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A.C.N - Aid to the Church in Need Italian Office |
Religious Freedom in
the Majority Islamic Countries |
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Malawi Population:
9,609,000
Having obtained independence in 1964, Malawi was for many years ruled by President Hastings Banda as a one party political regime. In 1993 strong international pressure forced the regime to hold democratic elections which the following year brought victory to the principal opposition party, the United Democratic Front whose leader, Bakili Muluzi, is a Muslim. Although in Malawi Islam is not the prevailing religion numerically, the religious tensions in the country are getting steadily stronger. Strong concern is being provoked in the Christian community by the policy of President Muluzi who, immediately after winning the elections, forged diplomatic links with some Muslim countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Iran. While it is true that the same president has recently declared: "The fact that I am a Muslim does not mean that I have any intention of turning Malawi into an Islamic state," it must also be stated that numerous signs point to a growing Islamic influence in the country. Many Muslim students have obtained scholarships to study in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries, the number of mosques has grown enormously, following a precise expansionist strategy (it is likely that some of these mosques have been built using public money), the foodstuffs that are being sold (above all the meat products) are all in accordance with Islamic law. This last fact, although seemingly secondary, is a cause of great tensions because the Christians have no intention of being subjected to such customs (Droits de l’homme sans frontières March 12 1990). |
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