Islam in Seychelles

Spread of Islam in Seychelles

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A mosque in Mahe Islam by country

World percentage of Muslims by country

Africa

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Mayotte
* Morocco
* Western Sahara
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Réunion
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Asia

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Georgia
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Americas

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* French Guiana
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Europe

* Albania
* Andorra
* Austria
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Tatarstan
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

Oceania

* Australia
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* Guam
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Nauru
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Islam portal

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Islam in the Indian Ocean was established by Muslim sea merchants well before the European discovery of Seychelles.[1] However, unlike in other island countries such as the Comoros or the Maldives, there were no permanent inhabitants in Seychelles until the French settlement in 1770. Today, the Muslim population of the islands is reported to be approximately 1.1%, roughly 900 people.[2] Many of its island neighbours in the southern Indian Ocean, including the Comoros, Maldives, and Zanzibar, have a much larger Muslim influence because of their settlement by Muslims before European colonization. Mauritius also has a much higher Muslim population due to the importation of labour from British India on a scale not seen in Seychelles. The government of Seychelles allows 15 minutes of religious broadcasting every Friday for the Muslim community.

## Background

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While many Islamic mosques have been built around the country, approximately 1.6 percent of Seychelles is Muslim. One of the prominent islands with many of the Muslims and mosques is the island of Mahe.[3]

## Demographics

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Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±%

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1994 | 506| —
2002 | 866| +71.1%
2010 | 1,459| +68.5%
Year | Percent | Increase

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1994 | 0.8% | -
2002 | 1.1% | 0.3%
2011 | 1.6% | 0.5%

According to the 2010 Census, there were 1,459 Muslims in the Seychelles constituting 1.6 % of the population of Seychelles.[4] This is an increase of 593 from the 2002 census, which reported 866 Muslims constituting 1.1 % of the population. In 1994, there were 506 Muslims constituting 0.7 % of the country's population.[5]

## Islamic Society of Seychelles and fasting

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An Islamic Society of Seychelles (current president: Ibrahim Afif) attempted to start their own program named Explore Islam. However, the program was closed down unexpectedly.[3]

On 5 June 2019, the Islamic community held an Eid-ul-Fitr celebration at Stad Popiler (which is located in the capital, Victoria).[6][citation needed]

## Mosques

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* Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Mosque

## References

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1. ^ "Exploring Islam". www.nation.sc. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
2. ^ "Seychelles Population". www.historycentral.com. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
3. ^ a b "Countering the 'negative branding' of Islam - Muslims in Seychelles seek local dialogue". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2013.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. ^ "Housing and Population Census 2002" (PDF). Retrieved 14 August 2020.
6. ^ "Month of fasting over, Islamic community in Seychelles celebrates Eid, reflects on peace, love". SBC. 5 June 2019.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islam in Seychelles.

* US Government report in Religious Freedom in Seychelles

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Islam in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Pop.]: Population
*[±%]: Percent change