Oceania consists of tens of thousands of islands with total land area of 8.54 million square kilometers, over 90% of which is mainland Australia; spread over eighty million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. The total population of this continent increased from 2.7 million in 1870, to 12.7 million in 1950, to 42.3 million in 2020, and is projected to reach 55.2 million by 2050, and 65.8 million by 2100. Therefore, it is the least populated continent in the world [1].
Muslims entered Oceania as early as the sixteenth century as Islam spread through current Indonesia. However, until 1950s the number of Muslims remained few. Remarkable presence of Muslims started in 1960s with migration of Muslims for economic means mainly to Australia. Noticeable increase of Muslims in other parts of this continent started in 1990s, such as New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. Thus, the Muslim population in this continent increased from a couple hundred or 0.01% in 1800, to 6,000 or 0.1% in 1900, to 0.38 million or 1.2% in 2000, to 0.90 million or 2.1% in 2020, and is projected to reach 4.1 million or 5.8% by 2100, then 5.7 million or 8.2% by 2200, and then 7.6 million or 10.3% by 2300.[1]
According to a 2007 article in Pacific Magazine, entitled 'Green Moon Rising', Islam has seen a substantial increase in adherents amongst the peoples of Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. There have been thousands of indigenous converts to Islam in Melanesia.[2][3]
There are also approximately 400 Muslims in Palau, whose government recently allowed a few Uyghurs detained in Guantanamo Bay to settle in the island nation.[4]
Geography
Eastern French Polynesia (Tuamotus) is antipodal to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where Islam originated.
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History
Islam has been in some parts of Oceania for at least 400 years (since the 1600s). When the people of New Guinea traded with China and the Malay empire, in the early 17th century, the presence of Islam was felt in Oceania for the first time.[5]
Other parts of Oceania did not feel the presence of Islam until the 19th century. For instance, the first Muslims in Fiji came when Muslim migrants came on a ship bringing indentured labourers to Fiji in 1879. Muslims consisted of 22% of the boarders on Leonidas, which was the first such ship.
References
- ^ a b Kettani, Houssain (2014). The World Muslim Population, History & Prospect. Singapore: Research Publishing Service. ISBN 978-981-07-7244-4.
- ^ Green moon rising
- ^ Pacific: The spread of Islam in Melanesia
- ^ Lawyers: Uighurs agree to go to Palau
- ^ BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Country profiles | Timeline: Papua New Guinea