Islam in the Solomon Islands

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Islam is a minority religion in the Solomon Islands. The religion first entered the country in 1987, when a Ghanaian missionary belonging to the Ahmadiyya movement visited Guadalcanal island on a reconnaissance trip lasting three years. Today, there are two major denominations in the country - Ahmadi Muslims and Sunni Muslims. [1] According to a 2007 report by the United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report, there are approximately 350 Muslims in the country. [2] However, different reports suggest that there may be 1000 Ahmadi Muslims in the country alone. [1]

Islam is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, universal religion teaching that there is only one God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of God. It is the world's second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion followers or 24% of the world's population, most commonly known as Muslims. Muslims make up a majority of the population in 50 countries. Islam teaches that God is merciful, all-powerful, and unique, and has guided humankind through prophets, revealed scriptures and natural signs. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, viewed by Muslims as the verbatim word of God, and the teachings and normative examples of Muhammad.

Solomon Islands Country in Oceania

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The country's capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands, but excludes outlying islands, such as Rennell and Bellona, and the Santa Cruz Islands.

Ghana Republic in West Africa

Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2 (92,099 sq mi), Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. Ghana means "Warrior King" in the Soninke language.

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Ahmadiyya

Islam was first introduced by an Ahmadi Muslim missionary, Hafiz Jibrail from Ghana. He visited the country from 1987 for three years and managed to draw a handful of converts to Islam, after which he left for Ghana. The Community then continued to flourish and practice their faith for a period lasting over a decade, with no external contact from members of the international Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. In the years 2000 to 2005, the Community sent another missionary, as a result of which the Community grew to approximately 1000 members. The Community is headquartered in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, and is present in the villages of Guadalcanal, Russells, Savo and Bellona islands. [1]

Honiara Place in Honiara Town, Solomon Islands

Honiara is the capital city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. As of 2017, it had a population of 84,520 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies along the Kukum Highway.

Russell Islands two small islands in the Central Province of Solomon Islands

The Russell Islands are two small islands, as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately 48 kilometres northwest of Guadalcanal. The islands are partially covered in coconut plantations, and have a copra and oil factory at Yandina. Yandina also has basic services, including a store, post office, and airport.

Savo Island mountain

Savo Island is an island in Solomon Islands in the southwest South Pacific ocean. Administratively, Savo Island is a part of the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. It is about 35 km from the capital Honiara. The principal village is Alialia, in the north of the island. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language, an East Papuan language. The waters surrounding the island were the site of five of the seven major naval battles during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific War. As a result of these battles southeast of the island are many shipwrecks, the bay is known as Ironbottom Sound. The wrecks near the coast are very popular with wreck divers.

Sunni

Sunni Muslims first entered the country in 1995 as a result of dawah efforts from members of the Tablighi Jamaat. Sunni Muslims have publicly differentiated from Ahmadi Muslims and claim to represent the 'true' orthodox Islam. The Community claims to have more members than the Ahmadiyya Community. [1]

Da‘wah is the proselytizing or preaching of Islam.

Tablighi Jamaat organization

Tablighi Jamaat is a non-political global missionary movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to Practicing Islam, and particularly in matters of ritual, dress, and personal behavior. The organisation is estimated to have between 12 million and 150 million adherents, and a presence in somewhere between 150 and 200 countries. It has been called "one of the most influential religious movements in 20th century Islam".

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Ahmadiyya An Islamic religious movement

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Ahmadiyya in Indonesia

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Ahmadiyya in Sierra Leone

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Ahmadiyya by country

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Islam in the Marshall Islands

Islam is a minority religion in the Marshall Islands. All Muslims in the country belong to the minority Ahmadiyya sect. The Ahmadiyya mosque in Uliga, first constructed in 2012 in the Marshall Islands is the only mosque in Oceania's subregion of Micronesia. According to a 2009 report there were about 10 Muslims in the Marshall Islands, although more recent reports indicate about 150 believers in the country.

Ahmadiyya and other faiths

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Ahmadiyya in the United States

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Ahmadiyya in Ghana

Ahmadiyya is an Islamic branch in Ghana, under the spiritual leadership of the caliph in London. The early rise of the Community in Ghana can be traced through a sequence of events beginning roughly at the same time as the establishment of the worldwide Community in 1889 in India itself. It was during the early period of the Second Caliphate that the first missionary, Abdul Rahim Nayyar was sent to what was then the Gold Coast in 1921 upon invitation from Muslims in Saltpond. Having established the Ahmadiyya movement in the country, Nayyar left and was replaced by the first permanent missionary, Al Hajj Fadl-ul-Rahman Hakim in 1922. Today, at 16%, which roughly corresponds to 635,000 people, Ghana hosts the largest proportion of Ahmadi Muslims to the wider Muslim population by country.

Ahmadiyya in Guinea-Bissau

Ahmadiyya is an Islamic community in Guinea-Bissau, under the leadership of the caliph in London. First established in the country in 1995, during the era of the Fourth Caliphate, the Community represents an estimated 2% of the country's Muslim population, corresponding to approximately 13,000 people.

Ahmadiyya in Australia

Ahmadiyya is an Islamic movement in Australia, first formally founded in the country in the 1980s, during the era of the fourth caliph. However, the history of the Community dates back to the early 20th century, during the lifetime of the founder of the movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, with the first contacts arising as a consequence of Australians travelling to British India, and also as a consequence of early, "Afghan" camel drivers settling in Australia during the mid to late 19th century. Today there are at least four mosques, in four of the six Australian states, representing an estimated 3,000 Australian Ahmadi Muslims in the country.

Ahmadiyya in Kyrgyzstan

Ahmadiyya is an Islamic community in Kyrgyzstan, whose teachings were first brought into the country by foreign Pakistani missionaries in the early 1990s. Although the Community was first registered in the country in 2002, its registration was struck off with the country's State Commission on Religious Affairs refusing to re-register it in 2011. Today, the Community which faces religious persecution, represents up to 1000 members spread across the capital Bishkek and three other regions of the country.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Muslims in Melanesia: putting security issues in perspective". Australian Journal of International Affairs . Taylor & Francis. 62 (3): 408–429. September 2008.
  2. "International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Solomon Islands". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 6, 2016.