Photo credit: BBC
I hear the African state of Angola has banned Islam. To that effect, mosques are being destroyed.
If we consider the havoc being perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists, the undiscerning will think it is the best decision the government has ever taken.
By the way, Angola is said to be richly populated by Christians, who make up about 95 per cent of the country’s population.
When it is now said that Government action in banning Islam is due to popular demand, to the unwary, the majority has spoken.
But some questions need to be raised. Where did the majority meet to agree that religion should be banned?
If the government has the power to ban a particular religion, what will the fate of other religions be?
Is freedom of conscience, thought, and religion not guaranteed by the Angolan constitution?
Is religious belief not personal liberty?
Until these questions are answered, I will take it that Angolan Muslims are suffering from a tyranny of the majority. Islamists will be driven underground due to a fear of being persecuted. I foresee the religion becoming more popular due to this action by the Angolan government because the global Muslim community will not take the matter just like that.
Indeed, Angola might become another battlefront!
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