Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji
Encyclopedia
Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji (MIAF) represents approximately 30 % of the Sunni Muslim
s in Fiji
who are mostly followers of the Shafi school of jurispudence. The followers of Imam Shafi in Fiji are the descendents of Muslims of Malayalam origin who came to Fiji under the indenture
system from Kerala
in South India
between 1903 and 1916. The other Sunni Muslim organisation in Fiji, the Fiji Muslim League
, represents all other Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of the Hanafi
school of jurispudence.
One of the most prominent past President and Speaker of the Association was the late Hon S.M. Koya
, who was the leader of the National Federation Party
and Leader of Opposition in Fiji for a number of years. The name of the Association was changed in 1982 to Maunatul Islam Association when a new constitution was drawn.
at the Lautoka Branch Mosque
. The Association is managed by the National Council and the working committee elected every two years at AGM of the Association. The current office bearers elected in 2010 are as follows:
{| border = "0" width = "40%"
|-
| width = "20%"|Speaker:
| width = "20%"|Faiyaz Siddiq Koya
|-
| width = "20%"|President:
| width = "20%"|Mohammed Yusuf Manu
|-
| Vice President:
| Ahmed Nazim
|-
| Vice President:
| Shaih Ahmed Khan
|-
|Secretary:
|Yunus Kathim
|-
|Assistant Secretary:
|Mohammed Arfad
|-
|Treasurer:
|Mohammed Naushad Ali
|-
|Auditor:
|Mohammed Riaz Manu
|-
|Legal Advisor:
|Faiyaz Siddiq Koya
|-}
|-
|Trustee:
|Mohammed Yunus
|-
|Trustee:
|Mohammed Yusuf Manu
|-
|Trustee:
|Aimutty Munna
|-
|Trustee:
|Shekh Ahmed
|-
|Trustee:
|Faisal Siddiq Koya
|}
, Ba
and Tavua
and each branch has a Mosque and other properties. The legal ownership of all the properties are vested in the Trustees of the Association.
managed by a Branch Committee elected every two years. Apart from the Mosque, the branch also owns a priest's quarters, 2 other residential properties and a Madrasa which can accommodate 30 students. The branch has approxiamtely 1200 registered and 2000 unregistered members
The head priest is Alim
C. M.Abdul Kadir Saquafi Al Kamil
who is a graduate in Islamic Studies and also has English and Computer knowledge from Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya
Kerala.
The head priest is Alim Muhyuddeen Shah Faizi who is a graduate in Islamic Studies from Kerala.
, Suva
and Nausori
.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
who are mostly followers of the Shafi school of jurispudence. The followers of Imam Shafi in Fiji are the descendents of Muslims of Malayalam origin who came to Fiji under the indenture
Indenture
An indenture is a legal contract reflecting a debt or purchase obligation, specifically referring to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, an instrument used for commercial debt or real estate transaction.-Historical usage:An indenture is a...
system from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
between 1903 and 1916. The other Sunni Muslim organisation in Fiji, the Fiji Muslim League
Fiji Muslim League
The Fiji Muslim League is a Muslim religious and social organisation based in Suva, Fiji. Nearly 7% of Fiji's total population, including 16% of the Indian community, is Muslim...
, represents all other Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
school of jurispudence.
History
The organisation originally operated under the name of Then India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji since it was officially formed in 1942. The key original officials were:| President: | Late Shahabud Dean |
| Vice President: | Late Hajji Moidin Koya |
| Secretary: | Mohammed Shafique |
| Treasurer: | Late Hon A. R. Manu A. R. Manu A.R. Manu was an Indian nominated member of the Legislative Council of Fiji from 1956 to 1959.He was one of the founding members of the Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji, an organisation representing Muslims who originally came to Fiji as indentured labourers from Kerala in South India.He was an... |
One of the most prominent past President and Speaker of the Association was the late Hon S.M. Koya
Sidiq Koya
Siddiq Moidin Koya was a Fijian Indian politician and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party on the death of the party's founder, A.D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977...
, who was the leader of the National Federation Party
National Federation Party (Fiji)
The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...
and Leader of Opposition in Fiji for a number of years. The name of the Association was changed in 1982 to Maunatul Islam Association when a new constitution was drawn.
