Protestantism And Other Forms Of Non-Catholic ChristianityĢ6.3% of Ivorians are Protestants or non-Catholic Christians. The National Islamic Council, the supreme Muslim organization in the country, exerts a significant level of influence over the country’s politics. Islam in Ivory Coast is characterized by the belief of the marabout, who is regarded to be a miracle worker and who possesses both moral and magic authority. A small population subscribes to the Ahmadiyya. Sufism is also popular, and it is integrated with traditional native practices. Most Muslims in the country are Sunni and adhere to the Maliki school of thought. Islam in modern day Ivory Coast is firmly established in the north, a situation further facilitated by the hordes of Muslim immigrants from neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso. Islam’s arrival in Ivory Coast was through the Jula traders with links to the Malinke of the Mali Empire and who established Islamic centers in the northern region of the country. Islam boasts 40.2% of Ivory Coast’s population. Throughout history, Christians, and Muslims, the dominant religions have lived peacefully, and this harmony was threatened by the civil war. While tensions and clashes have occurred between different religious groups, they are mainly fueled by the pursuit of political domination. Religious identity in Ivory Coast transcends to political and ethnic contexts. Ivory Coast is a secular state, and the country’s constitution provides for the freedom of religion. Christians marginally outnumber Muslims in the contemporary multi-ethnic, multi-religious Ivorian society.