| Religion | percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islam | 78.5% | |||
| Christianity | 20.4% | |||
| Other religions | 1.1% | |||
Sierra Leone is officially asecular state, althoughIslam andChristianity are the two main and dominant religions in the country. The Sierra Leone Government is constitutionally forbidden to establish astate religion, though Muslim and Christian prayers are usually held in the country at the beginning of major political occasions, including presidential inauguration.
According to a 2020 estimates by thePew Research Center[2] 78.5% of Sierra Leone's population areMuslims (mostlySunni Muslims), 20.4% areChristians (mostlyProtestants) and 1.1% belong to a traditional African religion or other beliefs. The Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone estimated that 77% of Sierra Leone's population are Muslims, 21% are Christians, and 2% are followers of traditional African religion.[3] Most of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups are Muslim-majority, including the country's two largest ethnic groups: theMende andTemne.
Sierra Leone is regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world.[4] Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other peacefully.Religious violence is very rare in the country. Even during theSierra Leonean Civil War people were never targeted because of their religion. The country is home to the Sierra Leone Inter-Religious Council, which is made up of both Christian and Muslim religious leaders to promote peace and tolerance throughout the country.[5][6][7] The Islamic holidays ofEid al-Fitr,Eid al-Adha andMaulid-un-Nabi (Birthday of the Islamic prophetMuhammad) are observed asnational holidays in Sierra Leone. The Christian holidays ofChristmas,Boxing Day,Good Friday andEaster are alsonational holidays in Sierra Leone. In politics, the overwhelming majority of Sierra Leoneans vote for a candidate without regard of the candidate being a Muslim or a Christian. All of Sierra Leone's Heads of State have been Christians exceptAhmad Tejan Kabbah, who was a Muslim.
The vast majority of Sierra Leonean Muslims are adherent to theSunni tradition of Islam. Most of the Mosque and Islamic schools across Sierra Leone are based onSunni Islam.Shia Muslims form a very small percentage, at less than half of one percent of Sierra Leone's Muslim population. Most of Sierra Leonean Muslims of the Sunni and Ahmadiyya sect regularly pray together in the same Mosque.[8][9] TheMaliki school is by far the most dominant Islamic school of jurisprudence across Sierra Leone and is based withinSunni Islam, though many Ahmadiyya Muslims in Sierra Leone also follow the Maliki jurisprudence.
The Sierra Leone Islamic Supreme Council, is the highest Islamic religious organization in Sierra Leone and is made up of the country's Imams, Islamic scholars, and other Islamic clerics across the country. Sheikh Muhammad Taha Jalloh is the president of the Sierra Leone Supreme Islamic Council.[10] The United Council of Imams, is an Islamic religious body in Sierra Leone, that is made up of allimams ofmosques throughout Sierra Leone. The president of the United Council of Imam is SheikhAlhaji Muhammad Habib Sheriff.[11] The two largestmosques in Sierra Leone are theFreetown Central Mosque and theGhadafi Central Mosque (built by formerLibyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi), both located in the capitalFreetown.
Among the present most highly prominent Sierra Leonean Muslim scholars and preachers are Sheikh Abu Bakarr Cotco Kamara, Sheikh Muhammad Taha Jalloh,Sheikh Umarr S. Kanu, SheikhAhmad Tejan Sillah, Sheikh Saeedu Rahman, and Sheikh Muhammad Habib Sheriff. All of the Sierra Leonean Muslim scholars mentioned above areSunni Muslims, except Sheikh Ahmad Tejan Sillah, who is aShia Muslim; and Sheikh Saeedu Rahman, who is anAhmaddiya Muslim.[12]
The large majority of Sierra Leonean Christians areProtestant, of which the largest groups are theWesleyanMethodists andPentecostal.[13][14][15][16][17] Other Christian Protestantdenominations with significant presence in the country includePresbyterians,[18]Baptists,[19]Seventh-day Adventists[20]Anglicans,[21]Lutherans,[22][23] andPentecostals.[24] The Council of Churches is theProtestant Christian religious organisation that is made up of all Protestant churches across Sierra Leone. Recently there has been an increase ofPentecostal churches, especially in Freetown.
