Religion in Sierra Leone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sierra Leone is officially a secular state, although Islam and Christianity are the two main and dominant religions in the country. The constitution forbids a state religion, though Muslim and Christian prayers are usually held in the country at the beginning of major political occasions, including presidential inauguration.
According to a 2020 estimates by the Pew Research Center[2] 78.5% of Sierra Leone's population are Muslims (mostly Sunni Muslims), 20.4% are Christians (mostly Protestants) and 1.1% belong to a traditional African religion or other beliefs. The Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone estimated that 77% of Sierra Leone's population are Muslims, 21% are Christians, and 2% are followers of traditional African religion.[3] Most of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups are Muslim-majority, including the country's two largest ethnic groups: the Mende and Temne.
Sierra Leone is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world.[4] Religious violence is rare in the country. Even during the Sierra Leonean Civil War religion was never a target for persecution. Sierra Leone is home to the Sierra Leone Inter-Religious Council, which is made up of both Christian and Muslim religious leaders to promote peace and tolerance throughout the country.[5][6][7] The Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Maulid-un-Nabi are national holidays in Sierra Leone. The Christian holidays of Christmas, Boxing Day, Good Friday and Easter are also holidays. Despite being majority Muslim, all of Sierra Leone's Heads of State have been Christians except Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (who was a Muslim).
The vast majority of Sierra Leone's Muslims are Sunnis tradition of Islam. Shia Muslims form a very small percentage, at less than 0.5% of the Muslim population. Most Sierra Leonean Muslims of the Sunni and Ahmadiyya sects regularly pray together in the same Mosques.[8][9] Most Muslims in Sierra Leone follow the Maliki school. It is by far the most dominant Islamic school of jurisprudence[citation needed]. Many Ahmadiyya Muslims in Sierra Leone also follow the Maliki school.
The Sierra Leone Islamic Supreme Council, is the highest Islamic religious organization in Sierra Leone and is made up of the country's Imams, Islamic scholars, and other Islamic clerics across the country. The current president is Muhammad Taha Jalloh[10]. The United Council of Imams, is an Islamic religious body in Sierra Leone, that is made up of all imams of mosques throughout the country. The president of the United Council of Imam is Sheikh Alhaji Muhammad Habib Sheriff.[11] The two largest mosques in Sierra Leone are the Freetown Central Mosque and the Gaddafi Central Mosque (built by former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi), both located in the capital city Freetown.
Among the present most highly prominent Sierra Leonean Muslim scholars and preachers are Sheikh Abu Bakarr Cotco Kamara, Sheikh Muhammad Taha Jalloh, Sheikh Umarr S. Kanu, Sheikh Ahmad Tejan Sillah, Sheikh Saeedu Rahman, and Sheikh Muhammad Habib Sheriff. All of the Sierra Leonean Muslim scholars mentioned above are Sunni Muslims, except Sheikh Ahmad Tejan Sillah, who is a Shia Muslim; and Sheikh Saeedu Rahman, who is an Ahmaddiya Muslim.[12]
The majority of Christians in Sierra Leone are Protestant, of which the largest groups are Methodists and Pentecostals.[13][14][15][16][17] Other Protestant denominations with a significant presence in the country include Presbyterians,[18] Baptists,[19] Seventh-day Adventists[20] Anglicans,[21] Lutherans,[22][23] and Pentecostals.[24] The Council of Churches is the Protestant Christian religious organisation that is made up of all Protestant churches across Sierra Leone. Recently there has been an increase of Pentecostal churches, especially in Freetown[citation needed].
Catholics make up the second largest group after protestants in the country, forming about 8% of Sierra Leone's population or 26% of the Christian population.[25] Jehovah’s Witnesses[26] and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[27][28] are the two most prominent non Trinitarian groups in Sierra Leone. They form a small minority of the Christian population in Sierra Leone. A small community of Orthodox Christians resides in the capital Freetown.[29] Non-denominational Christians are also present in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone is home to about sixteen ethnic groups. The largest are the Temne at about 36%, and the Mende at about 33%. The Temne predominate in the Northern Sierra Leone and the areas around the capital of Sierra Leone. The Mende predominate in South-Eastern Sierra Leone (with the exception of Kono District).
The vast majority of Temne are Muslims at over 85%; and with a small Christian minority at about 10%. The Mende are also Muslim-majority at about 70%, though with a large Christian minority at about 28%. Sierra leonean politics is dominated by the competition between the north-west, dominated by the Temne, and the south-east dominated by the Mende. The majority of the Mende support the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP); while the majority of the Temne support the All People's Congress (APC).
The Mende, who are believed to be descendants of the Mane, originally occupied the Liberian hinterland. They began moving into Sierra Leone in the eighteenth century. The Temne are thought to have come from Futa Jallon, present-day Guinea.
The Limba people are the third largest at about 6.4% of the population. The Limba are native people of Sierra Leone. They have no tradition of origin, and it is believed that they have lived in Sierra Leone since before the European encounter. The Limba are primarily found in Northern Sierra Leone, particularly in Bombali, Kambia and Koinadugu District. The Limba are about equally divided between Muslims and Christians. The Limba are close political allies of the neighbouring Temne.
