Religion in Gombe State consists of the religious belief practices of people living in Gombe State, as well as their history. According to a 2015 estimate, the population of Gombe State about 65-70% Muslim and 30-35% Christian without accounting for traditionalist practices, other faiths, or irreligion.[1] Sharia is valid for the Muslim population.
Geographically, Muslims predominate in the northern and central regions of the state while the southern region is majority-Christian; however, there are sizeable minorities of northern Christians and southern Muslims. In terms of ethnicity, the Bole, Fulani, Kanuri, and Hausa peoples in the state are almost entirely Muslim while Tangale, Pero, Waja peoples are predominantly Christian. Groups like the Cham, Dadiya, Jara, Kamo, Tera peoples are religiously mixed while non-indigenous groups like the Igbo people tend to be mainly Christian.
In the late nineteenth century, Gombe was known to be a starting point of religious crises in Northern Nigeria. To address and mitigate this, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) formed a forum called the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in 1999 for the purpose of tackling the issues.[2] In the twenty-first century, religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims lessened but still occasionally flare up, notably clashes over Sharia implementation in 2000 and 2001, the lynching of Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin in 2007, and the 2021 Mai Tangale crisis in addition to clashes between Islamic Movement of Nigeria and law enforcement, Boko Haram attacks on churches, and religiously-tinged electoral violence.[3][4][5][6][7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Higazi, Adam; Lar, Jimam (February 2015). "Articulations of belonging: The politics of ethnic and religious pluralism in Bauchi and Gombe States, North-East Nigeria". Cambridge University Press. 85 (1): 103–130. doi:10.1017/S0001972014000795. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
In Gombe State, the population is estimated to be about 65 per cent to 70 per cent Muslim and 30 per cent to 35 per cent Christian
- ^ Tuduks, Oholiabs D. "Dysfunctional Exclusion Within Christian/Muslim Relationships in Gombe State, Nigeria: A Co-Pathic Approach" (PDF). Stellenbosch University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Religious clash in Gombe State". The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ Ayitogo, Nasir. "SPECIAL REPORT: The true story of fatal religious crisis in Billiri, a peaceful Gombe community". Premium Times. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Banned Nigerian Shia group alleges police killed 12 marchers". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Nigeria church hit by deadly gun attack in Gombe". BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Nigeria: New Wave of Violence Leaves 200 Dead". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
 | This Nigeria-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |