Islam in Barbados

Last updated

Barbados is an overwhelmingly Christian majority country, with Islam being a minority religion. Due to secular nature of the country's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. Statistics for Islam in Barbados estimate a Muslim population of over 4000, most of whom are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Indian state of Gujarat. A few immigrants from Guyana, Trinidad, South Asia, and the Middle East, as well as about 200 native-born persons, constitute the rest of the growing Muslim community, representing 1.50 percent of the population [1] Close to 90 percent of all Barbadians (also known colloquially as Bajan) are of African descent (Afro-Bajans), mostly descendants of the slave labourers on the sugar plantations. The remainder of the population includes groups of Europeans (Euro-Bajans), Asians, Bajan Hindus and Muslims, and an influential Middle Eastern (Arab-Bajans) group mainly of Syrian and Lebanese descent.

Contents

There are four mosques, an Islamic Academy, an Islamic institute, one Muslim school and various other Islamic organisations. To name them, The Islamic Academy of Barbados, Darul Imaan Institute, The Barbados Muslim Association, The Islamic Teaching Center, The Institute of Islamic Propagation and Thought, The Medinah Foundation and The Al-Falah Muslim School. Mosques include the Jama Mosque, Madina Mosque, Makki Masjid and Masjid An-Noor.

Mosques

Four mosques have fixed times for daily five times prayers along with weekly lecture programs on Qur'an and Hadith. These masajid also have Islamic classes which teach Qur'an and Sunnah to children from four years of age.

Islamic organisations in Barbados

Islamic Academy of Barbados

IAB is an organisation established in 1998 under the patronage of the esteem Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullah to engender a greater understanding of Islam in young and old alike, amongst Muslims and interested Non-Muslims. To achieve this aim the IAB produces leaflets on various Islamic aspects along with contemporary issues facing the Muslims of today, quarterly Journal Sa'wtus Saahil, weekly broadcast of lecture, Monthly Programme for children from age of 10 & over, Youth programme for youth over 16, Annual Da'wah Conference, Annual Sister Conference, meetings with interested Non-Muslims, Islamic educational classes, religious counseling and fatawaa section (for Islamic jurisprudent guidance).

The Barbados Muslim Association

BMA is an umbrella organization for masjids & musallah on the island, which also advocates on behalf of Muslims at the national level.

The Islamic Teaching Center

The Islamic Teaching Center based in Harts Gap, Christ Church conduct salaah and various other programmes and events.

The Institute of Islamic Propagation and Thought

The Institute of Islamic Propagation and Thought supplies and distributes Islamic literature free of charge to all Islamic organizations.

The Medinah Foundation

The Medinah Foundation is a charitable organisation aimed at helping the poor and needy and building healthy community relations with others.

The Al-Falah Muslim School

The Al-Falah Muslim School, a primary and secondary school established to foster the Muslim youths with Islamic values.

The cultural centre of the Islamic community of Barbados is to the west of the city centre of Bridgetown. Near to Kensington in Saint Michael. New communities established over the past few years around Belleville and Wanstead areas as well.

Concerned for the Future - Barbados

Not an official organisation in the traditional sense. It was founded by a group of youngsters in conjunction with a few local scholars in December 2016.

As the name suggests, the sole purpose is a concern for Islam in Barbados, and to facilitate and make aware of opportunities for Islamic learning through various means such as hosting programs in their local masjids, promoting events/programs being organised (by others) in their community or through the online/social media sphere.

Street Dawah Barbados

Also not an official organisation in the traditional sense and founded by the same youngsters involved with Concerned for the Future - Barbados, though founded much earlier back in January of 2014.

Its aim is to propagate the Islamic message to the local non-Muslim population in Barbados not necessarily in a bid to convince them but more to convey to them what beliefs Muslims actually hold. The concern was that even after 100 years plus of Muslim presence in Barbados (excluding West African Muslim presence on the island from the years of the Transatlantic Slave Trade), Islam as a religion is still severely misunderstood in the island.

Related Research Articles

Islam in the United States

Islam is the third largest religion in the United States, behind Christianity and Judaism. A 2017 study estimated that 3.45 million Muslims were living in the United States, about 1.1 percent of the total U.S. population. In 2017, 20 states which were mostly in the South and Midwest reported Islam being the largest non-Christian religion.

Islam in Brazil Overview of the role of the Islam in Brazil

Brazil is a predominantly Christian country with Islam being a minority religion, first brought by African slaves and then by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants. Due to secular nature of the Brazil's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. However, Islam isn't independently included in charts and graphics representing religions in Brazil due to its very small size, being grouped in "other religions", which generally represent about 1% of the country's population. The number of Muslims in Brazil, according to the 2010 census, was 35,207 out of a population of approximately 191 million people.

Islam in South Africa Overview of the role and impact of Islam in South Africa

Islam in South Africa is a minority religion, practised by roughly 3% of the total population. Islam in South Africa has grown in three phases. The first phase brought the earliest Muslims as part of the involuntary migration of slaves, artisans, political prisoners, and political exiles from the Dutch East Indies that lasted from about 1652 to the mid-1800s. The second phase was the arrival of indentured labourers from British India to work in the sugar-cane fields in Natal between 1860 and 1868, and again from 1874 to 1911. Of the approximately 176,000 Indians of all faiths who were transported to the Natal province, almost 7–10% of the first shipment were Muslims.

Islam in Guyana

Islam in Guyana is the third largest religion in the country after Christianity and Hinduism, respectively. According to the 2002 census, 7.3% of the country is Muslim. However, a Pew Research survey from 2010 estimates that 6.4% of the country is Muslim. Islam was first introduced to Guyana via slaves from West Africa, but was suppressed on plantations until Muslims of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan were brought to the country as indentured labor.

