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| Ms. Annie Mikobi |
Although religious freedom is guaranteed in the constitution, the majority of inhabitants who practice Christianity in Djibouti are expatriates and other immigrants from various countries. “It is not permitted to evangelize to the local people. But at least we are grateful that the government recognizes the presence of the Church, they recognize that we are there, the churches are there so that when Christians come from outside they can go worship and meet together,” says Ms. Annie M. Mikobi, a medical practitioner from DRC Congo.
Speaking to AMECEA Online News in Dar-es-Salaam during AMECEA Workshop to revive the Council of Laity for Eastern Africa where she was a delegate representing Djibouti, Ms. Mikobi says that what few local inhabitants who convert to Christianity are in most cases scared of their Muslim relatives and therefore opt to live their Christian lives in secret to avoid being rejected by family members
“There are very few locals who practice Christian faith openly, these are people whose parents were Christians or those who were adopted by the nuns and so they grew up as Christians. However, even this small percentage still does not fully embrace Christian life and rarely do they engage actively in the Church activities,” she said.
According to Ms. Mikobi, Muslims in Djibouti believes that for anyone to go to paradise, to go to heaven, they must convert to Islam. She said that the expatriates and other immigrants live and work in harmony with the Muslim inhabitants, most of whom appreciate totally the work they do; however the call to convert to Islam is constant, ‘why can’t you just convert and become a Muslim, you should become a Muslim so that you will go to heaven.’
“I have also been approached countless of times by locals who are close to me telling me that you are so good, you are a Muslim at heart, what is lacking is just for you to convert, just say the prayer, say that you believe in the prophet,” said Ms. Mikobi.
Republic of Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east. Approximately 95% of the Djiboutian population is Sunni Muslim.
However, Ms. Mikobi said that the Catholic Church has been in Djibouti for the last 125 years. It was brought in the country by the Franciscan Capuchins who built schools, hospitals and tertiary training centers. “The majority of Djiboutian professionals were trained in Catholic institutions, therefore, many locals have great respect to the Church, but that has not influenced their religion,” she explained.
Source: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social Communications