Islam in Rwanda

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Islam was first introduced into Rwanda by Muslim traders from the East Coast of Africa in the 18th century. Since its introduction, Muslims have been a minority in the territory, while the Roman Catholic Church, brought by the Belgian administrators and French missionaries in the late 19th century has had considerably more adherents.

Before the 1994 Genocide, Muslims were held in low regard, because they were seen as traders, in a land where farmers are highly regarded. The Muslim population before the genocide was 4% which was unusually low compared to that of neighbouring countries.

Rwandan Muslims played a key role in humanitarian efforts during the 1994 genocide; Muslims have been noted and honored by the national government for their roles in saving the lives of people regardless of their faith. Many people attribute the recent spread of Islam to these humanatarian acts. According to the United States State Department, Evangelical Protestant Christians are also gaining large numbers of adherents, mainly because of their lack of association with the genocide.

[edit] Dispute over the population of Muslims in Rwanda

Muslim leaders and several international news publications claim that Islam much more widespread across Rwanda, with one figure being estimated is 15% of the total population. However, the United States State Department did not agree with these findings, claiming that only 4.6% of Rwandans are Muslim