Islam accounts for approximately 8.9% (750,000 people) of the population of theCentral African Republic, making it the second largestorganized religion in the country afterChristianity (90%).[1] The vast majority ofMuslims areSunni ofMaliki school ofjurisprudence. Most Central African Muslims live in the north-east, near the border with predominantly MuslimChad andSudan.[citation needed]
Islam arrived in Central African Republic in the 17th century as part of the expansion of the Saharan and Nile Riverslave routes. Islam began spreading in the region from the 1870's onwards. Conversion was a varied process that included the presence of Muslim merchants, the economic expansion of sultanates in nearby Sudan and Chad into the area, and the cultural proximity of locals with Muslims.[2] The growth of Islam continued during theFrench colonial period but witnessed setbacks due to a lack of religious intstitutions in the region.[2]
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