Islam in Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is an overwhelmingly Christian majority country, with adherents of Islam being a minuscule minority. Because of the secular nature of the country's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. The arrival of the Islamic Religion in the country can be traced back to the early 1980s. Ahmadiyya, however, first reached Solomon Islands probably in 1987, when a Ghanaian missionary by the name of Al-Hajj Hafiz Ahmad Jibreel Saeed, belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, visited Guadalcanal on a reconnaissance trip lasting three years. Today, there are two major Islamic branches (sect) in the country, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Sunni Islam.^[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, in 2008, an article in the Australian Journal of International Affairs suggested that there may be as many as 1,000 Ahmadiyya in the country alone, or 0.14% of the population.^[1]

Subgroups

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 over a decade without 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 1,000 members. The Community is headquartered in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, and is present in villages on Guadalcanal, the Russells, Savo, and Bellona islands.^[1]

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] Numbers have grown significantly in the country after the civil conflict.^[3]

References

1. Flower, Scott (September 2008). "Muslims in Melanesia: putting security issues in perspective". Australian Journal of International Affairs. 62 (3). Taylor & Francis: 408–429. doi:10.1080/10357710802286841. S2CID 153502801.
2. "International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Solomon Islands". U.S. Department of State. 14 September 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
3. McDougall, Debra (17 November 2009). "Becoming Sinless: Converting to Islam in the Christian Solomon Islands". American Anthropologist. 111 (4): 480–491. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1433.2009.01157.x.

External links

• Pacific: Islam making inroads in Melanesia

• Islam in Solomon Islands_Brief History_by Sultan Hakim Apani'ai_2023

• Hakimids Dynasty