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Grenada: Treatment of non-Muslims by Muslims; whether Catholics are being forced to convert to Islam; and percentage of the population that is Muslims

No reports on the treatment of non-Muslims by Muslims; on whether Catholics are being forced to convert to Islam; and on the percentage of the population that is Muslim could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information may be of interest.

Grenada's population is estimated to be between 89,227 and 93,000 people (The CIA World FactBook n.d; Grenada Explorer 1998-2001). The World CIA World Factbook (n.d.) and the Annual Report on Religious Freedom 2001 (26 Oct. 2001) both indicate that Christianity is Grenada's dominant religion. According to The CIA World Factbok, "53 per cent of the population is Catholic, 13.8 per cent Anglican, and 33.2 per cent other Protestant" (n.d.).

Although the The World Factbook and the Europa World Year Book 2002 (2002) both do not mention Muslims and the percentage of the population that is Muslim, the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2001 corroborates the dominance of Christianity in the general population, but adds that minority religions include Islam, the Baha'i Faith, and Rastafarianism (26 Oct. 2001). The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2001 also states that :

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels generally protects this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. ... There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2001. 26 October 2001. United States Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5654.htm> [Accessed 29 Apr. 2002]

TheCIA World Factbook. n.d. "Grenada." <http://www.cia.gov/publications/factbook/geos/gj.html> [Accessed 29 Apr. 2002]

The Europa World Year Book 2002. 2002. London: Europa Publications.

The Grenada Explorer. 1998-2001. "Grenada General Information." <http://www.grenadaguide.com/General.htm> [Accessed 29 Apr.2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International

Caribbean and Central American Report

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

High Commission for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)

IRB Databases

The Political Handbook of the World

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

One World

Search engines including:

Google

Lycos

Topics: Catholic,