Muslim community of Zimbabwe
Article by Salma Ngongondo
Introducing the Muslim community of Zimbabwe and their peaceful life with other religions.
Islam is one of the major monotheistic religion in the world. Islam means submission to the will of God and a person who practice it is called a Muslim . It was founded by Muhammad in the early 17th Century who is believed to be the last and most precious in the series of prophets .From the period it was founded it has been spreading around the whole world .
The Islamic religion is also exercised in the Republic of Zimbabwe over many years . It is estimated that the current Muslim population in the country is more than 1,2 million. Islam in Zimbabwe can be traced back to the 1500s when Arabs traders visited the country for trade with the indigenous people. Some
of these Arab traders started intermarrying with the local Shona people and established a Muslim community. As a result these local people who had a relationship with the Arabs started adapting to the Islamic culture. At first there were very few but the numbers increased gradually and now there are more than 20 mosques in Harare , 8 in Bulawayo and other main urban centers usually have more than one or two mosques each .
Due to the secular nature of Zimbabwe constitution Muslims are free to proselytize, build places of worship and to worship freely. The Muslims are not restricted from partaking in any organization of the state be it political, economical or social engagement. They also take part in national events such as National Day of Prayers and also the presidential inauguration whereby they there are given a platform to recite the Quran and pray together with leaders of other religions. As the Islamic population is in Zimbabwe and the Muslims only eat food which is halaal most food production companies and food outlets such as Mambos, Chicken inn , Nandos and Steers are obtaining halaal certificates for the sake of Muslims. This proves that the state values and respect the Muslim’s ways of living.
Furthermore, Muslims are establishing centers around Zimbabwe
that gives non Muslims access to all the kind of knowledge that they may need about their religion. The centers consist of libraries with the Islamic books written in many languages including the local language for easy understanding. Also Cultural center of Republic of Iran in Harare often organize events to educate the public about Islam .More and more Islamic schools are being built which teaches Arabic the original language of the Quran and everyone is embraced to such centers as they are built for those who wants to know more about Islam .
In addition to above the Islamic community in Zimbabwe has programs to aid the underprivileged in the country by giving them all necessities including food, clothing, medicals as well as paying school fees for students. Local Muslim’s society work hand in hand in with foreign partners such as those from the Republic of Iran in supporting the initiatives financially. The Iranians and the Turkish provide scholarships to Zimbabwean students both Muslim’s and non Muslim’s. The Muslim’s also built academic schools around the country and the students are left to choose their own religion even if they are admitted to their schools.
Islam is a religion subjected to the culture of peace and
non violent acts or behaviors .The Muslim’s in Zimbabwe
lives peacefully with other religions this is evidenced by not criticizing other’s religion or beliefs and by not starting wars with them . The basic principle of Islam whether in relation with Muslims or non is interaction, peace tolerance and friendship
. Muslim’s believes that everyone was created by one God therefore there should be good relationship with everyone .War in lslam is forbidden except for defense hence the Muslim’s lives peacefully with other religions in Zimbabwe.
More so, The Muslim’s community in Zimbabwe do not force people to convert into Islam . According to Islam faith is a voluntary matter that individuals must choose freely and consciously and not compulsively. This principle shows that the Muslims community prevents cultural violence and contribute the realization of peace. Therefore the Muslim community in Zimbabwe live peacefully with other religions by not forcing them into their religion but allows them to convert willingly.
In conclusion the above passage brought to light the introduction of Muslim community in Zimbabwe whereby their are coming up with different ideas of making people understand their religion through building Islamic cultural centers which teaches people about their religion as well as organizing events to educate the public about Islam. More so, they live peacefully with other religions in the state by not criticizing their beliefs and not starting wars against them
