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Three religious traditions coexist in Chad.
About one-half of the population is Muslim. Most Muslims live in
the north and central regions of the country. Muslim tribes in Chad
include the Arab, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala,
Zaghawa, Hadjerai and Maba. In the south, some people follow indigenous
African religions, while others are Christian, either Catholic or
Protestant. The non-Muslim people of Chad are mostly inhabitants of
southern Chad and include the Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moudang,
Moussei and Massa people. Chadian Muslims have combined many pre-Islamic beliefs with Islam. Like many Islamic countries, Chadian Muslims often do not speak Qur'anic Arabic. Nevertheless, most people observe the five main practices of the Islamic faith, known as the Five Pillars of Islam. Shahada is the profession of faith. Every day, Muslims recite the words "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet." Salah is the requirement to pray five times a day: at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening. Zakat is the giving of alms to the poor. Saum is the requirement to fast from dawn to dusk every day during the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be performed at least once in a lifetime, if possible. Chad has three Roman Catholic dioceses, with an archbishop at N'Djamena. Most of Chad's Roman Catholics live close to the border with Cameroon. They make up about 5% of the population. Protestants live in the south. Although many Protestant missionaries left Chad during the civil war in the 1970s, a few Protestant mission groups, such as the Baptists, remain. Traditional African religions also flourish in the south. These religions honour a powerful creator god. However, people do not worship this god directly, but pray to their ancestors to intercede on their behalf. Leaders are sometimes associated with divine power and are responsible for good relations with the supernatural forces. For example, among the Moundang people in the area around Léré, the gong lere (leader) is responsible for communicating with the sky spirits.
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