![]() ![]() For example, countries without a clear, dominant sectarian identity are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, while nations where “just a Muslim” predominates are found mostly in Central Asia and across Southern and Eastern Europe.įor some Muslims, another layer of identity comes from membership in a Sufi order, or tariqa. These categories do not fully overlap with regional divisions, but certain geographic patterns are evident. This affiliation is most common in Ghana (16%), Tanzania, (15%), Cameroon (12%) and Liberia (10%).īased on how Muslims self-identify in the survey, the 38 countries where the questions were asked can be grouped into four categories: 1) predominantly Sunni 2) mix of Sunni and Shia 3) predominantly “just a Muslim” and 4) countries with no prevailing sectarian identity. For instance, many Muslims, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, identify as Ahmadiyyas. In addition to Muslims who identify as Sunni, Shia or “just a Muslim,” the survey finds substantial percentages of Muslims who express affiliation with other sects or movements. Identification as “just a Muslim” is less prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa (median of 12%) and South Asia (median of 4%). And in three countries – Indonesia (56%), Mali (55%) and Cameroon (40%) – “just a Muslim” is the single most-frequent response when people are queried about their sect. In sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, substantial minorities also consider themselves “just a Muslim” (medians of 23% and 18%, respectively). In Kazakhstan, nearly three-quarters (74%) of Muslims volunteer this response, as do more than six-in-ten Muslims in Albania (65%) and Kyrgyzstan (64%). Many Muslims worldwide choose not to affiliate with a specific sect but volunteer that they are “just a Muslim.” This affiliation is most common in Central Asia and across Southern and Eastern Europe in both regions, the median percentage stating they are “just a Muslim” is half or more. For example, 5% of Turkish Muslims volunteer that they are Alevis, while 2% of Kosovar Muslims volunteer that they are Bektashis. 11 In addition to those who specifically identify as Shia, some respondents report belonging to regional sects or religious orders that are often classified as branches of Shia Islam. Those who do are concentrated in Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and 10 sub-Saharan African countries. ![]() Relatively few Muslims in the 38 countries where the question was asked say they are Shia. Across both regions, the median percentage of people identifying as Sunni is fewer than three-in-ten. In Central Asia and across Southern and Eastern Europe (Russia and the Balkans), by contrast, self-identification as Sunni is less common. About half the Muslims surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa self-identify as Sunni. Across these three regions, the median percentage of Sunnis is two-thirds or more. ![]() Self-identified Sunnis make up a high percentage of Muslims in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa. In 20 of the countries surveyed, half or more Muslims identify as Sunni. Religious Identity Among Muslims in the Survey ![]() 10 In other regions, nearly all adult Muslims who were not raised in the faith grew up in nonreligious households. In sub-Saharan Africa, which has some of the countries with the highest percentage of people who have switched faiths since childhood, most who have converted to Islam have done so from either Christianity or traditional African religions. The overwhelming majority of people who identify as Muslim today were raised within the Islamic faith. Self-identified Sufis are most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Although Sufism has a long history within Islam, relatively few Muslims describe themselves as Sufis or say they belong to a particular Sufi brotherhood. Other affiliations, such as membership in a Sufi order, may overlap with Sunni and Shia identities. 8 However, many Muslims do not identify with either sect but rather see themselves as “just a Muslim.” At least one-in-five Muslims in 22 of the 38 countries where the question was asked identify themselves in this nonsectarian way. Most of the world’s Muslims identify as Sunnis or Shias. ![]()
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