Religion
Islam, the religion of most Algerians, has been an important factor in Algerian history and society for more than a thousand years. The word Islam means "submission to the will of Allah." Muslims believe that the word of God (Allah) was revealed to the prophet Muhammad in the Koran, which is the basis for Islamic laws. Devout Muslims pray five times a day, sometimes in mosques (Islamic houses of prayer). During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a fast, taking only water between sunrise and sunset. Muslim believers are also required to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at least once during their lifetimes, if they are able. Muhammad saw Islam as a guide for both civic and spiritual life. Since independence, the Algerian government has integrated many of the religion’s principles into the country’s laws and administration. The government also financially supports Algeria’s 5,000 mosques and pays for the training of Muslim clergy. Nevertheless, many fundamentalists, who favor a more strict observance of Islam, are pressing Algerian leaders for further reform along religious lines. The government allows non-Islamic religions, such as Roman Catholicism, to exist in Algeria. Most of the European inhabitants of Algeria are members of the Catholic church.