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Comoros

• Sunni Islam Declared Official Religion

  

  Constitutional reforms approved in a referendum on July 30th have created concerns in the African island nation of Comoros. Opposition leaders called on people to boycott the referendum, believing that it was not legitimate.

  Along with extending the power and term of the president, one area of particular concern to religious minorities in the country is the removal of a clause separating religion and state. Previously, the country was considered an Islamic state, but the constitutional change now officially declares it as such with the following declaration: "The state draws from this religion the principles and rules of Sunnite observance."

• Four Detained in Comoros

  

  Four men have been imprisoned in Moroni, Comoros for their "involvement in Christianity" according to a June 14 report from the Dutch office of Open Doors. Open Doors reports that police have allegedly detained a former Muslim teenager, a married couple, a Muslim home owner and another Muslim who showed interest in Christianity.