National Council
Maunatul Islam’s head office is situated at 72 Vomo Street, Drasa/Vitogo, LautokaLautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
at the Lautoka Branch Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
. The Association is managed by the National Council and the working committee elected every two years at AGM of the Association. The current office bearers elected in 2010 are as follows:
{| border = "0" width = "40%"
|-
| width = "20%"|Speaker:
| width = "20%"|Faiyaz Siddiq Koya
|-
| width = "20%"|President:
| width = "20%"|Mohammed Yusuf Manu
|-
| Vice President:
| Ahmed Nazim
|-
| Vice President:
| Shaih Ahmed Khan
|-
|Secretary:
|Yunus Kathim
|-
|Assistant Secretary:
|Mohammed Arfad
|-
|Treasurer:
|Mohammed Naushad Ali
|-
|Auditor:
|Mohammed Riaz Manu
|-
|Legal Advisor:
|Faiyaz Siddiq Koya
|-}
Office Bearers and Trustees
{| border = "0" width = "40%"|-
|Trustee:
|Mohammed Yunus
|-
|Trustee:
|Mohammed Yusuf Manu
|-
|Trustee:
|Aimutty Munna
|-
|Trustee:
|Shekh Ahmed
|-
|Trustee:
|Faisal Siddiq Koya
|}
Branches
MIAF has three main branches at LautokaLautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
, Ba
Ba District, Fiji
Ba is a district situation on the North Western part of the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The name Ba is also used for a province, a tikina , a town and a river. Ba district comprises the areas surrounding Ba Town and includes the Fijian administrative tikinas of Ba and Magodro. Ba district is in...
and Tavua
Tavua
Tavua is a town in Fiji, 91 kilometres from Nadi and 9 kilometres from the gold mining settlement of Vatukoula. It was formally incorporated as a Town in 1992, with a land area of 100 square kilometres, and had a population of 2,418 at the 1996 census, the last to date.Tavua is governed by a...
and each branch has a Mosque and other properties. The legal ownership of all the properties are vested in the Trustees of the Association.
Lautoka Branch
The Lautoka Brach Mosque is situated at 72 Vomo St, Drasa /Vitogo, Lautoka. The Branch ismanaged by a Branch Committee elected every two years. Apart from the Mosque, the branch also owns a priest's quarters, 2 other residential properties and a Madrasa which can accommodate 30 students. The branch has approxiamtely 1200 registered and 2000 unregistered members
The head priest is Alim
C. M.Abdul Kadir Saquafi Al Kamil
who is a graduate in Islamic Studies and also has English and Computer knowledge from Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya
Markazu Saqafathi Sunniya
Jamia Markazu Ssaqafathi Ssunniyya is a Shafi'i Sunni Islamic school in Kerala, India under Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musalyar, the supremo of the A. P. Sunnis. Operating since 1978, the foundation stone of it was laid by the Islamic scholar of Makkah sayed Muhammad-ibn Alavi-al-Maliki...
Kerala.
Ba Branch
The Ba Branch Mosque is situated at Maururu, Ba. The Branch is managed by a Branch Committee elected every two years. Apart from the Mosque, the branch also owns a priest's quarters, a 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) cane farm and a Madrasa which can accommodate 40 students. The branch has approxiamtely 800 registered and 2000 unregistered membersThe head priest is Alim Muhyuddeen Shah Faizi who is a graduate in Islamic Studies from Kerala.
Tavua Branch
Tavua Branch Mosque is situated at Tabavu St, Tavua Town. Branch is managed by a Branch Committee elected every two years. Apart from the Mosque, the branch also owns a priest's quarters, a vacant land and a residential property. The branch has approxiamtely 400 registered and 1000 unregistered membersProspective Branches
Followers of Imam Shafi are spread all over Fiji and there are plans to form Branches at NadiNadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
, Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
and Nausori
Nausori
Nausori is a town in Fiji. It had a population of 47,604 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date. This makes it the fourth most populous municipality in the country. Situated 19 kilometers out of Suva, it forms one pole of the burgeoning Suva-Nausori corridor.Nausori grew up around Fiji's...
.
Training and Education
MIAF has education and training centers at its mosques at Lautoka, Ba and Tavua. The priests at each mosque provide Islamic teachings to children as well as the adults. The National Council has formed an Education Board responsible for all educational matters of the Association. Adults are provided Islamic training and education on two evenings every week.See also
- MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
- Fiji Muslim LeagueFiji Muslim LeagueThe Fiji Muslim League is a Muslim religious and social organisation based in Suva, Fiji. Nearly 7% of Fiji's total population, including 16% of the Indian community, is Muslim...
- Islam in FijiIslam in FijiThe Muslims of Fiji comprise around 7% of the population . The Islamic community is made up of people of Indian origin, who were brought to the islands in the late 19th century by the British colonial power. The majority of the Indian community is however, Hindu. Around 16% of the Fiji's Indian...
- miafiji.ning.com