Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
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Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

schools for the Fijian Muslims all across

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. In the early 19th century, Muslims migrated to Fiji from South Asia. The

Fiji Muslim League Fiji Muslim League (FML) is an organisation founded in 1926 in Fiji. Following its foundation the organisation set up branches across the country. Most of the Muslim schools in Fiji are operated by the Fiji Muslim League. History Formation ...

(FML) was formed in 1926. The FML was vital in the growth of Islam as they contributed to the schooling system of Fiji with launching Muslims schools in the country. In 1929, Fiji Muslim League sought to acquire discrete representation for Muslims in the Fiji Legislative Council. Some modern Muslim migrants from Arab Countries such as Sudan, Yemen and Egypt also have settled in Fiji forming a Fijian-Arab Population, with other migrants from other country's around the Islamic World. Islamic holy days such as Mawlid are also given as a holiday by the Fijian government.

History

Early history

By the early 19th century,

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

migrants preserved Islam within their families for generations after the first ship brought various ethnicities across South Asia,

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d

labourers A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries e ...

to

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in 1879. The first Indentured laborer ship, the ''Leonidas'', had quite a high proportion 22% of Muslims. Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 60,553 laborers were brought to Fiji from South Asia under the Indentured labourer system. Muslims played their part in protest against indenture. In 1907, a group of indentured laborer went on strike in

Labasa Labasa (pronounced ) is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007. Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. Th ...

. Most of these were

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

s and

Punjabis The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...

who were Muslims. Although Muslims lived as a separate community, they had peaceful relations with other communities including the native Fijians and the Indian Hindus. From 1884 onwards, as laborers completed their five-year tenure, Muslim communities started to form in many areas of Fiji. The arrival of Mulla Mirza Khan, a free-immigrant, was a boost to Islam in Fiji, as he contributed a lot to the educational and religious needs of the Muslims. In 1900, a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

was built in

Navua Navua () is a town in Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeas ...

, and another mosque was built in

Labasa Labasa (pronounced ) is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007. Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. Th ...

in 1902. Many mosques began to be built and Islam started rising in Fiji. In 1909, Muslims made submissions to the Education Commission for

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

script to their children. In 1915, an Islamic organization, the ''Anjuman Hidayat ul-Islam'' made a petition to the Fijian government for the solemnization of Muslim marriages by a ''qazi'' and recommended its secretary's appointment for the Suva area.

Establishment of Fiji Muslim League

After Muslims of Fiji being indentured, the

Fiji Muslim League Fiji Muslim League (FML) is an organisation founded in 1926 in Fiji. Following its foundation the organisation set up branches across the country. Most of the Muslim schools in Fiji are operated by the Fiji Muslim League. History Formation ...

was formed at the Jamia Masjid in Toorak on October 31, 1926. The Fiji Muslim League has contributed in the

education in Fiji Primary school education in Fiji is compulsory, and subsidised for eight years."Fiji"
. ''2001 Findings ...

. Their first school, the Suva Muslim Primary School, was launched in the founding year 1926. Today, the Fiji Muslim League owns and operates 17 primary and 5 secondary schools, plus a tertiary institution known as the Islamic Institute of the South Pacific. The Fiji Muslim League accepts students and staff members of all ethnic and religious groups, not just Muslims. The Fiji Muslim League provides help for tertiary studies for needy Muslims through loans from its Education Trust and the Islamic Development Bank. Of the two IDB loan/awards for tertiary studies, one is granted locally for information technology and the other for the study of medicine in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Most of the latter in recent times have been allocated for training Muslim female doctors; some have qualified and are working in Fiji. Besides education, the Fiji Muslim League from its outset has attempted to assist in satisfying all the social needs of the Muslim community. Its involvement in social welfare is both at national and branch levels. In times of natural disasters or turmoil, the Fiji Muslim League directly helps Muslims and non-Muslims alike whose homes and lives have been disrupted. Its charity work ensures many families are fed, clothed, housed, and children sent to school.

Politics

Since 1929, the

Fiji Muslim League Fiji Muslim League (FML) is an organisation founded in 1926 in Fiji. Following its foundation the organisation set up branches across the country. Most of the Muslim schools in Fiji are operated by the Fiji Muslim League. History Formation ...

has sought to obtain separate representation for Muslims in the Legislative Council, and in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

since 1970. Except for the period between 1932 and 1937, Muslims have been represented well in Fiji's Parliament. From 1937 to 1963, at least one Muslim was always nominated into the Legislative Council out of a total of five Indo-Fijian representatives. For the 1966 Fiji elections, the Muslim Political Front was formed to advance Muslim political rights. It later on joined the newly formed Alliance Party.

