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.

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.

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.

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

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.