Minority Religions

A sizable Sufi community, a little Christian community, and an undetermined number of Shi'a Muslims all reside in Somalia. Immigrants and foreign workers, mostly from East African nations, make up a large portion of members of minority religious organizations. Although a small number of ethnic Somalis practiced early Christian Orthodoxy prior to the advent of Islam, the majority of contemporary Christian adherents are from the Bantu ethnic minority or are descended from Italian colonizers and are members of the Evangelical and Wesleyan Church of the Nazarene.

Islam to another faith conversion is socially unacceptable everywhere. In areas under Al-Shabaab control, those suspected of conversion may experience abuse from members of their community and suffer grave danger. Minority Muslim groups are among the religious minorities who may face prosecution for blasphemy and apostasy under Islamic law.

Sufism is experiencing a rebirth as some Somalis turn away from Salafism due to the conduct of terrorist offshoot groups like Al-Shabaab. Sufism is viewed by some as a spiritual alternative that is apolitical.