(ANS) – Mauritania , West Africa , is one of the world’s poorest countries, although oil is set to flow from mid-2006. Mauritania bridges between the Arab-Berber Moors of North Africa and the black Africans of the sub-Sahara. Sunni Islam has been entrenched for over a thousand years. According to Operation World, just over four thousand (0.16%) of Mauritania ‘s three million population are Christian. They are mostly Catholic ex-patriates, and only about 500 are evangelicals. The gospel of salvation is severely repressed. According to the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2004 (released September 2004) the constitution establishes Mauritania as an Islamic republic with Islam as the religion of the State and of its citizens. Importing, printing or selling Bibles is banned, as is any literature that undermines, contradicts or threatens Islam. All television and radio are state controlled. All non-Muslim missionary activity is prohibited. Apostasy (leaving Islam) is banned. Sharia (Islamic law) has been enshrined as the law of the land since 1983. Faith in Jesus Christ can be extremely costly.
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