▁Con vers ely , ▁mis fortun es ▁are ▁often ▁attributed ▁to ▁ancest ors ▁whose ▁memory ▁or ▁wishes ▁have ▁been ▁neglect ed . ▁The ▁sacrifice ▁of ▁z eb u ▁is ▁a ▁traditional ▁method ▁used ▁to ▁appe ase ▁or ▁honor ▁the ▁ancest ors . ▁In ▁addition , ▁the ▁Mal ag asy ▁tradition ally ▁believe ▁in ▁a ▁cre ator ▁god , ▁called ▁Z an ah ary ▁or ▁And ri aman it ra . ▁ ▁Today , ▁many ▁Christians ▁integrate ▁their ▁religious ▁belief s ▁with ▁traditional ▁ones ▁related ▁to ▁hon oring ▁the ▁ancest ors . ▁For ▁instance , ▁they ▁may ▁bless ▁their ▁dead ▁at ▁church ▁before ▁proceed ing ▁with ▁traditional ▁bur ial ▁r ites ▁or ▁inv ite ▁a ▁Christian ▁minister ▁to ▁consec rate ▁a ▁fam ad ih ana ▁re bur ial . ▁The ▁Mal ag asy ▁Council ▁of ▁Church es ▁compr ises ▁the ▁four ▁oldest ▁and ▁most ▁prominent ▁Christian ▁denomin ations ▁of ▁Mad agas car ▁( R oman ▁Catholic , ▁Church ▁of ▁Jesus ▁Christ ▁in ▁Mad agas car , ▁Luther an , ▁and ▁Ang lic an ) ▁and ▁has ▁been ▁an ▁influ ential ▁force ▁in ▁Mal ag asy ▁politics . ▁ ▁Islam ▁is ▁also ▁pract iced ▁on ▁the ▁island . ▁Islam ▁was ▁first ▁brought ▁to ▁Mad agas car ▁in ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁by ▁Arab ▁and ▁Som ali ▁Muslim ▁trad ers , ▁who ▁established ▁several ▁Islam ic ▁schools ▁along ▁the ▁eastern ▁coast . ▁While ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁Arab ic ▁script ▁and ▁loan ▁words ▁and ▁the ▁ad option ▁of ▁Islam ic ▁ast ro log y ▁would ▁spread ▁across