Every year, Emancipation Day reminds us of one of humanity’s darkest chapters: the transatlantic slave trade. We remember the millions of African men, women and children who were captured, transported across the Atlantic, and forced into lives of bondage. Yet within that history lies a chapter that is too often overlooked: the story of the thousands of Muslims who were among the enslaved.
True emancipation is achieved only when societies reject racism, dismantle systems of discrimination, uphold the equal dignity of every human being, and refuse to build prosperity upon the exploitation of others.
The history of Islam and Muslim people in the Caribbean stretches back over 1,000 years, predating European contact by over 600 years. New research is…
“Caribbean people, having endured the brutal legacy of slavery and colonialism, understand the struggle for freedom and the moral imperative of standing with the oppressed…
Haiti’s small but growing Muslim Community contributes positively to the country’s development. Haiti is the poorest in North America, with a per capita GDP of…
Far from Mecca: Globalizing the Muslim Caribbean is the first academic work on Muslims in the English-speaking Caribbean. The author Dr Aliyah Khan focuses on…
“Among the enslaved people living on Codrington in the 1740s were a woman and a girl named Fatimore (also spelled Fattemoor). Fatima has been noted…
November 30th 2020: Barbados Muslims were given the privilege of delivering the feature address at the National Service of Thanksgiving to mark its 54th anniversary…
Guyana I extend congratulations to the duly elected President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. His swearing in last week marked…
Muslims have lived in the Caribbean for centuries. Far From Mecca: Globalizing the Muslim Caribbean (Rutgers University Press, 2020) examines the archive of autobiography, literature, music and public celebrations in Guyana and Trinidad, offering an analysis of the ways Islam became integral to the Caribbean, and the ways the Caribbean shaped Islamic practices.