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THE ISLAMIC faith in Jamaica dates back to the first slave who was imported from West Africa several hundreds years ago.
Today there are about 5,000 followers, called Muslims, scattered across the island. There are mosques in Kingston, Spanish Town, St. Catherine; Albany and Port Maria, St. Mary; Newell, St. Elizabeth; and Three Miles River, Westmoreland. The umbrella organisation, Islamic Council of Jamaica, is located on South Camp Road in Kingston.
The statistics for Islam in Jamaica estimate a total Muslim population of 5,000. There are several Islamic organizations and mosques in Jamaica, including the Islamic Council of Jamaica and the Islamic Education and Dawah Center, both located in Kingston and offering classes in Islamic studies and daily prayers in congregation. Outside of Kingston, organizations include Masjid Al Haq in Mandeville, Masjid Al-Ihsan in Negril, Masjid-e-Hikmah in Ocho Rios, and the Port Maria Islamic Center in Saint Mary.
The first Muslims in Jamaica were West African slaves, sold to traders, and brought to Jamaica on ships. Over time most of them lost their Islamic identity due to forced mixing of ethnic groups. Muslims of African descent belonging to the Islamic nations of Mandinka, Fula, Susu, Ashanti and Hausa ceaselessly tried to maintain their Islamic practices in secrecy, while working as slaves on the plantations in Jamaica.
By the time the slaves were liberated, much
of the Muslim faith of the past had faded, and the freed slaves picked
up the faith of their slave masters.
About 16 percent of the 37,000
indentured Indian immigrants who arrived to Jamaica between 1845 and 1917 were Muslims. Muhammad Khan, who came to Jamaica in 1915 at the age of 151, built Masjid Ar-Rahman in Spanish Town in 1957, while Westmoreland's Masjid Hussein was built by Muhammad Golaub, who immigrated with his father at the age of 7. The indentured Muslims laid the foundation of
the eight other masjids established in Jamaica since the 1960s, with the advent of an indigenous Jamaican Muslim community that now forms the majority of the Muslim populace on the island. [Source from Islamic Horizons Sept/Oct 2001]
1. Naim Khan son of Muhammad Khan reports that his dad was born in 1892 and arrived from India in 1912.
Masjids and Halal Meat in Jamaica
- By Sheikh Musa Tijani
- Published 02/11/2010
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Islam has been a part of the Jamaican social fabric since the days of slavery
- By Super Admin
- Published 09/30/2009
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Altogether there are 11 Muslim places of worship in Jamaica. Mr. Muhammad estimates there about 5,000 Muslims in Jamaica who practise the religion on a regular basis. But on the days when there are major festivals on the Islamic calendar, up to 10,000 Muslims living in Jamaica are known to converge at the offices of the Islamic Council of Jamaica, he said.
Muslims like other faith-groups in Jamaica are increasingly gaining official recognition. Muslim clergy can now perform weddings recognised by the State. Dovecot Memorial Park has reserved a section of that cemetery for the burial of Muslims.
Muslims of Jamaica keep a peaceful environment
- By Kyle Macpherson
- Published 02/15/2009
- Jamaica
- Unrated
In spite of the terrorist acts committed by religious extremists, the Islamic population of Jamaica tries to keep up a peaceful environment where Muslims can live out their beliefs without harassment. It was 2:00 pm on a humid and almost still day. The Imam sat in his chair, almost unmoving for about 2 hours by this time. One of the devout Muslim men decided to rest before the afternoon prayer that was coming up. The Islamic Council's atmosphere is very relaxing and it is hard to deny the spirituality one experiences when sitting around in the midst of these people.
Islam in Jamaica: One woman's story
- By Jamaica Gleaner
- Published 02/14/2009
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Tijani has been married to her husband for 26 years. For her, marriage means family. She met her husband in Nigeria through her husband's cousins. He was ready to settle down, she was ready to settle down and, through planned meetings and common interests, they struck a love match and made their marriage work. She now has children and has achieved a respectable position in her family and in Islam.
"The mother is the most respected person in the family. She holds the highest position in the children's lives," Tijani said.
Islam encourages men and women to take their roles seriously. Both are considered equal in Allah's (God) eyes. As a woman, Tijani is in charge of her husband's property, including clothing, food, well-being and the home. And when children come into the picture, it is the woman's responsibility to look after them while the husband provides for them.
"He knows mummy is there for me."
Muslim women can have jobs and hire a helper to help with the household chores, as long as her duty to her family isn't sacrificed.