Since Independence, the Limba have traditionally been very influential in Sierra Leone's politics, along with the Mende. The vast majority of Limba support the All People's Congress (APC) political party. Sierra Leone's first and second presidents, Siaka Stevens and Joseph Saidu Momoh, respectively, were both ethnic Limba. Sierra Leone's current defence minister Alfred Paolo Conteh is an ethnic Limba.
Another ethnic groups in the country are the Fula at around 3.4% of the population. Descendants of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Fula migrant settlers from the Fouta Djalon region of Guinea, they live primarily in the northeast and the western area of Sierra Leone. The Fula are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. The Fula are primarily traders, and many live in middle-class homes. Because of their trading, the Fulas are found in nearly all parts of the country.
The other ethnic groups are the Mandingo (also known as Mandinka). They are descendants of traders from Guinea who migrated to Sierra Leone during the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. The Mandika are predominantly found in the east and the northern part of the country. They predominate in the large towns, most notably Karina, in Bombali District in the north; Kabala and Falaba in Koinadugu District in the north; and Yengema, Kono District in the east of the country. Like the Fula, the Mandinka are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. Sierra Leone's third president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and Sierra Leone's first Vice-President Sorie Ibrahim Koroma were both ethnic Mandingo.
Next in proportion are the Kono, who live primarily in Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. The Kono are descendants of migrants from Guinea; today their workers are known primarily as diamond miners. The majority of the Kono ethnic group are Christians, though with an influential Muslim minority. Sierra Leone's former Vice-President Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana is an ethnic Kono.
The small but significant Sierra Leone Creole people or Krio people (descendants of freed African American, West Indian and Liberated African slaves who settled in Freetown between 1787 and about 1885) make up about 3% of the population. They primarily occupy the capital city of Freetown and its surrounding Western Area. Krio culture reflects the Western culture and ideals within which many of their ancestors originated – they also had close ties with British officials and colonial administration during years of development.
The Krios have traditionally dominated Sierra Leone's judiciary and Freetown's elected city council. One of the first ethnic groups to become educated according to Western traditions, they have traditionally been appointed to positions in the civil service, beginning during the colonial years. They continue to be influential in the civil service. The vast majority of Krios are Christians at about 99%.
The Oku people, descended primarily from Yoruba Liberated Africans, are another non-native ethnic group with a Muslim majority of 99%.
Other minority ethnic groups are the Kuranko, who are related to the Mandingo, and are largely Muslims. The Kuranko are believed to have begun arriving in Sierra Leone from Guinea in about 1600 and settled in the north, particularly in Koinadugu District. The Kuranko are primarily farmers; leaders among them have traditionally held several senior positions in the Military. The current Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone Kaifala Marah is an ethnic Kuranko. The Kuranko are largely Muslim-majority.
The Loko in the north are native people of Sierra Leone, believed to have lived in Sierra Leone since the time of European encounter. Like the neighbouring Temne, the Loko are Muslim-majority. The Susu and their related Yalunka are traders; both groups are primarily found in the far north in Kambia and Koinadugu District close to the border with Guinea. The Susu and Yalunka are both descendants of migrants from Guinea; and they both are virtually all Muslims at over 99%.
The Kissi live further inland in South-Eastern Sierra Leone. They predominate in the large town of Koindu and its surrounding areas in Kailahun District. The vast majority of Kissi are Christians. The much smaller Vai and Kru peoples are primarily found in Kailahun and Pujehun Districts near the border with Liberia. The Kru predominate in the Kroubay neighbourhood in the capital Freetown. The Vai are largely Muslim-majority at about 90%, while the Kru are virtually all Christians at over 99%.
On the coast in Bonthe District in the south are the Sherbro. Native to Sierra Leone, they have occupied Sherbro Island since it was founded. The Sherbro are primarily fisherman and farmers, and they are predominantly found in Bonthe District. The Sherbro are virtually all Christians, and their paramount chiefs had a history of intermarriage with British colonists and traders.
Islam
Islam is the largest and majority religion in the country. Around 78% of Sierra Leone's population is Muslim. The vast majority of Sierra Leonean Muslims are Sunni and follow the Maliki school. The two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, the Temne and Mende, are both Muslim majority. Ten of Sierra Leone's sixteen ethnic groups are mostly Muslim.
The history of Islam in the region dates back to when Muslim merchants from the Mali Empire migrated to the northern areas of modern Sierra Leone.[30] Islam began rapidly spreading around the 18th century onwards as merchants formed social and economic relationships with locals along with creating religious institutions for the practice of the faith.[31]
Christianity
The vast majority of Sierra Leonean Christians are Protestants with biggest groups being Methodists[32][33] and various Evangelical Protestants.[34][35] Other Protestant denominations in the country include Presbyterians,[36] Baptists,[37] Seventh-day Adventists[38] and Lutherans.[39]
In the mid-19th century, Protestantism was spread after the establishment of Freetown Lodge No. 1955. It was the first Orange Lodge in Africa.[40] British and Irish settlers, missionaries, and colonial officials introducing the fraternity there when it was a British Crown Colony and key colonial port. The Orange Order focused on teaching Protestant history and evangelism, and attracted educated locals.[41][42]
Roman Catholics are the second largest non-Protestant Christians division in Sierra Leone at about 5% of the country's population.[43]
The Jehovah’s Witnesses,[44] Anglicans[45] and Latter-day Saints[46][47] form a small minority of the Christian population in Sierra Leone. The orthodox church has 3.000 members.
