Sunni Islam is the predominant religion in Algeria. Islam is a religious faith that also prescribes patterns of behaviour in family life, law, business, food, dress and etiquette. The central belief of Islam is summed up in the shahada, an affirmation that devout Muslims repeat every day: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet." Allahis the Arabic word for God. "Islam" means submission to God.

Practising Muslims follow what are known as the "five pillars" of faith. These are the repetition of the shahada, salat (the obligation to pray every day), zakat (giving alms to the poor), saum (fasting during the month of Ramadan), and hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim must make once in a lifetime if possible). Believers pray five times a day: at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. When they pray, they kneel and face Mecca, the city of the prophet Mohammed. Believers may pray at the mosque with an imam (prayer leader). Special congregational prayers are held on Fridays.

The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of religious fundamentalism in Algeria. Fundamentalists promote a return to the fundamental precepts of Islam and the original teachings of Mohammed. They believe that religious practices should be strictly observed and that non-Muslim customs, such as drinking alcohol, should be abandoned. Many fundamentalists reject Western values and lifestyles, which they consider incompatible with the devout practice of Islam.

In the past, Algerian Muslims often venerated leaders who lived especially holy or righteous lives. These people were known as marabouts. Before the 20th century, some holy men attracted followers during their lifetimes and were honoured at shrines after their deaths. Fundamentalists disapprove of the veneration of marabouts, and this tradition has declined in recent years.

Did you know?

Muslims are traditionally called to prayer by a muezzin, who issues the call from the top of a minaret (a slender tower beside a mosque). Today, the call may be pre-recorded and broadcast using amplifiers.

During the French colonial period, there were many Roman Catholics and some Protestant Christians in Algeria, but now, few Christians remain. Algeria also had a significant Jewish community, but, like the Catholics, most of the Jews left Algeria after independence.

Did you know?

St. Augustine of Hippo, an influential Christian thinker of the 4th and 5th centuries and the author of City of God, lived in what is now Algeria. The Roman town of Hippo, where he lived, is now known as Annaba.