than 140 Jews and wounded hundreds more. Almost every synagogue was looted. In June 1948, when there was a recorded 38,000 Jews in Libya, rioters murdered another 12 Jews and destroyed 280 Jewish homes.
Thousands of Jews fled the country after Libya was granted independence and membership in the Arab League in 1951. After the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
, the Jewish population of 7,000 was again subjected to pogroms in which 18 were killed, and many more injured, sparking a near-total exodus that left fewer than 100 Jews in Libya.
Under former ruler Colonel
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by '' The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spelli ...
, the situation became a lot worse, as all Jewish property was confiscated and all debts to Jews cancelled. In 1999, the synagogue in Tripoli was renovated, however, it was not reopened.
The last Jew living in Libya, Esmeralda Meghnagi, died in February 2002. This marked the end of one of the world's oldest Jewish communities, which traced its origins to the 4th century BC.
Religiosity
According to a survey by
Arab Barometer, the percentage of Libyans identifying themselves as non-religious increased from around 10% in 2013 to around 25% in 2018.
The Arab world in seven charts
Are Arabs turning their backs on religion? In the survey, about a third of the young Libyans described themselves as non-religious.
According to the Arab Barometer Survey in 2018, 99.9% in Libya identified as Muslim, while 0.1% identified as having No Religion. This survey was based on a sample size of 1,962 people in Libya.
Buddhism
With 0.3% of its population identifying as Buddhist, Libya has the largest proportion of Buddhists of any North African country. Many Buddhists are immigrants from Asia. However, there are no Buddhist
pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoi ...
s or temples in Libya.
Hinduism
There are very few Hindus in Libya. They mainly traveled from India to work in Libya. Around 15-16 thousand Hindus resided till 2011. But when war broke out, many returned to India.
See also
*
Demographics of Libya
Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
References
{{Africa religion