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IslaminDominica (الإسلام في دومينيكا) is a minorityreligion. Statistics on the number of Muslims in Dominica are not available. The Muslim Community of Dominica estimates that there are 300 Muslims in Dominica.[1]
Muslims initially came to Dominica onslave ships fromEuropean countries. Starting in the 1500s, a significant proportion of the slaves brought to what is now Dominica were taken from Muslim regions ofWest Africa (Senegal,Mali,Guinea,Côte d’Ivoire).[1] Slaves were not allowed freedom of religion. As a result,Islam was not preserved for the African population of Dominica during the later generations ofCaribbean people.
It was not until the 1960s that Islam began to spread to the Afro-Caribbean population of the Caribbean countries.Dominican students studying at the University of the West Indies inthe United States andTrinidad converted to Islam. They later became prominent leaders of the Dominican Muslim community. In the 1970s, many Islamic leaders were forced to leave Dominica.
Dominica was not a hospitable place for Muslims until the 1980s. Many people viewed Muslims as they viewedRastafari and treated them with disdain. During the administration of Prime MinisterEugenia Charles (1980–1995), some Muslims arriving in Dominica by plane were denied entry and forced to leave on the next flight.[1]
The Muslim Community of Dominica was officially registered in 1995 and remains the only registered Muslim organization in the country. There are an estimated 300 Muslims in the Dominican Republic. Muslims can now be found in all levels of Dominican society, including teachers, doctors, lawyers, and workers.[1]
The Constitution of Dominica provides for freedom of religion, which is respected by the government and society at large. The most widely practiced religion in Dominica isChristianity, with a majority of adherents beingCatholics, as well asProtestants (Baptists, etc.). The island also has a diverse religious minority community. According to the 2005 International Religious Freedom Report,[2] 2.1% of the country's population (74,000 people, 2017) are adherents of religious minority denominations:Rastafari, Jehovah's Witnesses, Anglican Church,Islam,Buddhism, etc.). 0.1% of the total population areMuslims (approximately 70-100 people).[3]
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 Photos of mosques in Dominica. |
In 2004, a Muslim community of approximately 150 international (mostly Canadian, American, etc.) students from the Ross University School of Medicine and their families moved to the country's capital, Portsmouth, which was its capital until 1978. In Portsmouth, Ross financed the construction of the country's first mosque, the modest Al-Ansaar Masjid, located 200 meters from the seafront, next to the University of Portsmouth.
The country's capital, Roseau, opened its first mosque, the Islamic Community Center (Roseau Masjid / Community Center). For 40 years, Roseau has housed private homes, offices, rented apartments, and classrooms. The Roseau Masjid, a community center, operates as a regularmosque, and in addition to the five daily prayers, the mosque serves as a coordination center (organization, leadership, classes, etc.) and continues to play a key role in the life of the local Muslim community. Another important function of the mosque is to support and promote religious education. The mosque is governed by an elected five-member council.[4]
The largest Muslim community in Dominica is in theKalinago Territory, consisting of 60 Muslim Caribs born in Kalinago who converted to Islam. The community has a small mosque (Kalinago Territory Masjid) overlooking theAtlantic Ocean, built by one of the first Muslim Caribs, now deceased. In the past, Kalinago Muslims were awarded scholarships to study at Islamic institutions in nearbyGuyana andTrinidad.
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