Islam in Madagascar

Madagascar, officially Republic of Madagascar, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. It is the world's second-largest island country. It is a predominately a Christian country with about 7% of its population being Muslims. The vast majority of Muslims in Madagascar practice Sunni Islam of the Shafi school of jurisprudence.

A peep in the history shows that the island of Madagascar had been frequented by Muslims throughout the early period. The most noteworthy of these were the Zafiraminia, traditional ancestors of the Antemoro, The last wave of Arab immigrants was the Antalaotra who immigrated from eastern African colonies. They settled the north-west of the island (Majunga area) and were the first to actually bring Islam to the island. They left their indelible marks on the culture of Madagascar, particularly through the adoption of Arabic script in local documents and in the customs and cultural practices of the people. Furthermore, the history and cultural influence of Malagasy Islam have been marked by the nature of Muslim contacts over the centuries.  

Muslims represent 3 to 7 percent of the population (or approximately 1.2 million Malagasy), or 15 to 25 percent according to local Muslim sources. The vast majority of Muslims in Madagascar practice Sunni Islam of the Shafi school of jurisprudence. The ethnic makeup of the Muslim community includes Indians, Pakistanis, Comorians, and native Malagasy.

The Church is worried about conversion of locals into Muslims. As per one report, Cardinal-designate Désiré Tzarahazana of Toamasina told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need in 2018:

“The rise of Islam is palpable,” he said, noting plans to build more than 2,600 mosques. “You can see it everywhere. It is an invasion, with money from the Gulf States and from Pakistan – they buy people. You see young men setting off to study in Saudi Arabia, and when they come back they are imams.

Bishop Georges Varkey Puthiyakulangara of Port-Bergé Diocese, in the North of Madagascar told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International in the February 20 2020 interview: In Madagascar, Muslims are going as far as paying women to wear the Burka, a Muslim outer garment that covers the body and the face and giving out scholarships to non-Muslims to attend Koran lessons  He added, “We have learned that in the universities the young, non-Muslim female students are being paid three Euros a day to wear the Burka.”

On the contrary, Muslims face many a problems in the country. Wikipedia reports:

Even after the passage of the nationality law in 2017, Muslims born in the country reported that members of the community have been unable to obtain Malagasy nationality despite generations of residence.[4]

Some Malagasy Muslims have also reported difficulty in obtaining official or governmental documents at public administration offices due to their non-Malagasy sounding names. Some Muslims have also reportedly faced ridicule and harassment for being perceived as foreigners despite possessing national identity cards.

The wearing of Burkas and hijab or learning Qur'an is taken as a sign of "radical Islam."  In 2017, some two dozens Muslim schools were closed for their students were being taught Qur'an for five long hours a day. Life is thus tough and under the garb of rise of radical Islam, a simple excuse by Non Muslims to arrest the spread of Islam not in Madagascar but world over. But despite all efforts, the message of peace that Islam actually spreads continue to enlighten the hearts of countless and every years thousands enter the fold of Islam.

Having said that, we as Muslims never support the segment of Muslims who use tolls of terror to intimidate and spoil the peace of Non Muslim or even Muslim countries for their nefarious designs. And we should be watchful of teams that "recruit" rather than convert non Muslims to Islam.

Disclaimer: The data for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

To know more about life of Muslims in other non Muslim countries, please visit our page: Islam and Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

Photo  | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More

Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: Switzerland

Islam in Switzerland is a rather new religion as compared to many European countries as it entered Switzerland after substantial immigration in the 1970s. However, it is spreading at a remarkable rate from just 1% of Swiss population in 1980., it is now over 5% as per 2013 estimates. Most of the Muslims came to Switzerland from Yugoslavia (most from Kosovo) and Turkey. 

Islam was virtually absent from Switzerland until the 20th century. It appeared with the beginning of significant immigration to Europe, after World War II. Muslim presence during the 1950s and 1960s was mostly due to the presence of international diplomats and rich Saudi tourists in Geneva.

The majority of Muslims in Switzerland follow the Sunni branch of Islam. The largest concentration of Muslim population is in the German speaking Swiss plateau. Geneva is the only non-German-speaking canton where the Muslim population is slightly above the average (4.35%). However, unlike many other European countries, the Muslims are relatively equally distributed throughout the country. Swiss Muslim organizations begin to form in the 1980s. An umbrella organization (GIOS, Gemeinschaft islamischer Organisationen der Schweiz) was formed in Zürich in 1989. This was followed by a number of other organizations. [1]

There are two mosques that predate 1980s. However, since then a number of mosques have appeared in various places across Switzerland. However, of the 250 mosques and prayer rooms across the country, only four mosques have minarets. The construction of minarets was banned throughout the country in the wake of the "stop minaret" movement in November 2009. “Most painful for us is not the minaret ban, but the symbol sent by this vote,” said Farhad Afshar, who runs the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland. “Muslims do not feel accepted as a religious community.” [3]

Living as a Muslim in a non Muslim country has its own pros and cons. Sometimes, one is forced to given in to the laws of the land even if these clash with the aspirations of the Muslims. Herein under are few examples of how the Swiss laws have affected the living of the Muslims:

• A Swiss court blocked a Muslim couple's bid to become Swiss nationals over their refusal to shake hands with members of the opposite sex.
• A young Muslim man was fined 210 Swiss francs for saying ‘Allah hu Akbar’ in public to express shock at seeing his friend. 
• In 2016, there was national uproar over revelations that a middle school in the north of the country had allowed two Syrian brothers not to shake their teachers' hands after they complained that doing so was counter to their religious beliefs if the teacher was a woman.
• in 2017, The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Muslim female students must attend mixed swimming classes in Swiss schools. The ruling came after a lawsuit was filed by a Muslim couple living in Switzerland who sought to prevent their daughter from enrolling in swimming classes alongside boys. The European court ruled that public interest in following the full school curriculum should prevail over the applicant’s private interest. The school had rejected to exempt the girl from the swimming classes but offered that the girl could wear full-body swimsuits.

Besides, there is an increase in Islamophobia in Switzerland and Christians feel threatened due to the increasing Muslim population. However, Swiss experts on religion believe that increasing Muslim population will have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 

However, as I said before there are pros and cons of living in a non Muslim country, the rules may vary and may come to support one's view point if put across with logic. A Muslim woman was awarded compensation after claiming a job interview was ended abruptly when she declined to shake hands with a male interviewer. It so happened that the 24 years old Farah Alhajeh rather than shake a man’s hand, said she smiled and placed her hand on her heart while explaining her religious objection to physical.

As for the sensitive issue of whether to allow Muslim women to wear burqas in public, some local authorities in Switzerland have legislated against it before, only to be overturned by other government apparatuses afterwards. At present, the Swiss government is following a middle course on this highly controversial issue: while wearing burqas isn't banned, some government departments are given the authority to order Muslim women to lift up their veils for inspection.

Watch a video on court ruling on mandatory mixed swimming sessions:

Nevertheless, despite the growing public dismay at Muslims, Switzerland is still currently among the most religiously tolerant countries on the European continent. According to the statistics of Religion Monitor, only 17 percent of Swiss have claimed that they are unwilling to have Muslims as their neighbors, which is quite low by today’s European standards. Switzerland in 2018 has rejected a proposed law preventing mosques from accepting money from abroad, and compelling them to declare where their financial backing comes from and for what purpose the money will be used. [6]

Disclaimer: The data above has been collected from the references as given below. IF any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More