Islam in
Haiti consists of a small minority of
Muslims
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 ...
forming less than 1% of the total population, composed of locals and foreign immigrants. A number of mosques and Islamic organizations are present in the country.
Islam was introduced from Africa during the slave trade period (
starting 16th century), but orthodox religious beliefs declined in Haiti in the years that followed. It was then reintroduced by Moroccan immigrants and has been present from then until the present. Muslims can practice their religion freely and Islamic studies are available.
Organizations
Islamic organizations in Haiti include the
Bilal Mosque and Islamic Center in
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien (; ht, Kap Ayisyen; "Haitian Cape"), typically spelled Cape Haitien in English and often locally referred to as or , is a commune of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the department of Nord. Previousl ...
, which offers programs in
Islamic studies
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
and
daily prayers. Other notable organizations include Masjid Shaheed Haiti Miragoâne Mosque in Miragoâne and the Centre Spirituel Allah ou Akbar in
Port-au-Prince. Masjid Tawhid Haiti laid and is near completion,.
In Gonaives, Mosque-al-Munawwar is the first mosque built by a Pakistani army officer, Major Saifullah while serving in
MINUSTAH
The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (french: Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti), also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of the French name, was a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti that was in operation from 2004 ...
and named after his father Munawar Sultan Randhawa (a veteran Pakistani athlete) in 2008. This mosque has since been serving as a hub for charity works and was handed over to newly-converted Muslim locals.
After the 2010 earthquake a number of Islamic organisations and relief groups visited the country with the purpose of rendering aid. Mufti Shaheed Mohammed has established a
Darul Uloom
Darul uloom (), also spelled ''dar-ul-ulum'', is an Arabic term that literally means "house of knowledge". The term generally means an Islamic seminary or educational institution – similar to or often the same as a madrassa or Islamic school � ...
in the
Miragoâne
Miragoâne ( ht, Miragwàn) is a coastal commune in western Haiti and the capital of the Nippes department. It is also the headquarters of the Miragoâne Arrondissement. It is regarded as one of the major ports in the trade in used goods. Bales ...
area which caters for Muslims of the entire country.
History
The history of Islam on the island of
Hispaniola (which Haiti shares with the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
) began with slavery in Haïti. Although many were forced to abandon Islam over time, their Islamic heritage has persisted in the culture of native Haitians. Additionally, a revisionist history of
Dutty Boukman
Dutty Boukman (or Boukman Dutty; died 7 November 1791) was an early leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born in Senegambia (present-day Senegal and Gambia), he was enslaved
to Jamaica. He eventually ended up in Haiti, where he became a leader of ...
, whose death is largely considered the start of the
Haitian Revolution, suggests that he was
Muslim. In the early portion of the 20th century, a wave of Christian
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
immigrants came to the Americas, in which a surprisingly noticeable amount settled in Haiti (and other countries as well).
It is said that the first to arrive in Haiti around 1920 was a man hailing from the
Moroccan village of
Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...
along with 19 other families. Today, the majority of the country's Muslims are indigenous Haitians, followed by the ethnic Moroccans. As a result of limited financial resources, they were unable to build 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, ...
or school until 1985, when a residence was converted into a mosque and a
minaret was constructed.
In 2000,
Nawoon Marcellus, a member of
Fanmi Lavalas
Fanmi Lavalas ( en, Lavalas Family, Lavalas is Haitian Creole for ''flood''), is a social-democratic political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1 ...
from San Raphael, became the first Muslim elected to the
Chamber of Deputies of Haïti
The Chamber of Deputies (french: Chambre des Députés; ht, Chanm Depite) is the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the Haitian Parliament. The upper house of the Haitian Parliament is the Senate of Haiti. The Chamber has 119 me ...
.
After the
2010 Haiti earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's c ...
, the numerous relief organizations included Islamic oriented organizations. By 2011, the capital
Port-Au-Prince had at least five mosques, a Muslim parliament member and a nightly local television program devoted to Islam.
Demographics
Majority of the Muslims in Haiti are
Sunni Muslims.
See also
*
Religion in Haiti
References
{{Islam in the Americas
Religion in Haiti