The Gambia is predominantly a Muslim country

President Yahya Jammeh declared the Gambian is an Islamic republic, saying he wanted to further distance the west African state from its colonial past. The tiny, formerly secular country – named after the river from which British ships are said to have fired cannonballs to secure its borders – has joined the ranks of other officially Islamic republics such as Iran and Afghanistan.

The religion has a visible impact on Gambian life, but it has not completely replaced traditional beliefs in the majority of its adherents. Most Gambians still practice wearing the Juju (Terre), praying at sacred crocodile pools, ancestor worship, animism, and other practices. Some Christians are included in this. The mosque (Juma) or its smaller counterpart, the Jaka, is central to almost every village. It is from these places of worship that the call to prayer is made with Friday being the Muslim Sabbath. The Islamic Courts of the Gambian dispense justice in relation to the areas allowed it by the Government and apply Malikite tenets.