Religious Beliefs in Libya

Libya is a country in North Africa’s Maghreb region, which occupies an area of around 1.8 million square km and has a population of 6,293,253 people. Islam is the dominant religion in Libya, as 97% of the population adheres to the religion.

The Most Popular Religion in Libya: Islam

Most of Libya’s Muslims are followers of Sunni Islam. Islam was introduced in Libya by Muslim conquerors from Arabia during the 7th century. The spread of Islam was initially confined to urban centers of Libya. However, in later centuries, invading nomadic Bedouins from Egypt and Arabia introduced Islam to Libyan nomadic tribes who began converting to Islam. Despite these conversions, many Libyans continue to adhere to their ancient indigenous beliefs and practices. The more orthodox forms of Islam are most popular among educated Libyans living in urban areas.

Christianity in Libya

Christians constitute the largest minority community in Libya. There is a total of about 40,000 Roman Catholic Christians in Libya, and the largest Christian community, the Coptic Orthodox Church, has 60,000 followers. Nearly all Coptic Christians are immigrant workers from Egypt or their descendants. A small Anglican congregation also exists in Tripoli.

Other Religions in Libya

Other minority religions in Libya include Buddhism and Hinduism, although they have very few followers. Buddhists account for only 0.3% of Libya's population, although it is the largest proportion of Buddhists of any country in North Africa. Most of Libya’s Buddhists are immigrants from Asia. Approximately 15,000 Hindus lived in the country prior to the onset of the Libyan Civil War in 2011.

Judaism in Libya

In the past, Libya had a large and thriving Jewish population, which dates back as far as 323 BC. However, there is no longer a Jewish population in Libya, as most immigrated to Israel or fled to other countries in fear of persecution during and following the Second World War. During this time, Libyan Jews were brutally wounded, killed and deprived of basic human rights. The situation worsened when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi came to power in Libya, and all Jewish properties were seized and all debts to Jews were cancelled under his rule. Jewish synagogues were also looted and destroyed throughout Libya by rioters. The last Libyan Jew, named Esmeralda Meghnagi, died in 2002.