Non-denominational Christians form a significant minority of Sierra Leone's Christian population.[25]Catholics are the largest group of non-Protestant Christians in Sierra Leone, forming about 8% of Sierra Leone's population and 26% of the Christian population in Sierra Leone.[26] TheJehovah’s Witnesses[27] and members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[28][29] are the two most prominentnon Trinitarian Christians in Sierra Leone, and they form a small but significant minority of the Christian population in Sierra Leone. A small community ofOrthodox Christians resides in the capital Freetown.[30]
Sierra Leone is home to about sixteenethnic groups, each with its own language. The largest and most influential are theTemne at about 36%, and theMende at about 33%. The Temne predominate in theNorthern Sierra Leone and theareas around the capital of Sierra Leone. The Mende predominate inSouth-Eastern Sierra Leone (with the exception ofKono District).
The vast majority of Temne are Muslims at over 85%; and with a small Christian minority at about 10%. The Mende are also Muslim-majority at about 70%, though with a large Christian minority at about 28%. Sierra Leone's national politics centres on the competition between the north-west, dominated by the Temne, and the south-east dominated by the Mende. The vast majority of the Mende support theSierra Leone People's Party (SLPP); while the majority of the Temne support theAll People's Congress (APC).[31]
The Mende, who are believed to be descendants of theMane, originally occupied the Liberian hinterland. They began moving into Sierra Leone slowly and peacefully in the eighteenth century. The Temne are thought to have come fromFuta Jallon, which is in present-dayGuinea.
The third-largest ethnic group are theLimba at about 6.4% of the population. The Limba arenative people of Sierra Leone. They have no tradition of origin, and it is believed that they have lived in Sierra Leone since before the European encounter. The Limba are primarily found in Northern Sierra Leone, particularly inBombali,Kambia andKoinadugu District. The Limba are about equally divided between Muslims and Christians. The Limba are close political allies of the neighbouring Temne.
Since Independence, the Limba have traditionally been very influential in Sierra Leone's politics, along with the Mende. The vast majority of Limba support the All People's Congress (APC) political party. Sierra Leone's first and second presidents,Siaka Stevens andJoseph Saidu Momoh, respectively, were both ethnic Limba. Sierra Leone's currentdefence ministerAlfred Paolo Conteh is an ethnic Limba.
One of the biggest minority ethnic groups are theFula at around 3.4% of the population. Descendants of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Fula migrant settlers from theFouta Djalon region of Guinea, they live primarily in the northeast and the western area of Sierra Leone. The Fula are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. The Fula are primarilytraders, and many live in middle-class homes. Because of their trading, the Fulas are found in nearly all parts of the country.
The other ethnic groups are theMandingo (also known asMandinka). They are descendants oftraders from Guinea who migrated to Sierra Leone during the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. The Mandika are predominantly found in the east and the northern part of the country. They predominate in the large towns, most notablyKarina, in Bombali District in the north;Kabala andFalaba in Koinadugu District in the north; andYengema,Kono District in the east of the country. Like the Fula, the Mandinka are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. Sierra Leone's third presidentAhmad Tejan Kabbah, and Sierra Leone's first Vice-PresidentSorie Ibrahim Koroma were both ethnic Mandingo.
Next in proportion are theKono, who live primarily inKono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. The Kono are descendants of migrants from Guinea; today their workers are known primarily as diamond miners. The majority of the Kono ethnic group are Christians, though with an influential Muslim minority. Sierra Leone's former Vice-PresidentAlhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana is an ethnic Kono.
The small but significantSierra Leone Creole people orKrio people (descendants of freed African American,West Indian and Liberated African slaves who settled in Freetown between 1787 and about 1885) make up about 3% of the population. They primarily occupy the capital city ofFreetown and its surroundingWestern Area. Krio culture reflects the Western culture and ideals within which many of their ancestors originated – they also had close ties with British officials and colonial administration during years of development.
The Krios have traditionally dominated Sierra Leone's judiciary and Freetown's elected city council. One of the first ethnic groups to become educated according to Western traditions, they have traditionally been appointed to positions in the civil service, beginning during the colonial years. They continue to be influential in the civil service. The vast majority of Krios are Christians at about 99%.
