Islam in Zimbabwe
Encyclopedia
The arrival of Islam in Zimbabwe dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established emirates on the coast of East Africa
. During that period Muslim slave merchants extended their business to the interior regions reaching Zimbabwe
. Over a period of hundreds of years more than four million slaves were stolen from Zimbabwe and surrounding countries and exported from Swahili ports by Arab traders to India and Arabia.
Many Muslims entered Zimbabwe during the colonial
period, primarily came from the Indian subcontinent
Estimates on the number Muslims in Zimbabwe
vary from as low as 120,000 to as many as 1.2 million. According the United States State Department:
There have been rumours that say that Arab traders played a major role in the construction of geat Zimbabwe.The proof given for this is that there are a number of indigenous people,in the city of masvingo who have Muslim name and follow culture which is similar to that of Muslims. a great number of Muslims have also arrived since the discovery of diamond in the manicaland area from north and western African regions.
The Islamic migrants are largely coming from the Yao tribe of neighboring Malawi
.
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. During that period Muslim slave merchants extended their business to the interior regions reaching Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Over a period of hundreds of years more than four million slaves were stolen from Zimbabwe and surrounding countries and exported from Swahili ports by Arab traders to India and Arabia.
Many Muslims entered Zimbabwe during the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
period, primarily came from the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
Estimates on the number Muslims in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
vary from as low as 120,000 to as many as 1.2 million. According the United States State Department:
There have been rumours that say that Arab traders played a major role in the construction of geat Zimbabwe.The proof given for this is that there are a number of indigenous people,in the city of masvingo who have Muslim name and follow culture which is similar to that of Muslims. a great number of Muslims have also arrived since the discovery of diamond in the manicaland area from north and western African regions.
The Islamic migrants are largely coming from the Yao tribe of neighboring Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
.
External links
- Reporter Interactive at Archive.orgInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
: Zimbabwean Christians and Muslims - Adherents.comAdherents.comAdherents.com is a website that aims to collect and present information about religious demographics, established in 1998. It is the largest pool of such data freely available on the internet. As of January 2010, the site contains approximately 44,000 references on over 4,300 faith groups...
: estimates on Muslims in Zimbabwe - New York Times: the ban of Calls to Prayer in Zimbabwe
- US State department: religion in Zimbabwe
- [Darul Ishaat Online Islamic Store http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store]