Islam in Singapore Religious community

About 15.6% of Singapore's residents are Muslims, according to the most recent 2020 census. Islam is the third largest religion in the country, after Buddhism and Christianity. Over four-fifths of Singaporean Muslims are ethnic Malays, while 13 percent are Indian; the remaining proportion include local Chinese, Eurasian, and Arab communities, as well as foreign migrants. The majority of Muslims in Singapore are traditionally Sunni Muslims who follow the Shafi‘i or the Hanafi school of thought.

Islam in New Zealand

Islam in New Zealand is a religious affiliation representing about 1.3% of the total population. Small numbers of Muslim immigrants from South Asia and eastern Europe settled in New Zealand from the early 1900s until the 1960s. Large-scale Muslim immigration began in the 1970s with the arrival of Fiji Indians, followed in the 1990s by refugees from various war-torn countries. The first Islamic centre opened in 1959 and there are now several mosques and two Islamic schools. The majority of Muslims in New Zealand are Sunni, with a large minority Shia and some Ahmadi Muslims, who run the largest mosque in the country.

Islam in Trinidad and Tobago

Muslims constitute 5.6 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago. The majority live in Trinidad but there are a handful in Tobago as well.

Islam in Jamaica Religion in Jamaica

Jamaica is a predominantly Christian country, with Islam being a minority religion. Due to secular nature of the Jamaica's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country.

Islam in Haiti

Haiti is an overwhelmingly Christian majority country and Islam in Haiti consists of a small minority of Muslims forming less than 1% of the total population, composed mainly of foreign immigrants with some local converts. Due to secular nature of the country's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. Therefore, a number of mosques and Islamic organizations are present in the country.

Islam in Belize Religion in Belize

Islam is one of the smallest minority faiths in Belize, which is a predominantly Christian country. The statistics for Islam in Belize estimate a total Muslim population of 577, representing 0.2 percent of the total population. There is an Islamic Mission of Belize (IMB) headquartered in Belize City. There is also presence of fast growing dynamic worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat since 2013. They have a membership of about 200 from all over Belize.They have three mosques in Belize. Masjid Noor in Belize City is situated on 1.5 Miles George Price Highway. They have mosques in Belmopan and Orange Walk.. The Muslim Community Primary School (MCPS) was recognised by the government in 1978 and offers Islamic as well as elementary level academic courses to Muslim and non-Muslim children.

Islam in Hong Kong Islam in Hong Kong, China

According to the 2016 census, Islam is practised by 4.1% of the population of Hong Kong, or about 300,000 Muslims. Of this number, 50,000 are Chinese, 150,000 are Indonesians and 30,000 are Pakistanis, with the rest from other parts of the world. The vast majority of Muslims in Hong Kong are Sunni.

Green Lane Masjid Former public baths and library complex and current Muslim centre in Birmingham

Green Lane Masjid & Community Centre (GLMCC), is a mosque in Birmingham, which is part of the Ahle Hadith movement. It has been a registered charity in England since 2008.

Masjid-an-Noor (Newfoundland) Mosque in St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador

Masjid-an-Noor is the first, and currently only, mosque in the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The mosque is located in the provincial capital of St. John's, and was built in 1990 by the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. A large proportion of the congregation are students or faculty at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Masjid Darussalam

Masjid DarusSalam is a mosque located in Lombard, Illinois that was completed in 2013. The mosque also houses the DarusSalam Academy, which aims to educate the community in traditional Islamic sciences.

Islamic Society of Greater Houston

The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) is a system of mosques in Greater Houston. It is headquartered at the Eastside Main Center in Upper Kirby in Houston.

Islam in Houston

Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas, is home to a significant number of Muslim Americans. As of 2012 it has the largest Muslim population in Texas and the largest Muslim population in the Southern United States. That year, Kate Shellnut of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "Some estimate that Muslims make up 1.2 percent of the city's population." As of 2012 the estimated population of Muslims in Houston was around 63,000. As of today, there are over 209 mosques and storefront religious centers, with the largest being the Al-Noor Mosque of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH).

Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre Mosque in Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

The Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre (AMIC) is the main mosque and Islamic centre in Aberdeen, Scotland. AMIC is a charitable, non profitable, non political organisation. Its purpose is to hold congregational prayers and Islamic religious activities, with provision of free religious services to members of the Muslim community relating to Islamic marriage, birth, death and burial in accordance with Scottish law. AMIC also aims to promote unity and provide channels for better communication and understanding between the Muslims and non Muslims in the area. The mosque contributes to the local community by promoting and participating in projects related to areas of social concern.

Amer Jamil is an Islamic scholar and co-founder of the Solas Foundation and iSyllabus programme, the latter of which he is currently the Project Director. He holds a (LLB) law degree from the University of Strathclyde and BA (Hons) in Islamic studies from the University of Wales. He is also currently the Muslim Chaplain at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Islam in New York City

Islam is the third most widely professed religion in New York City, after Christianity and Judaism. A 2018 study estimated that there are over 750,000 Muslims living in New York City, the largest population of Muslims by city in the United States. Approximately 9% of New York City residents are Muslim, constituting 22.3% of American Muslims, with 1.5 million Muslims in the greater New York metropolitan area, representing the largest metropolitan Muslim population in the Western Hemisphere.

References


  1. "2008 Report on International Religious Freedom,” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, United States Department of State, September 2008.

Sources