Religion inGuinea is approximately 89% Muslim, 7% Christian, with 2% adhering to indigenous religious beliefs in 2022. There are also smaller numbers of Atheists and practitioners of other religions in the country.[2] Much of the population, both Muslim and Christian, also incorporate indigenous African beliefs into their outlook.[3]
In 2023, the Association of Religion Date Archives (ARDA) has Muslims at 86.8%, Christian 3.52%, and Animist 9.42%.[4]
Guinean Muslims are generallySunni ofMaliki school of jurisprudence, influenced withSufism,[5] with someAhmadiyya.[6] Shiism is growing due to theLebanese diaspora population and few local converts.
Christian groups includeRoman Catholics,Anglicans,Baptists,Seventh-day Adventists, and otherEvangelical groups.Jehovah's Witnesses are active in the country and recognized by the Government.[7]
There is a small community of theBaháʼí Faith. There are small numbers ofHindus,Buddhists, and traditional Chinese religious groups among theexpatriate community.[8]
TheSande society is a secret women's association found inLiberia,Sierra Leone andGuinea that initiates girls into adulthood, confersfertility, instills notions of morality and proper sexual comportment, and maintains an interest in the well-being of its members throughout their lives. In addition, Sande champions women's social and political interests and promotes their solidarity vis-a-vis thePoro society, a complementary institution for men. Today this social institution is found among theBassa,Gola,Kissi,Kpelle,Loma,Mano andVai of Liberia.
Throughout the region, the complementarity of men's and women'sgender roles - evident in such diverse activities as farming, cloth production, and musical performances - reach full expression. The women's Sande and men's Poro associations alternate political and ritual control of "the land" (a concept embracing the natural and supernatural worlds) for periods of three and four years respectively. During Sande's sovereignty, all signs of the men's society are banished.[9][10]
At the end of this three-year period, the Sande leadership "turns over the land" to its counterparts in the Poro Society for another four years, and after a rest period the ritual cycle begins anew. The alternating three- and four-year initiation cycles for women and men respectively are one example of the widespread use of the numbers 3 and 4 to signify the gender of people, places and events; together the numbers equal seven, a sacred number throughout the region.[11][12]
In 2012, Muslims constituted a majority in allfour major regions of Guinea.[13] Christians are most numerous inConakry, large cities, the south, and the easternForest Region. Indigenous religious beliefs were most prevalent in the Forest Region.[13]
The Constitution of Guinea, although suspended from the time of the 2009 military junta until after the 2010 democratic elections, writes that Guinea is a secular state where all enjoy equality before the law, regardless of religion.[14] The constitution provides for the right of individuals to choose, change, and practice the religion of their choice.[13]
The Guinean government's Secretariat of Religious Affairs aims to promote better relations among religious denominations and ameliorate interethnic tensions. The secretary general of religious affairs appoints six national directors to lead the offices of Christian affairs, Islamic affairs, pilgrimages, places of worship, economic affairs and the endowment, and general inspector.[13]
The imams and administrative staff of the principal mosque in the capital city of Conakry, and the principal mosques in the main cities of the four regions, are government employees. These mosques are directly under the administration of the government.[13]
By 2012, the government observed the following religious holidays as national holidays:Mawlid (Muhammad's birthday),Easter Monday,Assumption Day,Eid al-Fitr,Tabaski, andChristmas.[13]
In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom according to Freedom House, which said that religious rights are generally respected occasional reports of discrimination.[15]
In some parts of Guinea, strong familial, communal, cultural, social, or economic pressure discourage conversion from Islam.[13] It was reported that in 2012 that in the town ofDinguiraye, a holy city for African Muslims, public celebration of non-Muslim religious holidays or festivals are not permitted. Dinguiraye town authorities have also refused permission to build a church within its boundaries.[3]
There were 3 days of ethno-religious fighting in the city ofNzerekore in July 2013.[16][17] Fighting between ethnicKpelle, who are Christian or animist, and ethnic Konianke, who are Muslims and close to the largerMalinke ethnic group, left at least 54 dead.[17] The dead included people who were killed with machetes and burned alive.[17] The violence ended after the Guinea military imposed a curfew, and President Conde made a televised appeal for calm.[17]
In 2021, violence was limited to Kendoumaya, Lower Guinea, and mainly concerned a land rights dispute between locals and a monastery.[7]
