Islam banned in Angola

[fkizz]

While the constitution in Angola guarantees freedom of religion to all of its citizens, this right no longer seems to apply to the followers of the now banned religion of Islam. According to numerous newspapers in Angola, the African nation has banned the Islamic religion. It has become the first country in the world to take such a harsh stance against Muslims.
On November 22, the Angolan Minister of Culture Rosa Cruz e Silva said that “[t]he process of legalization of Islam has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights [and so] their mosques would be closed until further notice.” Why the religion needs to be legalized has not been definitively stated by Cruz e Silva.
Cruz e Silva has also said that the closing of mosques is the most recent move in Angola’s effort to but a stop to so-called illegal religious sects. Under new laws in Angola, many religious sects have suddenly become criminal.
On November 24, Angola President José Eduardo dos Santos said that the country is working toward putting an end to Islamic influence in Angola once and for all. Again, there is no word of what or who has been influenced and why it needs to stop.
The Governor of Luanda, Bento Bento, has said that “radical” Muslims are not welcome in the country and that the Angolan government will not be legalizing mosques or other places of worship for Muslims.

Source: http://guardianlv.com/2013/11/islam-banned-in-angola/



So what do you think of this? A cultural option or islamophobia? At what point does a country have the right to supress or not a certain religion?

Is this Angola moving foward or backwards?

Share your opinions here

[Stavroforos]

Nice, this should be interesting.

[s.rwitt]

Is that a serious question? They're moving backwards. ing obviously.

[Heathen Hammer]

Is that a serious question? They're moving backwards. ing obviously.

Indeed, nothing says progress like pedophilia and punishing women for driving.

[Veliky Kaiser Theos]

How could you possibly ask if this is going forwards or backwards? It's downright barbaric.

[King_Porus]

1. At what point does a country have the right to supress or not a certain religion?
2. Is this Angola moving foward or backwards?

1. No country that surpresses religious freedom is worth living in.

2. Obviously a step backwards. Imagine if Angola or any other country banned Judaism or Christianity. I can just imagine all the hordes of people calling Angola a bunch of Anti-Semite Nazis or the Pope getting in his armoured Pope-wagon to rain hell on all their unfortunate asses.

[Ciabhán]

Angola is free to decide what it does or doesn't want to allow. A step backwards in what we'd generally call progress, sure but still their choice to make. I don't imagine Angola has a large Muslim population to begin with and you'd have to be rather stupid to move to that country if you were Muslim now. Plenty of other options, no big loss.

[sleepyx732]

What is the stated reason for this policy? As in, why are sects being targeted?

And how does Islam qualify as a sect?

Angola is free to decide what it does or doesn't want to allow. A step backwards in what we'd generally call progress, sure but still their choice to make. I don't imagine Angola has a large Muslim population to begin with and you'd have to be rather stupid to move to that country if you were Muslim now. Plenty of other options, no big loss.

The constitution says they are not free to decide.

[The Kybrothilian]

Angola is free to decide what it does or doesn't want to allow. A step backwards in what we'd generally call progress, sure but still their choice to make. I don't imagine Angola has a large Muslim population to begin with and you'd have to be rather stupid to move to that country if you were Muslim now. Plenty of other options, no big loss.

The question is, do you feel the same way towards Muslim countries that ban other religions? Or does it cause uproar in you?

95% of the population didn't want them, so it's not just "the government" banning them. The majority has spoken... go be muslim somewhere else.

its interesting that it has been mentioned in this thread that there are Muslim countries that ban other religions, yet none of the posters outraged at Angola address that fact.

This.

[Ciabhán]

The question is, do you feel the same way towards Muslim countries that ban other religions? Or does it cause uproar in you?

Am I unsurprised and generally of the opinion that it's expected? Yes. Backwards s are backwards s no matter who is in charge. Do I particularly care? No.

So yes same opinion.

[Copperknickers II]

Angola is free to decide what it does or doesn't want to allow. A step backwards in what we'd generally call progress, sure but still their choice to make. I don't imagine Angola has a large Muslim population to begin with and you'd have to be rather stupid to move to that country if you were Muslim now. Plenty of other options, no big loss.

I see. So Angola is free to decide what it wants to allow, yet Muslims are not free to decide what religion they want to follow? In fact, you say there is no big loss, but there is a loss for freedom of religion generally, and loss for the Muslims in Angola (90,000 of them btw). But what does Angola gain from this? Not a lot.