Indentureship experience in Jamaica - common suffering of Muslims and Hindus
- By Dr. Rebecca Tortello
- Published 02/14/2009
- Jamaica
- Unrated
On arrival, the labourers were given one suit of clothing, agricultural tools and cooking utensils. Divided into groups of 20 and 40 they were then sent first by mule cart and later by overcrowded freight trains to plantations in Portland, St. Thomas, St. Mary, Clarendon and Westmoreland. Many were forced to walk to the plantation from the nearest railway station. Once on the plantation itself, they were forced to work five to six days a week for one shilling a day and lived in squalid conditions. Barracks of no more than 3 or 4 rooms were expected to accommodate several individuals and families in each room. Two shillings and six pence were deducted weekly for their rice, flour, dried fish or goat, peas and seasoning rations. Children received half rations and employers were warned to treat the children well. For example, they were supposed to receive quarterly medical check ups.
During the 70 years of Indian immigrant labour, little consideration was shown for their religious beliefs and cultural practices. For example, non-Christian unions went unrecognized until 1956 and many were therefore forced to accept Christianity. The terms of indenture could be as short as one year and as long as five, with two weeks annual leave. Labourers could be released from their indenture due to illness, physical disability or in the rare case, manumission or commutation, when the labourer paid the unexpired portion of the contract to their employer. They could only leave the plantation, however, if in possession of a permit. If caught without one or if they failed to work because of ill health or any other reason, they often faced fines and even imprisonment. Many suffered greatly from yaws, hookworm and other tropical diseases such as malaria. Although available, quinine, able to prevent malaria, was not often provided by the planters.
From Moors to Marronage: The Islamic Heritage of the Maroons in Jamaica
- By Dr. Sultana Afroz
- Published 05/28/2008
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Presents information on a study about the history of the Islamic Maroons in Jamaica. Factors which caused omission of Muslim background; Omissions in literature; Details on Andalusian mariners and Islamic science and technology; Islamic act of prostration.
Invisible Yet Invincible: The Muslim Ummah in Jamaica
- By Dr. Sultana Afroz
- Published 05/28/2008
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Abstract:
The splendorous past of the Muslim ummah serves as a source of spiritual inspiration to maintain its Islamic identity in the multicultural and religiously diverse society of Jamaica. Currently, numbering about 4000, the Muslims in Jamaica form 0.15% of the estimated total population of 2,590,400 persons. Approximately 50% of the Muslim population of Jamaica resides in the Kingston Metropolitan Region, where some 43.3% of Jamaica's population lives. Islam made its first appearance in the home of the Tainos, Jamaica, with the undaunted Andalusian mariners who played the dominant role in navigating Columbus' discovery voyage through the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean Sea in 1494. The seed of Islam sown by the mu'minun from al-Andalus, West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and subsequently watered by those from Moghul India have the potential of germinating into a dominant faith by winning the ground inch by inch against all kinds of resistance and inertia. Through intellectual discourse and research work revealing the Islamic heritage of the invincible Maroons, the indomitable African slaves and the determined Muslims from the Subcontinent, the present day multi-ethnic society can once again manifest the Divine Unity of Allah, reminiscing the unity among people during the heydays of the Great Maroons.
Muslims in Jamaica. Picture by Lorelie
The Moghul Islamic Diaspora: The Institutionalization of Islam in Jamaica
- By Dr. Sultana Afroz
- Published 05/28/2008
- Jamaica
- Unrated
Abstract:
Focuses on the impact of indentured Muslims from India on the institutionalization of Islam in Jamaica. Influences of Moghul culture on culinary arts, fashion and lifestyle; Dominance of Hindu laborers in the indenture-ship system; Significance of Islamic culture on the enrichment of the multicultural heritage.
The Muslim Minority in Jamaica
- By Joanna Ferguson
- Published 05/27/2008
- Jamaica
- Unrated
“I was born into the Islam faith,” said Khan, whose parents ensured that she and her six siblings were brought up according to this doctrine. From a very early age she learned how to conduct herself as a Muslim.
Although only a few Muslims are seen on the campus at any given time, Khan said she knew of at least nine practising Muslims, that included medical students, and lecturers, such as Abdullahi Abdulkadri- lecturer in the Economics department, Dr. Sultana Afroz- lecturer in the History department, and Rafi Ahmad and Dr. Faisal Butt, lecturers in the Geology department.
