Mauritius

The Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean with a total area of 718 square miles (1 mile = 1.609 kilometers) and a population of approximately 1.2 million, half of which is Hindu. French colonial rule lasted from 1767 to 1810, when the British captured the island. Mauritius became independent in 1968. The French settlers brought slaves from Africa and India, and following the abolition of slavery, Indian indentured workers were brought in great numbers. The Chinese came to the island as traders and merchants. Mauritius did not have any indigenous population. The Mauritius constitution provides for freedom of religion, and there is no state religion in the country. Religious organizations that were present prior to independence, namely, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England, the Presbytarian Church, the Seventh-Day Adventists, Hindus, and Muslims, are recognized by parliamentary decree. These religious groups receive government subsidies in the form of an annual lump-sum payment from the Ministry of Finance based on the number of adherents (the minimum required is 7).

The 2000 census showed that approximately 50% of the population were Hindu, 32% Christian, and 16% Muslim. Less than 1% of the population claimed to be Buddhist, atheist, agnostic, or of another faith. About 85% of the Christians are Roman Catholic, while the remaining 15% are members of the following churches: Adventist, Assembly of God, Christian Tamil, Church of England, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ninety percent of the Muslims are Sunnīs, and the rest belong to the Shi'a community. In Mauritius, there is a strong correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity, whereby citizens of Indian ethnicity are usually Hindus or Muslims and citizens of Chinese ancestry practice Buddhism or Roman Catholicism. Creoles, who are of African descent and descendants of the French settlers, are Catholics. Intermarriage between different religious and ethnic groups is rare and is discouraged. Nevertheless, Mauritian society is renowned for its high degree of religious tolerance and peace. Mauritius has more than 20 public holidays, representing the country's multireligious and multiethnic population. The country also has a number of places of worship catering to all religious groups.

Foreign missionary groups present in the country include the Baptist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. There are also a number of New Age religious and spiritual groups originating from India that are operating in the country. These include the Satya Sai Centers, Swami Ramdev Yoga, the Ramakrishna Mission, and the Art of Living. There has been growing concern among the representatives of Hindu organizations that evangelical Christian churches are converting Hindus to Christianity. This has led to the destruction of the property of some of these churches by Hindu fundamentalist groups. Voice of Hindu, an extremist group, has even called for the government to pass an “anticonversion” law to prevent religious conversions of Hindus.