Islam in the Caribbean

Table of Contents

1.  Introduction to Islam
   -General Facts
   -Brief History
   -Place of Origin
2.  Demographic of Islam in the Caribbean
3.  History of Islam in the Caribbean- Muslim Migration
4.  Festivals and celebrations, practices & deities 
5.  Diaspora & Influence of extra-regional territories

Introduction to Islam: General Info & Facts

• Islam was founded and based on the worship of a single supreme God called Allah.
• Islam literally translates "submission" or "surrender", and means "surrendering of one's will to the true will of God in an effort to achieve peace".

• Worshipers of Islam are called Muslims.
• Muslim means "anyone or anything that surrenders itself to the true will of God".
• Islam's most sacred book is called the Quran; which means "recitation" in Arabic.
• Islam has two (2) main denominations (sects/branches): Sunni Islam (84-90%) & Shia Islam (10-16%)
• The major difference between the two Islamic sects is the disagreement over Muhammad's (Islamic prophet) successor.
  Shia Muslims believe Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib (the Imam) as his successor, whereas Sunni Muslims insist Muhammad did not appoint a successor.
• Islam consists of 5 pillars:

1. Declaration of faith in Allah and that Muhammad is a prophet of God.
2. Ritual prayer five times a day. 
3. Paying charity/tax from one's wealth to benefit the poor and needy.
4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan. 
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (holiest city of Islam) at least once in a lifetime.

Crash Course to Islam and its History

Video Courtesy of: Crash Course World History

The Demographic of Islam in the Caribbean

English-speaking Muslim Demographic

• Largest populations of English-speaking Muslims are found in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, where they constitute 13.3% and 8.1% of the Total population respectively.
• The largest populated English-speaking territory, Jamaica (Total population= 2.7 million), has a Muslim population of approximately 5,000.
• Muslim population in English-speaking territories hailed mainly from India and Indonesia; who can as indentured servants or labourers.

French-speaking Muslim Demographic

• Muslim demographic in French territories (eg. Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Haiti, Martinique) are mostly African-Muslims; originally from West Africa, Senegal and Mali.
• The total population of these five countries is 7,178,572 out of which 2,600 are Muslims. 

Spanish-speaking Muslim Demographic

• In Spanish territories, such as Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rice, it was established that the Muslim community totaled 3,500; out of a total combined population of 20,573,000.
• Community of 2,000 Palestinian Muslims exist in Puerto Rico. Island also has two mosques and a full-time Imam.
• Well-established community of Pakistani Muslims exist in Dominican Republic; however exact figures are not known.

Dutch-speaking Muslim Demographic

• Exact total figures for Dutch countries such as Curacao, St. Martin, Surinam and Netherland Antilles are unclear.
• Known figures include:

• These Muslim Communities mainly consist of Arabian and Indo-Pakistani immigrants.
• The Muslim community in Surinam constitutes 28.2% of the total population of 425,000; and are divided into three distinct groups:

1. Javanese- from Indonesian Archipelago, who have inhabited for over 50 years.
2. Indo-Pakistanis- who came as indentured labourers, and have inhabited for over 100 years.
3. Growing Afro-Surinamese population who are converting to Islam.

The majority of the Muslim population celebrating Islam in the Caribbean came as indentured labourers over a century ago, and even before that many Africans brought into slavery were actually Muslims from Islamic tribes in West Africa. (See: History of Islam in Caribbean below) However, today many Muslims are settling in the Caribbean to study or trade; originating from Indonesian, Indo-Pakistani or African countries. Many of the non-Muslim Caribbean population is also converting to Islamic faith.

History of Islam in the Caribbean and Muslim Migration

Islam in throughout the Caribbean territories followed a very shaky timeline with many hardships, and was for the most part stifled as a religion along with other secular teachings (such as voodoo) in favour of Christianity.

Retracing history a clear pattern can be seen where Islamic teachings were brought to the Caribbean in ‘waves’ or batches. It was first introduced in the 18th century by certain West African slaves brought in to work on the plantations.