TheOku people, descended primarily fromYorubaLiberated Africans, are another non-native ethnic group with a Muslim majority of 99%.
Other minority ethnic groups are theKuranko, who are related to the Mandingo, and are largely Muslims. The Kuranko are believed to have begun arriving in Sierra Leone from Guinea in about 1600 and settled in the north, particularly inKoinadugu District. The Kuranko are primarily farmers; leaders among them have traditionally held several senior positions in the Military. The current Governor of theBank of Sierra LeoneKaifala Marah is an ethnic Kuranko. The Kuranko are largely Muslim-majority.
TheLoko in the north are native people of Sierra Leone, believed to have lived in Sierra Leone since the time of European encounter. Like the neighbouring Temne, the Loko are Muslim-majority. TheSusu and their relatedYalunka are traders; both groups are primarily found in the far north inKambia and Koinadugu District close to the border with Guinea. The Susu and Yalunka are both descendants of migrants from Guinea; and they both are virtually all Muslims at over 99%.
TheKissi live further inland in South-Eastern Sierra Leone. They predominate in the large town ofKoindu and its surrounding areas in Kailahun District. The vast majority of Kissi are Christians. The much smallerVai andKru peoples are primarily found inKailahun and Pujehun Districts near the border with Liberia. The Kru predominate in the Kroubay neighbourhood in the capital Freetown. The Vai are largely Muslim-majority at about 90%, while the Kru are virtually all Christians at over 99%.
On the coast inBonthe District in the south are theSherbro. Native to Sierra Leone, they have occupiedSherbro Island since it was founded. The Sherbro are primarilyfisherman andfarmers, and they are predominantly found in Bonthe District. The Sherbro are virtually all Christians, and their paramount chiefs had a history of intermarriage with British colonists and traders.
Islam is the largest and majority religion in the country. Around 78% of Sierra Leone's population isMuslim. The vast majority of Sierra Leonean Muslims are adherents ofSunni Islam of theMaliki school of jurisprudence. The two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, theTemne andMende, are both Muslim majority. Ten of Sierra Leone's sixteen ethnic groups are mostly Muslim.
The history of Islam in the region dates back to when Muslim merchants from theMali Empire migrated to the northern areas of modern Sierra Leone.[32] Islam began rapidly spreading around the 18th century onwards as merchants formed social and economic relationships with locals along with creating religious institutions for the practice of the faith.[33]
The vast majority of Sierra Leonean Christians areProtestants with biggest groups beingMethodists[34][35] and variousEvangelical Protestants.[36][37] OtherProtestantdenominations in the country includePresbyterians,[38]Baptists,[39]Seventh-day Adventists[40] andLutherans.[41]
Roman Catholics are the second largest non-Protestant Christians division in Sierra Leone at about 5% of the country's population.[42]
TheJehovah’s Witnesses,[43]Anglicans[44] andLatter-day Saints[45][46] form a small minority of the Christian population in Sierra Leone.The orthodox church has 3.000 members.
The constitution of Sierra Leone provides forfreedom of religion and the government generally protects this right and does not tolerate its abuse.[47]
In 2017, a Sierra Leone-basedradical NigerianPentecostal Christian pastor name Victor Ajisafe was arrested by theSierra Leone Police and held injail after he preached an extremereligious intolerance and a fanaticalhate speech againstIslam and Muslims at his churchsermon in the capitalFreetown.[48] Ajisafe claimed that "every terrorist act in history" was due to Islam,[48] that Islam is an evil religion, and he further said there is no trace of Islam in the history of Sierra Leone; despite that Muslim missionaries have preached Islam in Sierra Leone for centuries. Many Christian organizations in Sierra Leone, including the Council of Churches condemned Ajisafe's sermon against Islam and Muslims. Ajisafe's church was temporarily shut down by the Sierra Leone government and his church license was temporarily suspended too. The incident brought religious tension in Sierra Leone, in a country known for its very high level of religious tolerance, as many Sierra Leonean Muslims at home and abroad were extremely angry.[48] The pastor while in Sierra Leonepolice custody apologized to Sierra Leonean Muslims and to the government of Sierra Leone. After several days in jail, Ajisafe was released, his church license was given back to him, and his church was later reopened under strict government condition during several months ofprobation.
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