Encountering Islam in Belize: A travelogue (III)
When matters reached a standstill, the next was the Supreme Court. A claim was filed that sought injunction to restrain the Imam from taking the said unilateral action of having another election to disband the Shurah, among other reliefs required. The rest were onlookers who came for prayers until to meet uncertainties with no Imam […]
When matters reached a standstill, the next was the Supreme Court. A claim was filed that sought injunction to restrain the Imam from taking the said unilateral action of having another election to disband the Shurah, among other reliefs required. The rest were onlookers who came for prayers until to meet uncertainties with no Imam to lead prayers; majority of whom were not happy as each Friday comes with its own problem in the leadership crisis. There should be a regular Imam for Friday prayer. The Imam sensing the nature of the court case went and told the Court his resignation from his post. This didn’t solve anything as some said they would not follow any one appointed to lead the prayers.
To this segment, the “deposed” Imam was the most knowledgeable, he speaks Arabic they proclaimed. The Imam had in various opportunities preached that obedience to leadership is a rule and this “conditioned” many. He had a letter also written to the Shurah stating qualifications on who should be Imam which has in it that a person should have the “ability to recite from Surah As-Shams to the end of the Qur’an, 24 Chapters”, among other set of qualifications that would be baseless in the eyes of those who know something about Islam.
The mosque began to deplete. “We cannot withstand this fitnah,” many commented. Some stopped even coming to the mosque entirely. So a group of us held a meeting to intervene in the crisis but with a caution without taking side. We had to intervene upon hearing that some of the Muslims had opened another mosque at a different location. This was disastrous, we said to them; for, some of us recounted our experiences from our countries. When people are fragmented by hollow differences it makes it difficult to come back together. A gathering of 6 members, the “Concerned Muslims” later was inaugurated out of this necessity and we held series of meetings and demanded that the court case that was filed be withdrawn. We offered to review the Bye-Laws and came out with a blueprint to guide the community.
Changes were proposed that anyone who emerges as the Imam only retains “religious role”; Imam shouldn’t partake in the management of the Muslim School nor be responsible for administering the properties of the community. To make it perfect we also suggested a token of salary for the Imam to solve the complaint of not being taken care of by the community as it should be. We advised that investigation on expenditures made over the years be forgotten for obvious reasons. Time has lapsed. It is difficult to find evidences to be able to arrive at some cogent realities. In fact most transactions were done off record though we suggested that future dealings should be kept.
While addressing the Muslims during his farewell the then outgoing Chief Justice, Dr. Abdullai Conteh had suggested to the Muslims to be careful and to follow the blueprint drafted if they want to solve the impending crisis. Initially the members of the Shurah were cynical of the position of the “Concerned Muslims” who they see as “coup plotters” or another group usurping their powers when the Concerned Muslims called for general Ijtimah to give the community the ability to deliberate their future since the key players were playing politics with matters of religion. The Shurah denounced the Ijtimah and instead announced to the faithful that very Friday when the issue came up that it too was organizing its own general assembly on the then current situation. It was much later that the Shurah began to realise that the Concerned Muslims have no hidden agenda the aim was just to get the fragile community back to its knees.
The efforts of the Concerned Muslims yielded a little fruit as it saved the community from full blown chaos. Most recommendations have not been implemented as expected but the Shurah has now been expanded to include members of other Muslim communities from the Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Africa. The issue of finance we suggested to persons wishing to make donation to instead identify projects in the Muslim community and fund them directly themselves; this we thought will reduce incidences of public money circulating in the hands of the leadership. Another recommendation is that funds generated through Zakat, Waqf or other ways should be presented to the notice of the whole community to ensure transparency and liability.
The last Ramadan was bright; Tarawih was introduced and held throughout the holy month and it saw the full participation of the community as a group effort in affairs of Iftaar, etc. In the mosque, female section has been secluded with a curtain which was before objected to by some of the Muslims as “Talibanization” of religion.
Conclusion
Islam has a brighter future in Belize. The Caribbean is a region experiencing socio-cultural as well as huge economic problems. Religion seems to have lost meaning to vast number of people in the region. People daily complaint of problems: murders on the streets unabated and the culture of drugs have turned things upside down coupled with gangsters who unleash terror at will. Women are vulnerable; I mean it. They are easy to fall prey to various systems of exploitations as well as to traffickers. The family institution has broken up into pieces.
