Palau

Palau, an archipelago of approximately 300 volcanic and coral islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, has a religious character that has been shaped by both colonization and missionary forces, often in collusion. Heavily Christian today, Palau boasts a large number of Roman Catholic (49%) and Protestant Christian (21%) adherents as well as a significant proportion of Seventh-Day Adventists (7%). While small Jewish and Muslim communities are also present, the syncretic religion Mode kngei is practiced by approximately 9% of the population (with the recognition that many reported Christians may engage in syncretic practices). Modekngei was founded in 1915 and recognizes Jesus Christ as savior while concurrently seeking to appease an ancient Palauan goddess. Centered in the city of Ibobang, in the state of Ngatbang, Modenkgei has established schools to ensure the continuation of the Palauan tradition.

Loosely part of the Spanish Pacific in the 19th century, Palau was sold to Germany in 1898 and occupied by the Japanese in 1914. Both Germany and Japan supported missionary activity to Palau, building on the base established by the Jesuits who arrived on the islands as early as the 17th century. During the colonization period, the churches in Palau acted as a proxy for the government, administrating for the colonizing powers through religious networks in the absence of officials on the ground. After World War II, the United States took possession of Palau, which in 1947 became a United Nations Trust Territory. In 1981, Palau finally established itself as a self-governing nation.

In 2009, 13 Muslim men of Uighur descent were released from the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay to live in Palau. The men, originally from the region of Xianjiang, China, had been detained by the United States on suspicion of terrorism. Although the detainees were found not to be enemy combatants, many countries refused to take them in, and the United States refused to send them back to China owing to the high likelihood of their arrest and incarceration as dissidents. The men were supporters of independence movements in Xianjiang province, where approximately 9 million Uighurs live. Due to the small size of the Muslim community in Palau, there were concerns about the Uighur men's ability to adjust to their new home, but Palauan president Toribiong stressed Palau's hospitality and their alliance with the United States to quell these worries.

Freedom of religious practice generally prevails in Palau, although certain exceptions exist, mostly revolving around labor issues. In 1998, for instance, Palau's Division of Labor declined requests for work permits to Bangladeshi citizens on religious grounds. The Division of Labor justified its denial by a supposed conflict between the non-Christian customs of the Bangladeshis and the work practices and living conditions in Palau. While it has mostly been seen as an ethnic conflict rather than a religious one, religion was again used as a pretext to justify the exclusion of immigrant workers in 2001, this time aimed at Sri Lankan and Indian citizens.