Freedom of religion in Africa by country
Additionally, similar practices (such as having citizens identify their religious preference to the government or on identification cards) can have different consequences depending on other sociopolitical circumstances specific to the countries in question.
The government follows a de facto policy of tolerance by allowing, in limited instances, the conduct of religious services by non-Muslim faiths in the capital which are open to the public.
When imposing sanctions, the Ministry of Interior may decline to register, suspend the operations of, or ban any organization that it deems offensive to public morals or likely to disturb the peace.
[41] The constitution notes that the Grand Mufti of Comoros is appointed by the president, and will head the Supreme National Institution on Charge of Religious Practices.
[42] However, violence between Muslims and other religious groups in the Congo, especially Congolese Christians, has been attested in North Kivu since 2014 in connection with the Allied Democratic Forces insurgency begun in neighboring Uganda.
[44] In 2012, a law was passed that grants the Ministry of Religious Affairs increased oversight of Djibouti's mosques, including of messages disseminated during Friday prayers.
[45] Constitutionally, freedom of belief is "absolute" and the practice of religious rites is provided in Egypt, but the government has historically persecuted its Coptic minority and unrecognized religions.
Coptic Christians are minimally represented in law enforcement, state security, and public office, and are discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion.
[56] In a series of court cases from 2006 to 2008, judges ruled that the government should issue ID cards with a dash instead of religious affiliation for Baháʼí citizens.
Non-Qadi district tribunals, which deal with issues under the customary and traditional law, apply sharia, if relevant when presiding over cases involving Muslims.
[80] It has been reported that in the town of Dinguiraye, a holy city for African Muslims, public celebration of non-Muslim religious holidays or festivals are not permitted.
A December 2016 report by a Mombasa-based human rights organization documented 81 extrajudicial killings and disappearances of Muslims from the coastal region over a five-year period.
On October 17, 2017, authorities in the coastal city of Malindi in Kilifi County charged Christian televangelist Paul Makenzi and his wife with radicalizing children.
[17] In the same year, according to religious leaders, some Muslim youths responded to alleged abuses by non-Muslim members of the police who came from other regions by vandalizing properties of local Christians.
[17] In 2017, the Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab carried out attacks in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu Counties and said it had targeted non-Muslims because of their faith.
[91] Businesses are legally required to close on Sunday for municipal street cleaning, which Muslim citizens view as a pretext to force them to observe the Christian sabbath.
[91] Muslim women have faced obstacles to voter registration, as poll workers have refused to take ID photographs for people wearing a hijab.
[91] The Liberia Muslim Women Network reported that this practice persisted despite other types of head coverings (including traditional garments and habits worn by Catholic nuns) being allowed.
In Tripoli some militias reportedly imposed restrictions on women's dress and movement, and punished men for behavior they deemed to be “un-Islamic.” The RADA-SDF has also been accused of deliberately destroying Sufi shrines during military clashses, although it denies these claims.
There have been reports the military governor aligned with the Tobruk government and the Libyan National Army increased restrictions on the movement of women without male guardians.
In 2020, the High Court Of Malawi issued an injunction compelling the Ministry fo Education to enrol all Rastafarian children in school; this was completed by the end of 2021.
The government plays an active role in determining and policing religious practice for Muslims, and disrespecting Islam in public can carry punishments in the forms of fines and imprisonment.
During World War II, Morocco fell under the Nazi-backed Vichy Regime, which attempted to deport the Jewish population to concentration camps.
The constitution of Niger prohibits religious discrimination and provides for freedom of religion and worship consistent with public order, social peace, and national unity.
Jehovah's Witnesses faced sporadic issues with not being able to join the Bar Association due to the oath requirement, as well as being asked to participate in military activities.
[116] In the past religious leaders have raised concerns about polemical and aggressive proselytization by Christian and Muslim fundamentalist groups, which have been further characterized as a foreign influence.
[19] The region of Somaliland, which seceded at the outset of the civil war and remains nominally independent but internationally unrecognized, has established its own constitution founded on similar religious precepts.
The political party Hizb ut-Tahrir was suspended for one month by a court in Tunis for violating laws against the incitement of religious hatred and for advocating the establishment of a Caliphate.
The governor and Tunis and the minister of the interior also condemned the arrests[15] In October 2017, the government approved the establishment of the openly atheist organization, the Tunisian Council of Secularism.
In December 2016, the Uganda Police Force raided two Salafi mosques in Kampala and arrested fourteen individuals for suspected involvement in the November 2016 killing of Sheikh Mohammed Kigundu, a Muslim cleric.