Sports

In 1944, the first Muslim association football inter-district tournament was organized in

Sigatoka Sigatoka ( ) is a town in Fiji. It is on the island of Viti Levu at the mouth of the Sigatoka River, for which it is named, some 61 kilometres from Nadi. Its population at the 2017 census was 17,622. It is the principal urban centre for the pr ...

by the Fiji Muslim Sports Association. It has since been an annual event and in 2006, three teams from overseas featured in the inaugural Fiji Muslim Football Association International Muslim Club Championship. The Fiji Muslim sports association in association with Fiji Muslim FANCA Sports Federation is hosting its inaugural club championship during Easter Weekend 2007 in Lautoka. 4 teams from Australia,5 teams from New Zealand and 1 team from the US and an all-district team from Fiji will participate. This will be an annual event to get Muslim sports in Fiji amongst the best. Many Muslims also play for the Fiji national football team.

Muslim youth

There is also a very active youth movement tracing its origins to the 1960s, whose executives meet regularly and organise camps and other gatherings for young Muslims. It has a national outreach, with members from

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s as well as tertiary institutions and university graduates, as well as professionals in the workforce. Recently it also organized a wing to facilitate the interests of young Muslim women.

2002 American Samoa restrictions

In 2002, Fiji was one of 25 nations whose citizens were restricted in entering

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

due to the latter's new policy of restricting the entry of Muslims to the territory. The Fijian government protested, and Fiji was removed from the restricted list in 2003.

Famous Fijian Muslims

*

Gaffar Ahmed Gaffar Ahmed is a former Fiji Labour Party (FLP) Fijian politician of Indian descent. Ahmed was born in Ba and is a former police officer. He represented the Ba West Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for Indo-Fijians, from 1995 ...

, Fijian politician * Rosy Akbar, Fijian politician, current Minister of Education * Joy Ali (1978-2015), Fijian boxer *

Junior Farzan Ali Junior Farzan Ali (commonly known as The Razor Farzan) (born 27 April 1980) is a Fijian professional boxer. He is the current WBF Asia Pacific lightweight champion. With 25 wins for 32 fights, Farzan is regarded as Fiji's best pound for pound box ...

, Fijian boxer, current WBF Asia Pacific lightweight champion (brother of late Joy Ali) * Shamima Ali, Fijian political activist, *

Ahmed Bhamji Ahmed Bhamji is a Fiji Indian businessman and National Federation Party politician. At 37 he became the youngest mayor in the country when he was elected the mayor of Ba. In the 1987 general election for the House of Representatives, he won the ...

, Fijian politician and businessman, former Minister for Communications, Transport and Works *

M. S. Buksh Mirza Salim Buksh (died 27 July 1967) was an Indo-Fijian community leader. One of the first Indo-Fijians to gain a formal education, he was chosen as one of the representatives of the Indian community on a number of occasions. He helped form an ...

, Fijian politician, known to be the first Indo-Fijian to gained formal education *

Mirza Namrud Buksh Mirza Namrud Buksh (January 1925 – 29 November 2007), commonly known in Fiji as "Lulu Buksh", was a popular Fijian radio and television personality, auctioneer and maverick politician. He was born to Mirza Salim Buksh (M. S. Buksh) and Sarah Fl ...

(1925–2007), Fijian TV and radio personality, auctioneer and politician *

Farouk Janeman Mohammed Farouk Bhamji (Janeman) (17 February 1953 – 27 September 2013) was a Fijian football player and coach. Janeman was a star soccer player representing the premier Fiji Football Association team of Ba in the 1970s. After his retire ...

(1953-2013), Fijian former football player and coach * Aslam Khan, CEO of Vodafone Fiji Limited *

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (born 24 September 1965) is an Indo-Fijian politician and a cabinet minister. He is the Fijian attorney general and the Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, and also serves the minister responsible for c ...

, Fijian politician

References

* A. Ali, Girmit: Indian Indentured Experience in Fiji, Fiji Museum, Suva, 2004 * A. Ali, Plantation to Politics: Studies on Fiji Indians, University of South Pacific, 1980 * C.F. Andrews & W.W. Pearson, Indian Indentured Labour in Fiji, Perth, 1918 * K.L. Gillion, Fiji's Indian Migrants: A History to the end of Indenture in 1920, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1973 * K.L. Gillion, The Fiji Indians: Challenge to European Dominance 1920–1946, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1977 * R. Norton, Race and Politics in Fiji, University of Queensland Press, Australia, 1990

History

Early history

Establishment of Fiji Muslim League

Politics

Sports

Muslim youth

2002 American Samoa restrictions

Famous Fijian Muslims

See also

References

Further reading