Islam in Karachi



Nearly 97% of the population of Karachi is Muslim. The Sunnis follow Hanafi fiqh while Shia are predominantly Ithnā‘Ashariyyah in fiqh, with significant minority groups who follow Ismaili Fiqh, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani fiqhs.

At the time of British East India Company conquest of Karachi on February 3, 1839 the population was predominantly Muslim. The British developed Karachi as a major port which attracted non-Muslims from rest of South Asia. At the time of independence of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, only half the population of Karachi was Muslim. The emigration of Hindus and Sikhs to India and the settlement of Muslim refugees in the city turned Karachi once again into a predominantly Muslim city.