Islam in Mauritius
| Islam by country |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal |
Islam in Mauritiusis the nation's third largest religion behindHinduismandChristianity.Muslimsconstitute over 17.3 per cent ofMauritiuspopulation.[1]Muslims of Mauritius are mostly of Indian descent. Large numbers of Muslims arrived in Mauritius during theBritishregime, starting in 1834 as part of the large-scale indentured labor force fromIndia.[2]: 123–124
Mauritius became independent in 1968 and no official religion is defined in the constitution.Hindusmake up about half of the population,Christiansabout a third andMuslimsmost of the rest. Several religious groups including Muslim ones are recognized by parliamentary decree and receive state subsidies according to their percentage of the population.
History[edit]
Some scholars believed that Muslims arrived in Mauritius with the Dutch as slaves from Arabia, but this view has been disproved as the Arabians who were with the Dutch were mostly traders. Muslims arrived in Mauritius during theBritishregime, starting in 1810. Indentured labourers arrived on a large scale fromIndia,mostly fromBihar,Uttar Pradesh,Orissa,Bengal,and the cities ofKolkataandMumbai.There were a total of 450,000 immigrants during the period from 1835 to 1907, and after 1909, the immigration of indentured labourers stopped. They were brought from India for a period of five years, after which they were returned. By 1922, only 160,000 had returned to India, while others settled down in Mauritius. There were a few families of wealthy Muslim traders fromGujaratwhich also settled along with the majority poor working classes. The population of Muslims is rumoured to have been 33% (no reference) of the total population during 1835, 64% during 1861 (no reference), but allegedly reduced to less than 25% by 1909. TraditionallySunnisremained a majority, while other groups like Sunni Shafia, Shia and Bohra formed around 20 per cent of the total Muslims in the country.[3]Cocknies, Kodjas, Bohras and Aga-khanities are believed to have arrived in Mauritius during 1910 from East Africa. Tawheed ideology, which was commonly followed in Mauritius was replaced by Islamic Circle Religious Group which culled out religious practices from India. The trend was changed after the evolution of oil-rich Arab countries in the 1970s.[2]: 142
Communities[edit]
| Religious census[4] | |
|---|---|
| Faith | Total % |
| Hinduism | 48 |
| Roman Catholic | 26 |
| Islam | 17 |
| Other Christian | 6 |
| Others | 3 |
| * Others -Buddhism,Animist& others' | |
| * Other Christian -Seventh-day Adventists,Anglicans,Pentecostals,Presbyterians,Evangelicals,Jehovah's Witnesses,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,andAssemblies of God | |
The largest group of Muslims are theSunnis,comprising around 90 per cent of the population. Sunnis are divided among various factions such as the Salafis.[5]While the majority adheres to the Hanafi school of thoughts, there are other factions that follow the Shafe'i school of thought. There are also Muslims who follow Shi'ism. Meimons are a small aristocratic group, who control the Jummah Mosque in Port Louis.Shiatiesform a small community of around 3 per cent of the total population. One of the subgroups are called Cocknies, who are believed to have arrived as boat builders fromCochinin India. Creole Lascars are a new subgroup, who have intermarried with Cocknies or other communities.[6]
Within the Muslim community, there are three distinct ethnic groups that exist, notably the Memons and the Surtees (who are rich merchants who came fromKutchandSuratprovince ofGujaratinIndia), then the "Hindi Calcattias" who came to Mauritius as indentured labourer fromBihar.Creole is the most used language among Muslims other thanArabicandUrdu,while other languages spoken includeBhojpuri,andGujarati.[7]
Government policies[edit]
Mauritius received independence during 1968 and there was no state religion in Mauritius defined in the constitution. The nation had no indigenous population nor any indigenous tribes or religion. The religious organizations present at the time of independence, namely,Roman Catholic Church,Church of England,Presbyterian Church,Seventh-day Adventist,HindusandMuslimsare recognized by parliamentary decree.[8]The constitution and other laws protect freedom of religion. The groups recognized by the government before independence receive an annual sum for paying their adherents. The government allows overseas missionary groups to operate on a case-by-case basis, although there are no rules that prohibit proselytizing activities. The missionaries should obtain both residence permit and work permit to operate, which is provided for a maximum of three years, without any extension. There are lot of government holidays, most of which are religious indicating the heterogeneity of religions.[8]As per the International Religious Freedom report of 2012 published by the United States Department of States, there were no incidence of religious abuses. The report also indicates other religions claim that Hindus have a majority in the government, while Hindus have sought a policy for anti-conversion.[8]
Mosques and administration[edit]
As of 1965, there were 65 mosques in the country.[3]The first purpose-built mosque in Mauritius is the Camp des Lascars Mosque in around 1805. It is now officially known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
TheJummah MosqueinPort Louiswas built in the 1850s and is described in the Ministry of Tourism's guide as one of the most beautiful religious buildings in Mauritius.
