Angola defends putting bar at Islamic groups
Angola denies any persecution of Muslims.
Angola admitted on Friday it had refused registration to a number of Islamic religious groups and closed illegal mosques because they did not comply with national laws. PHOTO: FILE
Angola admitted on Friday it had refused registration to a number of Islamic religious groups and closed illegal mosques because they did not comply with national laws, but it denied any persecution of Muslims.
The Angolan government has faced a storm of criticism after international media reported it had ‘banned Islam.
The outcry followed an announcement by the Ministry of Justice earlier this month listing 194 ‘religious confessions’ whose requests for registration it rejected, among them the Islamic Community of Angola (COIA).
A COIA leader, David Ja, told Reuters the authorities had closed dozens of mosques and even demolished some across Angola’s 18 provinces.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2013.
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