The ‘First Batch’- African Muslim enslaved

This initial ‘batch’ of Afro-Muslims originated from the Mandingo and Fulani Tribes of West Africa, and were devoted to Islam despite the efforts of plantation masters to eliminate any religion besides Christianity. As with all other religions and cultural practices that slaves brought with them, the whites imposed physical and mental torture in an effort to discourage such ideologies which they feared and believed to oppose their own faith. However, these Muslim slaves practiced in secrecy and as much as possible despite the harsh circumstances and their survival are in part the reason why many Muslims of African origin still exist in the Caribbean today (such as in Surinam).

That being said, the survival of Islam through slavery was an extremely difficult feat mainly because slave drivers stripped them of the ability to pass teachings onto the next generation. Children were taken from parents and dispersed to different areas and plantations not only with the intention of breaking apart family bonds but also to rob them of their cultural heritage.

The ‘Second Batch’- East Indian Indentured

The second batch of Muslims came following the abolition of slavery in 1833, and were not Afro-Muslims but instead of East Indian descent. The first ships carrying East Indian Muslims to land in the Caribbean were the S.S. Hesperus and S.S. Whitby; which arrived in Guyana on May 5th 1838. The second ship, the Fatel Razak, also carrying East Indians landed in Trinidad on May 30th 1838. These East Indians were mainly from India and Indonesia and were believed to be almost exclusively Muslim as the main religion of those countries were Islam.

Plantation owners sought to contract illiterate and low-income workers as indentured servants, however many literate Muslims also came and are believed to be the reason why Islamic teachings were able to survive despite the best efforts of island missionaries to convert the indentured to the faith of Christianity. Despite conditions being similarly harsh as they were during slavery, Islam was able to thrive and be preserved beyond generations due to the many educated that supervised regular observations of religious practice. This also came with the aid of the masses, as Muslims originating from Morocco or Algeria joined together with those from India and Indonesia to celebrate their common faith; which made the hardships they faced much easier.

Eventually, Muslim indentured servants throughout the Caribbean began to attend religious gatherings in the evenings where they would learn of their duties as believers of Islam; followed by the building of small mosques where congregations of the community worshiped Allah.

With the end of the indentured system Caribbean Muslims also acquired equal status with the rest of society both in terms of socio-economic standing and religion.

Case Study: A history of Islam in Jamaica

Video credit: Islam4All

Islamic Celebrations and Festivals, Practices & Dieties

Celebrations and Festivals

Muharram:

• Islamic New Year

Mawlid al-Nabi

• Prophet Muhammad's (the founder of Islam) Birthday

Ramadan:

• the Ninth Month of the Islamic Calendar
• A month of fasting

Eid-ul-Fitr:

• Festival celebration concluding Ramadan

Video credit: WildFilmsIndia

Eid-ul-Adha

• Feast of Scrifice, commemorating prophet Abraham's willingness to obey Allah
• Festival celebrated by sacrificing a lamb or other animal and distributing the meat. It symbolizes obedience to Allah.

Deities

Allah, in Arabic calligraphy.

Unlike other eastern religions, such as Hinduism, Islam emphasizes and celebrates one single supreme and all powerful God; Allah.
This concept is referred to as Monotheism; the belief in one God, and is the foundation of Islam.

However, the religion also strongly beliefs in Angels (eg. Gabriel), with many verses quoting their names directly; as well in prophets including Isa (Jesus), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and the final prophet Muhammad.

Caribbean-Muslim Diaspora & Extra-regional influence

Extra-regional countries have not largely influenced the teachings of Islam among Muslim communities in the Caribbean.
However, issues of 'Islamphobia' and stigmatization of Muslims in the US and other Western models have indeed affected the celebration of Islam by Caribbeans.

Muslims are often discriminated as being 'terrorists', although this is more so an issue in larger countries such as America and Europe. This stigma is forcing Muslims to become ashamed, or simply out of fear for own safety, to abandon aspects of their religion (for example: the hijab).
Caribbean-Muslims living abroad in territories such as these may result in Muslims doubting their own practices; causing an already small Caribbean religion to be stifled. On returning to the Caribbean they may celebrate Islam much less so than before, if at all.

Additionally, many Caribbean youth view larger, developed countries as a model and tend to follow many of their trends. Widespread discrimination of Islam may well spread into our own territories through the Western media in this way.

Section by Yvado Simmons