Comoros: Christians Face Ongoing Persecution Following Reelection Of President Assoumani

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Christians in the Southeast African island country of Comoros are bracing for continued persecution as Sunni Muslim President Azali Assoumani was reelected in a disputed election earlier this month, the International Christian Concern aid and advocacy organization has reported. Catholic and Protestant Christians make up a tiny percentage of Comoros’ overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim population of less than one million people.

After overthrowing interim president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde in a coup d’état in 1999, Assoumani was elected President of Comoros in 2002, 2016, 2019, and 2024. Remaining a highly controversial figure, Assoumani has been accused of amending the Comorian Constitution so as to stay in power until 2029. Indeed, just 16% of the electorate turned out to vote in the Jan. 14 presidential election as opposition leaders called for a boycott of what they said would be a fraudulent election. Notably, during his previous tenure, Assoumani shut down the country’s Anti-Corruption Court, so the European Union suspended all cooperation with Comoros in 2018.

The Comorian Constitution asserts that Sunni Islam is the religion of the people, and Assoumani has proven to be a strong proponent of this aspect of national life. “Islam is the state religion, and citizens shall draw principles and rules to regulate worship and social life from the Shafi’i school of Sunni Islam…the will of the Comorian people is to cultivate a national identity based on a single religion, Sunni Islam,” the Constitution reads.

In its report, International Christian Concern asserts that Christians will face hard times under Assouman’s continued leadership. “Due to the president’s strong convictions in Sunni Islam and his track record while serving the country, the situation for any remaining Christians looks grim. Christians are continually publicly shunned and frequently have licenses to build stalled or denied,” ICC said.

“We pray that the Christians in Comoros would be able to experience peace and comfort in their current situation and find a way to practice their faith without fear,” ICC added.

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