At stake is a claim of the Muslim community in Angola regarding the Presidential Decree No. 229/20, of September 8, on the Situation of Public Calamity, which authorizes the resumption of worship, but only on Saturdays and Sundays, as part of measures to prevent and combat covid-19.
Cited by Novo Jornal, the Secretary General of the Islamic Community of Angola (COIA), David Já, stated that the measure is discriminatory and anti-constitutional, since it privileges only Christian religious confessions, to the detriment of others that choose Friday for their cults.
In declarations to the Lusa agency, the director of INAR, Francisco Castro Maria, considered that this is "a false problem", pointing out that the realization of religious activities on Fridays is not only a problem for Muslims.
"I don't see from this point of view of exclusion, nobody is excluded," said Francisco Castro Maria, adding that this is a problem that was also presented by Catholics and Evangelicals.
"The Archbishop of Luanda also presented a complaint in this regard," he said.
Francisco Castro Maria used point 4 of article 25 of the Presidential Decree, to clarify that authorization for the reopening of temples, especially in Luanda, for Saturday and Sunday services "is only granted to religious confessions legally recognized in Angola.
"And if this is the case, even if it was granted on Friday, Muslims could not do their services, that is why I said that their complaint is a false problem," he stressed.
For Francisco Castro Maria, the complaint should be in the sense that, in the next revision of the Presidential Decree, "religious confessions not recognized, but which are enrolled in the INAR for the recognition process, should be taken into consideration".
The person in charge said that, as director of the INAR, he has not received any complaint from the Muslim community, but in a personal capacity he has already told some members of the Islamic community "that their complaint has no reason to be in the light of the Presidential Decree".
Castro Maria reiterated that even if the Executive had released other days of the week for the realization of services, the Muslims "could not realize" due to their legal condition.
The Muslim religion that, according to estimates, is professed by 800 thousand people in Angola, is still not recognized by the Angolan authorities.
