Islam in the Caribbean

I came across these two interesting items recently. Although Islam is very divided and generally in decline (apart from biological growth) it has money and influence and is far from being a spent force.

Though the percentage of Muslims is small in the Caribbean the influence of Islam is growing, both from Muslims within the Caribbean and by means of Islamic funding from outside. Trinidad (7% Muslim), Guyana (8% Muslim) and Suriname (14% Muslim) are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. St Lucia refused financial help from Libya to build schools but has recently agreed to accept help from Dubai. Jamaica’s power company is 40% owned by Abu Dhabi. Christians in Anguilla cannot open churches in Muslim areas, because they are required to get permission from the local community, and when the community is Muslim they do not give permission. In St Vincent there is a growing trend for government scholarships to enable young people to go and study in Arab countries; some of them return strongly Islamised. Hip-hop music’s leading artists have included many from a sect of the Nation of Islam. Please pray that Christians in the Caribbean will be alert to what is going on and will work and pray to help their governments make wise decisions that will maintain the Christian character of the region.

Islam is growing fast in Haiti. There are now thought to be around 40,000 Muslims in this Caribbean country, up from 4,000 in 1993. Muslim missionaries are running feeding programmes and meeting other social needs. They are also promoting the false idea that voodoo, the traditional religion of Haiti, had its origins in Islam. They say that “Book Man”, a voodoo priest who led the people in a fight against slavery, was actually a Muslim and the book he read was the Qur’an. Pray for Christians in Haiti, that they will be able clearly to proclaim the living Word of God.