Islam in Mozambique

Mozambique is a Christian majority country, with Islam being a minority faith practiced by around 20% of the population as of 2020.

The faith was introduced by merchants visiting the Swahili coast, as the region was part of the trade network that spanned the Indian Ocean. This later led to the formation of several officially Muslim political entities in the region. In fact, the name of modern Mozambique was derived from Mussa Bin Bique, an Arab merchant who lived in the island of the same name, which his name spelling was later adopted by the Portuguese for the entire country.

The vast majority of Mozambican Muslims are Sunni Muslims, with small Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities. The Muslims consist primarily of indigenous Mozambicans, citizens of South Asian (Indian and Pakistani) descent, and a very small number of North African and Middle Eastern immigrants.

Pre-colonial history

Mozambique has long historic ties with the Muslim world. Initially by way of Sufi merchants, mostly from Yemen, and centuries after through a more organized system of coastal trading cities, more heavily influenced by the Ibadi Muslims from Oman along the shores of Eastern Africa.

The arrival of the Arab trade in Mozambique dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established small emirates on the coast of East Africa. Links between Islam and the chiefly clans in Mozambique have existed since the eleventh century, when Islam made inroads into the northern Mozambican coast and became associated with the Shirazi ruling elites.