Christianity in Mauritania

Christianity is a small minority religion in Mauritania (about 1%).

In 2020, the estimated Christian population amount was only 0.23% of the population.[https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=146c World Religion Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08] There are between 10,000 and 11,000 Christians in Mauritania in 2023, mostly foreign expatriates.{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South|first=Mark |last=A. Lamport|year= 2021| isbn=9781442271579| page =497|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|quote= Influences - Christian influences in Mauritanian society are limited to the approximately 10,000 foreign nationals living in the country}}[https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/mauritania/ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08]

All of the roughly 4,000 Catholics in Mauritania are within the country's only diocese, the Diocese of Nouakchott. In 2020, there were 11 priests and 34 nuns serving 5 parishes.[https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/mauritania Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08]

There are several expatriate African churches in Mauritania, though there are no more than 200 Protestants in the country, including foreigners.

In spite of a strict law against evangelism the Mauritanian Christian community has allegedly grown and there were estimated to be 400-1,000 ethnic Mauritanian Christians in 2010.[http://www.worldwatchlist.com.au/country.cfm?country=mauritania World Watch List 2010: #8. Mauritania] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025073206/http://www.worldwatchlist.com.au/country.cfm?country=mauritania |date=2010-10-25 }} For a short period of eight months the Miracle Channel, a Norwegian/Swedish Christian channel, broadcast clandestine Christian gatherings in the Mauritanian desert containing over 160 people.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tbve.no/nyheter/media/saa-paa-miracle-channel-midt-i-mauritanias-oerken.html |title=Troens Bevis Verdens Evangelisering - Så på Miracle Channel midt i Mauritanias ørken - Norwegian language |access-date=2010-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306225506/http://www.tbve.no/nyheter/media/saa-paa-miracle-channel-midt-i-mauritanias-oerken.html |archive-date=2012-03-06 |url-status=dead }}

On 7 April 2025, a mob protested against the existence of Mauritanian Christians in Sélibaby. They also desecrated the grave of a Mauritanian convert from Islam to Christianity, and exhumed his body.[https://www.meconcern.org/2025/04/09/mauritania-christians-still-concerned-for-their-safety/ Middle East Concern website, retrieved 2025-04-011]

Issues

The distribution of Christian literature and the evangelizing of non-Muslims are prohibited by law. Bibles are rarely printed or distributed and are difficult to bring into the country.[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/mauritania US State Dept 2022 report]

In 2023, the country was ranked as the 20th worst place in the world to be a Christian by Open Doors.[https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/mauritania/ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08]

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References

Sources

[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78746.htm US State Dept 2006 report (archived)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070429003727/http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=wwl_deteriorated&supp_lang=en&PHPSESSID=6f16fb4ec493a6ebdf20c19c6b4b291f]
{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170507045338/http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_202.html#483]}}
[http://parl.gc.adventist.org/documents/world_reports/WorldReport05.pdf]

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