The legal and judicial institutions are very weak and in some areas in the region these institutions do not even work as often are reported in the news. To crown it up, sex and alcoholism are the twin evils rampant that are bastardizing lives of many most especially the youth. Rate of HIV is high and skyrocketing; one of the deadliest killers as even admitted by the Belizean Health Authorities. The future generation of youth have been made to lost focus of what role they can play to salvage their communities from imminent collapse.
In Belize, there is freedom of religion and the Islamic Mission has a good understanding with its neighbourhood, far and near. The strategic location of the mosque at the Central American Boulevard, one of the hot spots in Belize City is not a mere coincidence to me; gangs operate around and killings are frequently reported at the same locale near the mosque plus the slums close-by are factors which are similar to the ones that attract people in history to the rescue Islam offers humanity. Children of the neighbourhood come and pray with the Muslims whenever they choose. Children from non-Muslims homes attend also the Muslim School; in fact a survey reveals that the non-Muslims children are the majority pupils in attendance. There are even children from Spanish and Chinese homes.
Worthy of note, a non-Muslim activist who struggled together with some of the early converts to Islam when they spearheaded “Black Nationalism” has offered to the Islamic Mission one hour free-of-charge to use his private medium, the Krem Television and Radio stations to broadcast the message of Islam. This, I don’t think would ever happen in many countries. The Government despite its Christian background gives grant to the Muslim School without any discrimination.
Religion is disappearing in the lives of the people here. The first week when we arrived I heard some Christian faithful at a side talk after a symposium we attended discussing that people don’t go to Churches. I still recall the driver who took us to show the mosque to us on our arrival was surprised when we asked to be taken to the mosque. “So you are Church-guys?” he asked us. The driver repeated it again when we passed a group of guys at a drinking spot that offered us alcoholic drinks and he answered them, “No these are Church-guys; they don’t drink”. To many Belizeans, that is the very distinguishing feature to identify the Muslims. So it is safe to say that there is a huge vacuum in the religious space of Belize and perhaps the entire Caribbean region.
Evangelism is trying to make a come back but I don’t think it would ever over power the excessive capitalism that is tearing down the fabric of the Caribbean society. Is it not the desire to live a life of luxury by all means which prompts drug dealers to take the Mexican society into ransom? Honduras, El-Salvador and Guatemala are crying of the same social problems. Arms are rampant in the hands of many criminals that are terrorizing innocent lives in Belize. Which faith then fits into the empty religious space? Islam surely will offer solution against life of materialism and will teach contentment. The principle of human dignity and sanctity of lives and properties of the people will be protected and these are the hallmarks of Islam’s philosophy.
Belize City, for example, is regarded as the murder capital of the world. In Belize many have died of wounds from stray bullets that came through their living rooms. Recently the homosexuals are beginning to try the patience of the Belizean society; wanting to add salt into injury. Despite all this, there is a relative life of simplicity in Belize. The thinking of “bigness” is virtually non-existent. You could get access to whoever you wish either among the political class, security agents and the business class. There is harmonious race relation among the Creole, Mayan, Mennonite, Mestizo, and Garifuna as well as with other minority immigrants.
Surprisingly some of the prominent Muslims in Belize look to the Sokoto Caliphate for inspiration. Few had travelled to West Africa to learn about Islam, “in its home place,” they say. One of them told me that they would prepare to adopt the teachings of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio and the Maliki School of Thought for closeness to their historical background. Mosques have been opened in other districts like Belmopan City (though on the verge of being closed for inability to pay rent), San Pedro and Corozal that brings the presence of the Muslims to be felt. You could see the enthusiasm of many to accept Islam. Women are at the forefront in this effort; some have married Muslims and are noticing the protection Islam accords them. They are clothed and fed and know that their men will not have countless other women out of wedlock as sweethearts. This certainly is a good breeding ground for Islam’s expansion if the Islamic Mission gets itself organized. But wait a minute: the Belizeans Muslims need assistance still to complete the segment of the mosque’s upstairs.
I have seen the importance of this when FOMWAN sent them gifts of copies of the English Holy Qur’an through me; the Muslims felt really happy. The Mission could get its voice heard in national discourse in such areas like how best to solve murder or get a comparative sense back to the people’s lives so that they get purpose of existence to the small Belizean society. Interestingly Muslims in Belize are not polarised like in Nigeria where we have groups. With meaningful assistance they could continue to be strengthened in the future.
(Concluded)
Kawu Bala just came back from Belize, Central America where he served under the Federal Government’s Technical Aid Programme.