According to David Já, the Islamic religion is beginning to "constitute a danger" for the State, due to the high number of believers who attend mosques throughout the country, without any monitoring and control by the authorities.
"The mosques are there, in every corner we find our sisters dressed in "hijab" [a veil that covers the hair and body of Muslim women], this is undeniable. So there needs to be recognition in order to have effective control", said the general secretary of Consia, David Já.
Speaking to Lusa, during the visit that the president of the Islamic Council of Mozambique made to Luanda last week, the official stated that guaranteeing the religious freedom of Muslims is essential for the implementation of the democratic state and the rule of law.
David Já therefore calls for the safeguarding of the freedoms of Muslims in the country, given the high number of believers, lamenting the "non-existence" of a valid interlocutor in the Government to respond to the desires of the practitioners of this religion.
"The Government so far does not have any valid interlocutor who can respond to the wishes of Muslims, who can in a certain way interact, dialogue with the State and, therefore, we become like people left to the fate of Allah (God)", he lamented.
Regarding the current situation of Islam in Angola, David Já gives a positive assessment, because "it is beginning to have a certain visibility".
"We have (...) mosques in the country, Muslims are praying, today Islam is a reality in Angola", he highlighted.
The secretary general of Consia noted that Islam is asserting itself every day in the country, with more young people accepting the religion, evidenced by Friday services, with mosques registering "new converts".
"It means to say that our religion is increasingly growing here in Angola", he highlighted, recalling that Islam is recognized worldwide and that this confession "only needs accreditation to have legal personality" in the country.
"The challenge is accreditation in Angola, interestingly Angola is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, it is a member of the PALOP [Portuguese-Speaking African Countries], Brazil has already recognized [Islam], Portugal too, Mozambique we have historical ties long-standing, curiously in Angola we are behind for reasons we don't know", concluded David Já.
The Islamic religion is still not officially recognized by national authorities, despite the country having several mosques and thousands of believers, including Angolans and resident foreigners.
Former Minister of Culture Carolina Cerqueira announced, in January 2019, in parliament, during the discussion on the law on freedom of religion, belief and worship, that the Government was following "the evolution of Islam in the country", having in mind He promised to take a position soon.
