Islam in the Solomon Islands
Encyclopedia
The United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report states that according to the most recent reports, there are approximately 350 Muslims in the Solomon Islands
. Adherents.com estimates that there are about 70 Muslims in the country, receiving this number from a 1996
estimate. Muslim groups include the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
and various others. When the deadly Solomons tsunami crashed through Gizo and Western Province killing 53 people and displacing thousands of villagers, the international Muslim Aid organization quickly dispatched medical teams and supplies for the affected areas and islanders embraced this aid as much as any other. Radio SIBC reported in July 2005 claims made by the country's Finance Minister Peter Boyers, that Islamic militants from Indonesia
had tried recruiting young Solomon Islanders for training camps in Indonesia. The Minister said that Solomon Islands Muslim groups were against radical Islam and refused the request, something supported by Felix Narasia of the Islamic Society of Solomon Islands. Narasia said the Islamic Society denounces any recruitment of Solomon Island youth for such purposes, saying such contacts were “illegal” and outside the Islamic
Society of Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. Adherents.com estimates that there are about 70 Muslims in the country, receiving this number from a 1996
estimate. Muslim groups include the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
and various others. When the deadly Solomons tsunami crashed through Gizo and Western Province killing 53 people and displacing thousands of villagers, the international Muslim Aid organization quickly dispatched medical teams and supplies for the affected areas and islanders embraced this aid as much as any other. Radio SIBC reported in July 2005 claims made by the country's Finance Minister Peter Boyers, that Islamic militants from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
had tried recruiting young Solomon Islanders for training camps in Indonesia. The Minister said that Solomon Islands Muslim groups were against radical Islam and refused the request, something supported by Felix Narasia of the Islamic Society of Solomon Islands. Narasia said the Islamic Society denounces any recruitment of Solomon Island youth for such purposes, saying such contacts were “illegal” and outside the Islamic
Society of Solomon Islands.
External links
- Pacific: Islam making inroads in Melanesia http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/s2081647.htm