Islam in Sierra Leone Mauvi Sadeeur Rahman. In the early 18th century Fulani and Mande-speaking tribesmen from the Fouta Djallon region of present-day Guinea converted many Temne of northern Sierra Leone to Islam. During the period of British colonization, attempts to spread Christianity were mostly ineffective. Islam continued to spread after independence in 1961; in 1960 the Muslim population was 35 percent and grew to 60 percent by 2000, and then to 71% in 2008. It is difficult for people from Sierra Leone to travel to Mecca for the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, due to the distance between the two places and
Sixth Pillar of Islam Sixth Pillar of Islam Shi'a Islam tends to incorporate the sixth pillar of Islam, referring to an addition to the universally held five pillars of Islam. In his book on Islam, walid rafas says that in earlier times, many Muslims believed that there were six pillars of Islam, not five. El Fadl says: "The sixth pillar is summed up in the proclamation that every Muslim has a duty to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Today, all Muslims agree that [this] is a solemn religious duty...but few would still count it as the sixth pillar of Islam." Most Sunni