…on the Occasion of Arrival Day

To be any Muslim in the Caribbean is to represent the history of the world. Us being here is the result of the world of historical events coming together.

Prophet Muhammad peace be on him delivered the message of Islam in its form in the period 570 to 622. Islam spread to Africa as early as the 600s and later on India in the 1100s. The Mongolian invasions in the 12-1400s had cut much of the trading on the silk routes, and that had some profound effects on us being here. First of all it channeled the spread of Islam through north Africa into southern Europe, and later later it forced the Europeans to find alternative routes to the east – we had Vasco de Gama sailing south in 1450 and Columbus sailing west in 1492.

We would be more familiar with the slave trade which included some Muslim tribes from Africa coming to T&T, and later the Chinese and Indian indentured labourers who brought with them their religions and customs, which they were free to practice. Later migrations result in a rich tapestry of persons that makes up the community as we know it.

Today we stand proud as a cosmopolitan Muslim community, as the product of every major civilization in world history. Africa, India, China, Mesopotamia, Europe…

Looking back, us being here, is a product of the history of world events and of great civilisations. Looking ahead, insha Allah, we too, in our own humble efforts, hopefully can contribute to the march of civilization, and represent Almighty Allah in all that we do, as we strive to live the best life for this world and the next.