[Davius]

Wow what an outrage. No Muslim countries would even repress another religion. :rolleyes.

[Knight of Heaven]

No country that surpresses religious freedom is worth living in

The real tragedy in Angola is , it is surpresses much more then religious freedom. It surpresses civil, and basic human rights. Like freedom of speech for instance.

This isnt very suprising.

Angola is free to decide what it does or doesn't want to allow.

Angola isnt free at all.

[Ciabhán]

Nations violate their constitutions all the bloody time. Ideals and reality rarely match up.

[PointOfViewGun]

What a nice thread to see how some people can violate their own standards. Looks like it already begun. Let's just watch how some will twist and turn to downplay this.

[Ciabhán]

What a nice thread to see how some people can violate their own standards. Looks like it already begun. Let's just watch how some will twist and turn to downplay this.

Amusing as this is Seth it's a bit off base.

Angola is of no importance. I have no standards for giving the slightest bit of a what some country does in regards to banning or not banning the followers of particular magical sky beings. On top of this a 5 year old could point out dozens of violations of constitutions by just about every nation on earth that no one had a fit over because they were 'progressive'.

To be blunt I don't give a about something that doesn't concern me in the slightest. I do find people crying about it amusing though. Mainly because it's to be expected that things like this happen, they happen all the time. Also because there are always a few advocating for forcing the offender to do what they want. That being a grand hypocrisy.

[PointOfViewGun]

Amusing as this is Seth it's a bit off base.

Angola is of no importance. I have no standards for giving the slightest bit of a what some country does in regards to banning or not banning the followers of particular magical sky beings. On top of this a 5 year old could point out dozens of violations of constitutions by just about every nation on earth that no one had a fit over because they were 'progressive'.

To be blunt I don't give a about something that doesn't concern me in the slightest. I do find people crying about it amusing though. Mainly because it's to be expected that things like this happen, they happen all the time. Also because there are always a few advocating for forcing the offender to do what they want. That being a grand hypocrisy.

Says the man who posted twice in the thread... No need to hold you as a part of the discussion if that's how you feel though.

[Ciabhán]

Says the man who posted twice in the thread... No need to hold you as a part of the discussion if that's how you feel though.

My posting here has nothing to do with giving a about Angola. It has everything to do with the fact that people always want everyone to be free to do what they please. But when Angola decides it's pleased by not allowing Islam that's not okay.

They want Muslim Bob from Angola to be free to be Muslim but they don't want Angola to have the option of choosing who it allows in Angola. The irony being that freedom to choose is being limited by freedom to choose. I find that amusing. I find the squirming it causes amusing.

In the end(amusement derived from the situation notwithstanding): I'm not Muslim. I'm not from Angola. I will never be Muslim. I will never go to Angola. I don't know any Angolans. I don't know any Muslims that want to go to Angola. Thus I don't have any reason to give the slightest about what goes on in Angola.

[King_Porus]

1. But when Angola decides it's pleased by not allowing Islam that's not okay.
2.Thus I don't have any reason to give the slightest about what goes on in Angola.

1. The Angolan government decided it's not pleased with Islam. From what I know about this country, I don't believe the government gives a rat's ass about what the people of Angola want. And btw, just because lots of countries put hypocritical laws into place, it doesn't make it alright. Are human rights violations ok because "everyone" does it?

2. Yet you've now posted in this thread three times to tell us how much you don't care

[Facupay]

My posting here has nothing to do with giving a about Angola. It has everything to do with the fact that people always want everyone to be free to do what they please. But when Angola decides it's pleased by not allowing Islam that's not okay.

They want Muslim Bob from Angola to be free to be Muslim but they don't want Angola to have the option of choosing who it allows in Angola. The irony being that freedom to choose is being limited by freedom to choose. I find that amusing. I find the squirming it causes amusing.

In the end(amusement derived from the situation notwithstanding): I'm not Muslim. I'm not from Angola. I will never be Muslim. I will never go to Angola. I don't know any Angolans. I don't know any Muslims that want to go to Angola. Thus I don't have any reason to give the slightest about what goes on in Angola.

Angola isn't free to do this move at all. Not only does it violate its own Constitution, it also disregards a ton of treaties Angola willingly signed such as: The international Bill of Human Rights, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. All of them explicitly protecting and promoting freedom of religion.

This is an international disaster. Angola is not only failing to comply with its international obligations by slicing freedom of religion but is also pissing on the rights of muslim citizens it promised to respect and protect.