Religion in Malawi: Difference between revisions
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[[Christianity]] is the most widely professed '''religion in Malawi''', with significant populations of the adherents of [[Islam]] and traditional faiths.<ref name="DHS 2016" /> Religious pluralism is both a prominent social value and enshrined in the country's constitution.<ref name=":0" /> |
[[Christianity]] is the most widely professed '''religion in Malawi''', with significant populations of the adherents of [[Islam]] and traditional faiths.<ref name="DHS 2016" /> Religious pluralism is both a prominent social value and enshrined in the country's constitution.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The Christian festivals of [[Christmas]] and [[Good Friday]] are recognised as the national holidays. |
The Christian festivals of [[Christmas]] and [[Good Friday]] are recognised as the national holidays. |
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==Demographics== |
==Demographics== |
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Revision as of 08:47, 14 August 2023
Religion in Malawi (2020 estimate[1])
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Malawi, with significant populations of the adherents of Islam and traditional faiths.[2] Religious pluralism is both a prominent social value and enshrined in the country's constitution.[3]
The Christian festivals of Christmas and Good Friday are recognised as the national holidays.
Demographics
Malawi is a majority Christian country, with a significant Muslim minority. Government surveys indicate that 87% of the country is Christian, with a minority 11.6% Muslim population.[2] The largest Christian groups in Malawi are the Roman Catholic Church, of which 19% of Malawians are adherents, and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) to which 18% belong.[2] The CCAP is the largest Protestant denomination in Malawi with 1.3 million members. There are smaller Presbyterian denominations like the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Malawi. There are also smaller numbers of Anglicans, Baptists, evangelicals, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Lutherans.[4]
Most of the Muslim population is Sunni, of either the Qadriya or Sukkutu groups, with a few who follow the Ahmadiyya.[5]
Other religious groups within the country include Jehovah's Witnesses (over 95,000),[6] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with just over 2,000 members in the country at the end of 2015,[7] Rastafari, Hindus, Baháʼís, (0.2%[8]) and around 300 Jews.[citation needed] Atheists make up around 4% of the population, although this number may include people who practice traditional African religions that do not have any gods.[3]
Legal status
The constitution of Malawi prohibits discrimination based on religion and provides for freedom of conscience, religion, belief, and thought.[3] It also specifies that eliminating religious intolerance is a goal of education in Malawi.
Religious instruction is mandatory in public primary schools, with no opt-out provision, and is available as an elective in public secondary schools. In some schools, the religious curriculum is a Christian-oriented “Bible knowledge” course, while in others it is an interfaith “moral and religious education” course drawing from the Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Baháʼí faiths. According to the law, local school management committees, elected at parent-teacher association meetings, decide on which religious curriculum to use. Private Christian and Islamic schools offer religious instruction in their respective faiths. Hybrid “grant-aided” schools are managed by private, usually religious, institutions, but their teaching staffs are paid by the government. In exchange for this financial support, the government chooses a significant portion of the students who attend. At grant-aided schools, a board appointed by the school's operators decides whether the “Bible knowledge” or the “moral and religious education” curriculum will be used.[3]
Rastafarian children face obstacles to obtaining education, as school children in Malawi are generally required to shave their heads, and Rastafarian religious practice requires them to wear dreadlocks. This has resulted in several Rastafarian children being denied access to public schools, although the majority concede to shaving their heads and complying with the school's rules.[3]
Religious pluralism is enshrined by Malawi society, and members of Christian, Muslim, and Hindu faiths regularly engage in business and civil society together.[3]
References
- ^ https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=138c
- ^ a b c "Demographic and Health Survey: 2015–2016" (PDF). Malawi National Statistical Office. p. 36. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Malawi". International Religious Freedom Report 2007. U.S. Department of State. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ "Lutheran Church of Central Africa.—Malawi". Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017.
- ^ Richard Carver (1990). Where Silence Rules: The Suppression of Dissent in Malawi. p. 59. ISBN 9780929692739. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ "2018 Country and Territory Reports". Jehovah's Witnesses. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.
- ^ "Baha'i population by country". Thearda.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2013.