Muslim community puts down roots in Marshall Islands
On a back road in downtown Majuro, the first Muslim church in the Marshall Islands is a small but growing entity. Although there had been an Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Majuro for a number of years, it wasn’t until the religious group decided to cement its relationship with the Marshall Islands by building a mosque that it began drawing attention — and criticism — of mainstream Christian churches and some political leaders.
Still, the group opened this staunchly Christian nation’s first mosque in late 2012 and from this base the Ahmadiyya group is reaching out to the community, particularly working with local youth groups and the Ministry of Health through its partner organization, Humanity First.
Majuro Imam Matiullah Joyia has continuously emphasized the group’s rejection of “jihad by the sword” to distinguish the organization from Islamic groups involved in terrorism around the world. It’s an important point for Marshall Islanders who pride themselves on their long-standing ties and special relationship with the United States, which includes supporting globally unpopular U.S. positions on the Middle East and Israel at the United Nations. The Marshall Islands’ close relationship with the United States government also includes hundreds of Marshallese being past and present members of the U.S. Armed Forces, with many having served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The growing presence of the Ahmadiyya, their active use of government radio like other religious groups, and anti-Islam views of Christian churches and leaders has sparked repeated criticism of the group, criticism ranging from a debate over their right to exist in the Marshall Islands—despite a constitution that guarantees religious freedom—to ‘concern’ over beliefs as expressed in the Quran.
In the two years since establishment of the mosque, Ahmadiyya spokesmen have generally responded to the criticisms in a conciliatory, non-confrontational way by simply explaining the Quran and their philosophy. But the gloves came off earlier this year following criticism by a number of members of parliament during live-broadcast sessions. One senator said the ‘serious problem’ of Muslims being in the Marshall Islands needed to be addressed immediately, while another said the Muslims didn’t believe in god and might be doing ‘something bad’ in the future.
A representative of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, in comments published in the Marshall Islands Journal, asked pointedly: ‘If a Buddhist prays to a different form of God, can he not meditate in the Marshall Islands? If an atheist denounces the mere existence of God, will the bill of rights not work in his favor? Or if a Baha’i claims belief in Bahaullah will he not be a Marshallese? All such beliefs exist in the Marshall Islands. I tell you today that Islam is a religion of Peace, it means peace and all of its teachings bring mankind towards peace.’
The Marshallese General Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Romeo Tenson, was more direct: ‘I am a Marshallese and I am a proud Muslim of the Ahmadiyya Community. Islam is not coming to this country anymore, it is part of Marshall Islands now and it is in my blood and in the blood of my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. I want to tell my family and government that Ahmadiyya Muslim changed my life.’
Critics, he said, should be thanking them for their community services including paying for many students to go to school, providing daily lunches and dinners for dozens of children and adults, bringing in specialist doctors to work at the hospital, and holding blood drives.
The historical backdrop to the Ahmadiyya’s increasingly active presence offers some food for religious thought. Congregational missionaries from the United Church of Christ in the U.S. established the first Christian church in 1857 in the far-flung Marshalls’ outpost of Ebon Atoll. The missionaries translated the Bible into Marshallese and trained local church leaders while spreading the gospel to all inhabited islands. Until just before the turn of the century, the UCC was the only church in the islands. Then the Catholics set up a small, but active presence that was interrupted during Japanese rule between World War I and World War II.
The Catholics, under Jesuit leadership, returned after World War II and began a decades-long focus on building schools in several islands and delivering quality education, educational efforts that continue today. The dominant UCC and smaller Catholic Church coexisted as the only churches in the country—until the 1960s, when the evangelical Assembly of God entered the picture. Since then, the Christian church landscape has dramatically changed. While still the largest church in numbers, the UCC has seen major membership inroads into populations it once led by the Assembly of God and several of its offshoots. A Baha’i group established itself over 30 years ago and has continued to grow despite early criticism from mainstream Christians that is similar in nature to that aimed at the Ahmadiyya Muslims today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) established its first “stake” in Majuro about two years ago when it met the minimum membership of over 4,000 members, and has stepped up its community service options, continuing to attract new members.
A hallmark of both the LDS church and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community is their focus on programs benefiting the wider community. These have ranged from regular blood donation drives for the hospital and community service work to English language and computer classes and sponsorship of sports competitions. These community-based programs that are not confined to their immediate church members distinguish these two religious groups from many of the dominant Christian religions and are obviously an entry point for recruiting new members. High unemployment and school drop out rates and a general dissatisfaction with the status quo in an economically stagnant country make for fertile recruitment territory for religious—or other—organizations offering opportunities, educational options and related activities.
It may be a while before the Ahmadiyya are accepted or recognized by leaders of Christian churches and some government leaders. But there is no doubt that, like other religious groups before them, the Ahmadiyya has planted roots and is growing in number.
