Religion in Gambia

The Gambia has a Muslim majority, mostly Sunni. A 2023 estimate recorded about 96.4% Muslims and 3.5% Christians, while the 2013 census recorded 96.0% Muslims and 3.8% Christians. Roman Catholics form the largest Christian group. Bahaʼis, Hindus and Eckankar followers make up small communities, and some Indigenous beliefs are practised together with Islam or Christianity. The Constitution protects the freedom to practise and manifest any religion. It prohibits religious discrimination, establishes no state religion and prohibits political parties based on religion. These freedoms remain subject to reasonable limits connected with national security, public order, decency and morality. Criminal law prohibits insulting religion, disturbing religious assemblies and using words intended to wound religious feelings. The Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs is responsible for religious affairs. The Supreme Islamic Council, known as the SIC, provides private Muslim guidance, while the Gambia Christian Council represents a Christian coordinating body. Muslim communities include Sunni and Ahmadiyya groups, and Christian communities include Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and evangelical churches. Religious groups have no general registration duty, but faith-based non-governmental organizations follow the same registration and licensing rules as other NGOs. Muslim practice includes daily prayer, Ramadan fasting, charity and religious reflection. Eid al-Fitr is locally called Koriteh, and Eid al-Adha is locally called Tobaski. Eid Milad-un-Nabi and Ashura are also observed. Christian communities observe Lent, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas. Islamic dates follow the lunar calendar, so government recognition and public-holiday arrangements depend on official declarations. The 2026 Koriteh holiday was announced after the end of Ramadan. The President regularly uses holiday addresses to promote religious tolerance. Public schools generally offer elective academic Religious Education covering major world religions. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education provides teachers, and most public schools offer the subject, although it is not legally mandatory and most students participate. Private schools may teach religious education and tolerance in their own programs. The Education Policy 2016–2030 includes a pilot Community Child Training program in 12 centres for children and young people under religious leaders, combining Quranic or Islamic values with literacy, numeracy and life skills. The Ahmadiyya community operates a major affordable school using sharia-compliant principles. A lawsuit concerning veil accommodation in private schools was still pending at the end of 2023, with no final nationwide outcome established. Cadi or Sharia courts operate in seven regions. They can hear marriage, divorce, child-custody and inheritance matters when the involved parties are Muslims. Civil courts remain an alternative, and appeals from a Cadi court go to the Cadi Appeals Panel, which includes a Cadi and two Sharia scholars. The Ministry of Justice authenticates Muslim and church marriages. A civil marriage application normally requires at least two weeks before the ceremony, payment at least 24 hours beforehand and a morning appointment, usually from 09:00 to 10:00. The stated fees are GMD 7,000 when both parties are Gambian or ECOWAS citizens, GMD 15,500 for a Gambian or ECOWAS citizen marrying a non-ECOWAS citizen, and GMD 20,500 when both parties are non-ECOWAS citizens. A Church Licence costs GMD 1,000, while presenting a Cadi or pastor certificate costs GMD 3,000. A Muslim marriage certificate is required for a divorce certificate, whose application fee is GMD 3,000. Muslim-Christian intermarriage is common, and religious differences are often accepted within families and neighbourhoods. Reports also describe a gender norm in which a wife may be expected to convert and children may be expected to follow the husband’s religion; this is a social practice rather than a universal legal rule. Worship and community access are generally constitutionally protected, but no central nationwide schedule of worship fees exists. Institution-specific dues, ceremony costs and burial arrangements should be confirmed locally. The SIC has excluded Ahmadiyya members from SIC events and Muslim cemeteries since 2015. This creates a practical minority-access problem, but it is not a state ban on Ahmadiyya worship. Religious leaders and public authorities also participate in dialogue. A 2023 civil-society roundtable in Bakau and Tallinding included the SIC, the Gambia Christian Council and the Gambia Press Union after tensions. A 2024 National Dialogue recommended an Interreligious Committee, religious-tolerance education and stronger government neutrality, but the full establishment of those measures has not been confirmed. Female genital mutilation or cutting has been criminalized since 2015. The first recorded sentencing took place in 2023. Religious leaders disagree about whether the practice has an Islamic basis: the SIC called for repeal of the criminal prohibition, while other Muslim leaders rejected the claim that the Quran requires the practice. Religious arguments do not remove the binding criminal law. Practical questions often concern the applicable religious community, the authority handling a family matter, the recognition of a ceremony, school accommodation, burial access or the date and public-holiday status of an observance. Local confirmation is useful because institutional fees, ceremony arrangements, cemetery access and official holiday declarations can change.