Claim
A viral video is claiming that Angola has banned Islam in their country. And by doing so, it has become the first country in the world to ban Islam as a religion to be practised.
Fact Check
We conducted the investigation to check the authenticity of the claims. We did a keyword search: Has Angola banned Islam? It led us to many news reports.
One such news report by BBC, dated 18 October 2016, stated that it is a myth which is perpetuated that Islam is banned. But this is not true in any sense. In this report, we have seen how many sites were spreading misinformation or false information.
People quoted in this report say Muslims are thriving in Angola and the misunderstandings arose from the fact that the government had destroyed some mosques because they did not have the permission to be built.
The report revealed a rather peculiar state in which Muslims in Angola live in. Islam is not a recognised religion by the Angola state. But despite this, Islam and Islamic organisations are allowed to exist, function, and grow.
Another news report from Al Jazeera, dated 27 November 2013, stated Manuel Fernando, director of the National Institute for Religious Affairs, a part of cultural ministry clarified that there is no war in Angola against Islam or any other religion.
Angola’s government has denied it had banned Islam and closed mosques in the country, after media speculation that sparked outrage among Muslims worldwide.
As mentioned in the video, that President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has banned Islam is also false, as he died in 2022, as reported by Al Jazeera. He was Angola’s president from 1979 to 2017.
And at present, Angola’s President is Joao Lourenco.
Conclusion
The Fact Check reveals the claims made in the viral video are false. They don’t hold any merit.
Due to some legalities, Islam is not a recognised religion in Angola, but that doesn’t stop it from existing, functioning, and thriving.
The claim of Angola, the president being Jose Eduardo dos Santos is false, as his term was 1979 to 2017, and he died in 2022.