All mosques are controlled by a board calledwaqf,also a form of charitable organization. The Waqf Board in Mauritius was created in 1941 and it supervises the finances and administration of all the mosques. Each mosque has a manager namedmuttanwalli,elected by a congregation. The board helps executing funerals, imparting education inmadraasasand all Islamic ceremonies. Major holidays likeBakrid,Eid,Mawlid,Shab-e-barat,Mi'rajand, for the Shia only,Muharramare celebrated with floats in the major mosques in the country.[9]
Notable Muslims[edit]
- Abdoollatiff Osman,1st Minister of Agriculture
- Abdool Raman Osman,1st Mauritian Governor General
- Ameenah Gurib,2nd Muslim President of Mauritius
- Cassam Uteem,1st Muslim President of Mauritius
- Raouf Bundhun,Vice President of Mauritius
- Abdool Razack Mohamed,Minister of Housing & Lands
- Mustapha Beeharry,Imam, Social Worker, MP
- Cassam Kurreeman,President of Mauritius Labour Congress[10]
- Parwez Kureemun[11][12]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^"Resident population by religion and sex"(PDF).Statistics Mauritius.p. 68. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 November 2012.Retrieved1 November2012.
- ^abBal, Ellen (2007), "When Muslims Leave…: Muslims In British India and their Migration to and Settlement in Mauritius and Surinam", in Oonk, Gijsbert (ed.),Global Indian Diasporas: Exploring Trajectories of Migration and Theory,IIAS Publications Series, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press,ISBN9789053560358
- ^abBosworth, Clifford Edmund, ed. (1989).The Encyclopaedia of Islam: Fascicules 111-112: Masrah Mawlid.BRILL. p. 849.ISBN9789004092396.
- ^"Mauritius 2012 International religious freedom report"(PDF).United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. 2012. pp. 1–3.Retrieved24 October2016.
- ^"Islam in Mauritius".Academia. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2014.Retrieved24 October2016.[circular reference]
- ^Richards 2011,p. 38
- ^Richards 2011,p. 37
- ^abcJuergensmeyer, Mark; Roof, Wade Clark, eds. (2011).Encyclopedia of Global Religion.SAGE Publications. p. 762.ISBN9781452266565.
- ^Singh, Nagendra Kr; Khan, Abdul Mabud, eds. (2001).Encyclopaedia of the World Muslims: Tribes, Castes and Communities, Volume 1.Global Vision Publishing House.ISBN9788187746072.
- ^"Adieu Camarade!! | 5Plus".www.5plus.mu.Retrieved2024-05-03.
- ^"Parwez Kureemun n'est plus | Sunday Times".www.sundaytimesmauritius.com.6 November 2017.Retrieved2018-02-08.
- ^"Décès de Parvez Kureemun: une lumière s'est éteinte • Star".Star(in French). 2017-11-07.Retrieved2018-02-08.
References[edit]
- Richards, Alexandra (2011).Mauritius: Rodrigues. Reunion.Bradt Travel Guides.ISBN9781841629247.