Taqwa

The latest national census showed that around 20% of Mozambique’s population identifies as Muslim, with concentrations in the north and coastal areas. I believe this is a legacy of Arab traders over the centuries, as there is a correlation between where their commercial networks developed and where the densest Muslim populations are now found. This might also be true in other countries such as Tanzania.

The Taqwa Mosque in Maputo is the biggest I’ve seen so far in Mozambique. It sits very prominently along one of the city’s main boulevards. It has good reviews on Google, with visitors praising the cleanliness, the building itself and the car park. One worshipper was underwhelmed (and challenged in both typing and grammar): ‘Its a mosque a normal.one.’

Wikipedia tells me that Taqwa ‘is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of God, of truth, of the rational reality.’