The 2002 International Religious Freedom Report disclosed that there is ‘an estimated 5,000 Muslims’ in Jamaica. However, an article in the Jamaica Observer newspaper with the headline, Media portrays Muslims only as terrorists, says local Islamic head,dated February 22, 2006, said there are “approximately 4,500 Muslims in Jamaica.”
Abdul Baseer, teacher of the fundamental principles of Islam for 15 years at the Islamic Council of Jamaica, said, this figure represents “less than one per cent of the population,” and “there are 12 places of worship in Jamaica.” Mosques, also called masjids, are located in Kingston, (Spanish Town) St. Catherine, (Port Maria and Albany) St. Mary, (Newell) St. Elizabeth, and (Three Miles River) Westmoreland.
Jamaica - The Muslim Legacy
- By Dr. Sultana Afroz
- Published 05/27/2008
- Jamaica
- Unrated
East Indians preparing rice, Jamaica [circa 1890]
(Image from the National Library of Jamaica)
About 16 percent of the 37,000 indentured Indian immigrants who arrived between 1845 and 1917 were Muslims. Despite their small number and the adverse environment, they established Islamic institutions. The inner struggle for self-purification replaced the defensive jihad of the Maroons and the Muslim African slaves. This revitalized Islam in Jamaica. India had been ruled by Muslims from the early 13th century. The Moghuls (1526-1858) enriched India by building a great empire that still is a source of pride in modern India. Slavery had lost its importance by the 1830s. India and China were prominent in Britain's commerce ad trade, making enormous contributions to its industrialization and economy.
After losing the North American colonies, Britain sought to make India a classical-style colony. The British exchequer knew of the East's immense wealth, as the East India Company's trade in silk, muslin, cotton and piece goods had generated great wealth for Britain since the late seventeenth century.
India was the home of cloth manufacturing and the greatest and almost sole supplier of cotton goods, precious stones, drugs, and other valuable products. Evidence suggests that "all the gold and silver of the universe found a thousand and one channels for entering into India, but there was not a single outlet for the precious metals to go out of the country."
The empire's opulence and religious harmony gave way to violence and plunder as Britain, following its victory at the Battle of Plassey (1857), pursued a divide-and-rule policy. Evidence suggests that probably between Waterloo (1815) and Plassey a sum of £1 billion was transferred from India to British banks. Between 1833-47, another £315 million flowed into the British economy.
But Britain was not content. To meet its labour needs in the British West Indies, Britain exported about 500,000 East Indians to the Caribbean (1838-1917).
Out of 80,000 Muslims, about 6,000 came to Jamaica during the indentureship period. Their small numbers and challenges of plantation life (starvation, un-Islamic diet, deplorable living conditions in barracks shared by 25-50 adults of different origin, ages, sex, religion, kinship, and 9-hour work days) strengthened their spiritual struggle.
Many came from such predominantly Muslim cities as Lucknow, Allahabad, Ghazipur, Gorakpur, and Shahabad, all of which had witnessed the zenith of Islamic culture and social life. These Muslims ensured the preservation of Islamic identity through community solidarity, adherence to Islamic culture and values, and Islamic education.
This unity manifested itself in the establishment of 2 masjids, which institutionalized Islam in Jamaica.
Muhammad Khan, who came to Jamaica in 1915 at the age of 15, built Masjid Ar-Rahman in Spanish Town in 1957, while Westmoreland's Masjid Hussein was built by Muhammad Golaub, who immigrated with his father at the age of 7.
This masjid was named in honor of its first imam, Tofazzal Hussein. The two masjids became the community's spiritual centers, and united the Muslims by teaching them about Islam and its practices. They functioned like the Holy Mosque in Makkah in worship, and like the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah in terms of the community's spiritual, educational, social, and political life. The indentured Muslims laid the foundation of the 8 other masjids established in Jamaica since the 1960s, with the advent of an African Muslim community that now forms the largest Muslim ethnic group.
With the Indian indentured Muslims, and then with others from the Subcontinent, came the rich Moghul culture's culinary arts, fashion, lifestyle, and aesthetic arts. Gastronomy and exotic delicacies and entertainment dishes have been appreciated at state functions, special ceremonies, and restaurants bearing such Moghul names as The Taj Mahal and Akbar.
Since the 1960s, the variety of Moghlai dishes has increased by new immigrants from the Subcontinent. These Moghul-inspired delicacies are cherished in Jamaica, and more particularly in Trinidad and Guyana.