Religion In The Central African Republic
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Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
is the predominant religion in
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
, with significant minorities of the 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 ...
and
Traditional African religion The beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and are passed do ...
s. The country is officially
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 ...
and freedom of religion is enshrined in its constitution.
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
and
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
are recognised as public holidays.


Overview


Christianity

Christianity is practiced by 75-89 percent of the population. According to a 2019 study Protestants outnumber Catholics in the Central African Republic. Accordingly, 61% of the population is Protestant and 28% is Catholic. Some
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
are influenced by animist beliefs and practices.


Islam

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 ...
is the second largest religion in the country, practiced by 9-15 percent of the population. 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 are
Malikite The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the Malik ...
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 ...
. It is believed that many of these followers incorporate traditional indigenous elements into their faith practices.International Religious Freedom Report 2010 - Central African Republic
/ref> In 2021, there were around 703,373 refugees from the Central African Republic in bordering countries, with most of them adhering to Islam.


See also

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Roman Catholicism in the Central African Republic The Catholic Church in the Central African Republic is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholics make up 38.29% of the total population in 2023. There are nine dioceses including one arc ...
*
Demographics of the Central African Republic Demographic features of the population of the Central African Republic include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. There are more ...
*
Freedom of religion in the Central African Republic The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, although it prohibits what the Government considers to be religious fundamentalism. The country has an area of approximately and a population of 4,369,000. According to the Pew Research Foundati ...
*
Islam in the Central African Republic Islam accounts for approximately 8.9% (750,000 people) of the population of the Central African Republic, making it the second largest organized religion in the country after Christianity (90%).
*
Central African Republic conflict This is a list of conflicts in Africa arranged by country, both on the continent and associated islands, including wars between African nations, civil wars, and wars involving non-African nations that took place within Africa. It encompasses pre-c ...
- A sectarian civil conflict


References

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