Vacationing in the Bahamas we were pleasantly surprised to find Muslims’ presence in a nice area with a beautiful mosque. There are more than 300 Muslims in Nassau who are organised and have five times daily prayer. Islam has come to Bahamas more than 40 years ago via the United States.
HISTORY
Which country is the closest to Miami? It is the Bahamas only 40 miles from Miami to the east while Cuba is 80 miles to the south. The Bahamas consists of more than 700 islands, well known for their gorgeous beaches, sea of colours, vivid flamingos, and Poinciana trees that line the edge of roads and tantalise the senses with their fragrant aromas. Christopher Columbus discovered it on October 12, 1492 and named it Bahamas (low water or sea). The British controlled it until the Bahamians achieved their independence on July 10, 1973. The 13 colonies fought the British for a few years and won the island but at the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, the British traded Florida for the Bahamas.
ECONOMY
Nassau, the capital, is the queen of archipelago, most densely populated consisting of two third of total population of 342,000. Eighty-five per cent of people are of African descent with literacy rate of 95 per cent. City of Nassau is decorated with architecture of British, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and flavour of southern US. In 2008, 4.6 million people visited Bahamas, 85 per cent from the USA. Its economy thrives on four areas for income: tourism, fishing, banking, and farming. The Bahamas, because of its strict secrecy laws, are called the “Switzerland of the West”. They have no income tax, sales tax, capital gain tax, estate tax, or inheritance tax. The nation’s stable government and economy as well as its proximity to the U.S. add to making it a most attractive area for investors all over the world. There are 110 US affiliated businesses operating in the Bahamas, mostly in tourism and banking.
ADVENT OF ISLAM
According to old record some of the early Muslims were brought as slaves from North Africa. In the 1960s a Bahamian called Bashan Saladin (formerly Charles Cleare) preached Islam and converted his home into Mosque. In 1974, Dr. Munir Ahmad, who had returned from the US as Dental Specialist, and Mr. Mustafa Khalil Khalfani joined hands to establish Islam there and were later joined by Faisal AbdurRahmaan Hepburn. There is only one central college in Nassau and no large university. For all higher education, the Bahamians must travel to the United States. After independence, many Bahamians converted to Islam while studying in the US. Everyone you meet has connection to the US. There are many South Asian Muslims from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as Turkey and Guyana totalling to 20-30 people working as doctors, businessmen and teachers who visit the mosque.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
There are many Muslims from India and Pakistan who have helped develop this community. For example, Dr. Ghulam Muazzam from Bangladesh, who had come to work as a Pathologist at Prince Margaret Hospital, helped them in learning the Qur’ān and the Arabic language. A retired Pakistani teacher, Khurshid Abdullah taught them how to recite the last 10 Surahs of the Holy Qur’ān. He was 80 years old and stayed at Khalfani’s house. Native Muslims travelled to India with Tablighi Jamaat. Some of them went on to join higher Islamic learning in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Syed Kalimuddin from India moved to Bahamas in January 1980 and joined the group as their first treasurer. He moved to the US with his family after spending 10 years doing Dawah work there.
FORMATION OF JAMAAT
Even though Muslims were active and carrying on with activities, their need for organisation was fulfilled in 1978 when Jamaat-ul-Islam, the Islamic Movement was formed and Mustapha Khalil Khalafani was chosen their leader. Subsequently Jamaat-ul-Islam Mosque in Nassau was established a few years ago. The Mosque is run by Jamaat Management consultancy limited owned by Faisal Abdurrahman Hepburn.
VISIT TO THE MOSQUE
Our family went on a spring break vacation and found out about the mosque in a tourist brochure. Our call was attended by Faisal AbdurRahmaan Hepburn who welcomed us at the mosque. The mosque rests on two acres of land white in colour with three domes (one large and two small) and one tall minaret. It was surrounded by newly planted trees and a colourful courtyard and a parking lot. The five daily prayers are performed punctually in congregation. Moreover, there were ten people in Maghrib prayer when we joined them. During the Friday Sermon and prayer, a total of 60 people attended. The ladies area was separated by a perforated wooden partisan. The Maghrib prayer was led by Muhammad Rasuli with excellent Arabic pronunciation. He was born in Harlem near Manhattan, New York and recently moved to Nassau. Other activities include Brothers and Sisters study circles as well as children’s education on Sunday.
The history of Islam in Nassau is more than 40 years old with strong foundation for increasing the Dawah work in the area. Because of being a very small minority (less than 1% of the population) they are being ignored or marginalised in many ways. For example, the media is refusing to air positive Islamic programme and local newspapers are reluctant to cover events relating to Islam and Muslims. They are still carrying on the activities with many difficulties. They could use some help and attention from US Muslims in order to energise the work they are already doing. The common people (doctors, engineers, etc.) can contribute by devoting their 1-2 week of vacation a year while doing seminar on Islam or having free medical clinic while still enjoying the scenery. The entire area is conducive to Dawah work due to high literacy, good command of the English language, respect for people from the US in general and religious background. The US national organisations like ISNA, ICNA, MAS and IMANA have special obligation to reach out and extend a helping hand and find areas where they have expertise. Any cooperation and coordinated activity will go a long way in establishing Islam in this part of the world. For more information about the above mosque and organisation contact may be made at [email protected] or at their website www.jamaahlus-sunnah.com.
[Dr. Ansari is President of Islamic Society of Clinton County in Clinton, IA and a Board Certified Nephrologist. He can be reached at [email protected].]