Religion in Algeria is dominated by Muslims, with nearly ninety-eight of the population (over ninety-nine percent of the population that state any religion) adhering to Sunni Islam of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, as of 2020. The remainder include other Islamic schools and branches (Ahmadis, Shias and Ibadis), Christian denominations (Roman Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, the Protestant Church of Algeria (a federation of Reformed and Methodist groups), Lutherans, Anglicans and Egyptian Copts), Baháʼís and Jews. Estimates of the Christian population range from 71,000 (estimate for 2010) to 200,000 (2018 report). The latest available estimates suggest a Baháʼí population of 3,300 (2010 report), and a Jewish community of less than 200 people. Islam Islam, the religion of almost all of the Algerian people, pervades most aspects of life. It provides the society with its central social and cultural identity and gives most individuals their basic ethical beliefs. Since the mid-20th-century Algerian War, led by the French, also called the Algerian Revolution, regimes have sought to develop an Islamic Arab socialist state, and a cabinet-level ministry acts for the government in religious affairs. Although the Boumediene regime consistently sought, to a far greater extent than its predecessor, to increase Islamic awareness and to reduce Western influence, the rights of non-Muslims continued to be respected. The Bendjedid government pursued a similar policy. Early history Before the Arab incursions, most of the Berber inhabitants of the area's mountainous interior adopted traditional Berber mythology. Some had adopted Judaism, and in the coastal plains many had accepted Christianity under the Romans. St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most important theologians in Roman Catholicism, was born in Thagaste (Souk Ahras) and taught in Hippo (Annaba). A wave of Arab incursions into the Maghreb in the latter half of the 7th century and the early 8th century introduced Islam to parts of the area. During the 7th century, Muslims reached North Africa, and by the beginning of the 8th century the Berbers had been for the most part converted to Islam. Sunni Islam, the larger of the two great branches of the faith, is the form practiced by the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Algeria, while there is a small Ibadi minority. There is no significant Shia presence. One of the dominant characteristics of Islam in North Africa was the cult of holy men, or maraboutism. Marabouts were believed to have barakah, or divine grace, as reflected in