Islam in Samoa

Samoa is mainly a secular Christian majority country, with adherents of Islam being a minority.

Mariam Masjid in samoa

History

The introduction of Islam into the country began centuries ago. But in recent years significant attention was brought in the 1980s when the Saudi Arabia-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth and Malaysia-based Regional Islamic Da'wah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific began their dawah activities in Pacific countries. ^[1]

Mosques

There is one prominent mosque(masjid mariam) in the country, although mosques can be found across the island. ^{[2] [3]} located in the village of Vaiusu. ^[4]

Demographics

During the 2001 census, Muslims accounted for 0.03% of the population. ^[5] The Western Samoa Muslim League is the Islamic organisation in the country which was established in 1986. ^[6]

Notable Muslims

Sonny Bill Williams. 2014

• Sonny Bill Williams:- New Zealand rugby union player, converted to Islam in 2009 while playing for Toulon in France ^[7] . He was the first Muslim to play for the All Blacks. He performed the Hajj pilgrimage in 2018. He is a New Zealand and Samoan citizen

See also

• Islam portal

• Islam in Oceania

• Religion in Samoa
• Islam in American Samoa

References

1. Terdima, Moshe (22 May 2016). "History of Islam in Samoa". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
2. Autagavaia, Tipi. "Fear of Islam drives proposal to change Samoa's constitution". RNZ . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
3. Wyeth, Grant (16 June 2017). "Samoa Officially Becomes a Christian State". The Diplomat. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
4. Membrere, Marc (5 February 2022). "Muslims open mosque on open day". Samoa Observer . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
5. "Academic says Islam stance in Samoa 'reasonable'". RNZ . 19 May 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
6. "Samoa a Christian country – PM calls for constitution review". CathNews New Zealand. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
7. History of Islam in Samoa. Samoa Observer