04-05-2004, 05:57 PM
I started off this thread just to tell every one about islam in my country and insha allah to find out about how islam was brought to your respective countries insha allah
Lemme give you all the full story ok... i read on...
<b>ISLAM IN TRINIDAD</b>
Well today the state of islam in my country is both good and bad...
But first let me tell you about the history of islam in Trinidad...
Trinidad started of as a plantation society, you know what thismeans... yes <b>Slavery!!!</b> So islam came to these shores firstly by the africans. However the plantation owners didnt want the africans to retain their old ways... so they were stripped of everything... EVEN ISLAM!!!!
When slavery was abolished in 1845 the plantation owners had to recruit more labour... so they turned to india... and the indians re-introduced islam into the country, and they maintained it... but introducung the indians caused a major social division... for years there has been racial tension between the blacks and whites... now that the indians were here the blacks didnt like them because they were not black, and the white didn't like them because they were not white.
Can any one guess what effect this would have on islam...
Yes
<b>LITTLE OR NO DA'WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!</b>
Islam remained an "indian" thing...
There was alot of problems here because what happened was that... Because the social society was divided by Race, the indians stuck together, both HINDU indians and MUSLIM indians...
well brothers and sisters you will wanna go and scream when i tell you what happened next...
you ready for this....
<b>MIXING OF RELIGIONS!!!!!!!!</b>
I AM NOT KIDDING......
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!!
SUBHANALLAH....
Even to today there are many customs practiced by the older muslims that have roots in hinduism... You see back then they didnt have much books they were too poor so they only got their info from their imam, who was not necessarily educated....
Anyways... this racial tension is still very evident in trinidad... back in 1990 a group of muslims of african descent tried to over throw the government...YES... DISASTER FOR THE DA'EES
now the kuffar started looking at islam as terrorism, and started looking at muslims of african descent as being "gangstas"...
But in recent times there has been alot of these things still going on... but something pretty amazing happened and is still happening....
<b>THE YOUTH REVOLUTION!!!!</b><<<<--- I MADE THIS UP HAHA!!!!
A few decades ago ppl looked at islam as something for the old ppl, today there are many youths (of all races, working together) in the country who are starting to get very vibrant in islam.. they are going to gain the knowlegde and they are spreading islam to their peers...
Today there are MANY young muslims who are very vibrant in islam... there is this one girl who's parents beat her because she is muslim... and still her faith is strong SUBHANALLAH!!!
may allah reward her for this jihad...
ameen
Yes i admit these old racial lines are still here, yes i admit there are still alot of people who come to islam because they want to be in a "gang" but i also admit quite forcefully... there are many faithful people in trinidad here today... all trying to please allah....
maybe some of you can help them... i will include their websites below ok
Even though islam in trinidad has a colourful past there is one thing that remained constant that is <b>the committment of the ppl</b>. I told you about the committment of the youth... here's one little thing to show the committment of those people who lived nearly 50 years ago...
these ppl were poor and could not afford cars... you know what they did... they would use a bicycle (not motorbike) and ride for as long as 50 miles or more... just to go to an islamic class... as i mentioned above they didnt have much books... but they had the iman.... may allah grant them immediate entry into jannah on yaumal fasl... ameen
so you see ppl... today in trinidad is faced with many obstacles... but we continue to move forward... it is difficult .... but ALLAH IS WITH US!!!! we are faced with alot... but we can bet through....
I hope that i can call on all of you that read this message to help us...
visit these sites that i mentiones....
email them...
chat with them...
maybe you can offer some help...
maybe you can ask if they need help...
maybe you can meet and greet a new brother
maybe , together, we can strengthen the ummah....
<b>AS-SALAAMU ALAIKUM WA RAHMATULLAHI WA BARAKATUH</b>
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<b>Websites from trinidad</b>
http://www.naseeha.com
http://www.youthofislam.com
http://www.mohammedtt.com/islam/index.htm