Most of us know where Mozambique is. Alhamdulillah, Allah gave me an opportunity to contribute, though minuscule, in their return to Islam by making a small report on the master plan to set up the Moosa bin Bique University in Nampula, for the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah. Nampula is the centre of the Muslim population of the country - unofficial estimate is they form about 70% of the countrys population. Moosa bin Bique was the sultan that had gems and gold to whom the Vasco da Gama bowed to on 2nd March, 1498 when he reached the eastern coast of Africa on his way to India after successfully rounding the Cape of Good Hope - the first European to find the sea route to the East. Not knowing the name of the country, the Portuguese called it Mozambique after the ruler they deposed. Like in Malacca in 1511, Vasco da Gama and his Portuguese sailors took over the country and began the evangelical mission to Christianize the population of the country with particular emphasis on converting Muslims as a continuation of the Reconquista that expelled the Muslims from Andalusia. The Muslims kept their faith despite hundreds of years of Portuguese persecution which was followed by Maoist tyranny after independence, despite having to adopt Christian names to go to schools and to get water supply to their houses - and like in Malaysia, only the animists were converted to Christianity. Now Mozambique is a member of the OIC and the most interesting part is, despite their president and most of the cabinet members are Christians, the country has made it a policy that all food and drink sold in public, including on public transport should be halal because all people take halal food!
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 02:28:32 +0000
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