Religion in Tajikistan Religion in Tajikistan Islam, the predominant religion throughout Central Asia, was brought to the region by the Arabs in the 7th century. Since that time, Islam has become an integral part of Tajik culture. Tajikistan is a secular country, but the post-Soviet era has seen a marked increase in religious practice in the country. The majority of Tajikistan's Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, and a smaller group belongs to the Shia branch of Islam. The Russian Orthodox faith is the most widely practiced of other religions, although the Russian community shrank significantly in the early 1990s. Some
Hinduism in Sri Lanka was attempted via building schools and hospices. Again they were only marginally successful. Conversion attempts today by various Muslim, Christian sects, Bahá'ís, and Mormon missionary activity is still ongoing. The civil war and the recent tsunami have given further impetus to these efforts. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Sri Lankan Tamils still remain loyal to their ancestral Hindu religion. The elite and the upper classes, consisting of the higher castes, amongst the Tamils adhere to what is known as the Saiva Siddhanta or Dvaita school of Shaivism. Sidanta is opposed to the mainstream Vedanta school of India. Adherents of various