Islam in Namibia

By Alvine Kapitako

Namtranslations Services

THE Head of the Windhoek Islamic Centre based in Windhoek West, Dr Armas Abdul Malik Shikongo, spoke with New Era journalist, Alvine Kapitako, about the religion of Islam and its similarities with Christianity, as well as other issues pertaining to the faith.

NE: Islam is one of the leading and fastest growing religions in the world. When did Islam really start taking centre stage in Namibia?

AMS: “Yes, it is true that statistically and globally Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, yet Islam is hardly known in Namibia, as the history of Islam in the country is very short. The first indigenous female Namibian is believed to have embraced Islam in the 1940s, while the first indigenous male is believed to have embraced Islam in 1979. Though individual Muslims and few Muslim families have been in Namibia, mainly from South Africa, before independence, Islam only started to pick up more followers from the local population after 1990. The total number of Muslims before independence was estimated by Muslims themselves to have been around 250, but now the total number of Muslims in the country, inclusive of expatriates and non-indigenous Namibians is estimated at between 4500 – 5000 with most Muslims residing in Windhoek, possibly between 1000 – 2000. This is a mere 0.5 percent of the total Namibian population, and as such the Muslim population in Namibia is a tiny minority.”

NE:  From your experience how do Namibians in general view Islam?

AMS: “From personal experience, most Namibians are fairly open-minded towards Islam, however, due to the lack of cultural presence of Islam in Namibia, many people do not quite know much about Islam, apart from the generally negative media coverage of Muslim affairs in various parts of the world in the media. Some Namibians do not even know that Muslims are a different religious community and separate from Christianity, for example referring to a place of worship in Islam as a ‘Muslim or Islamic Church’, which is quite inaccurate, since Islam is a separate religion, not a part of Christianity, though there are a number of similarities between the two Abrahamic faiths, just like Judaism. It seems more like many Namibians are [ignorant] about Islam, yet curious, as they tend to look at Muslims as resembling people described in the Bible, especially in terms of some behaviours such as their dress code, dietary habits and religious practices.”

NE: So, what makes Islam different from Christianity?

AMS: “There are many similarities between Christianity and Islam, such as the belief in God, Angels, Prophets of God and life after death, amongst others. However, some of the clear differences are that Muslims believe in one single and indivisible God, they believe in all the Prophets of God, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, John the Baptist and many other well known Biblical Prophets – as such Muslims do not believe in the Trinity and do not regard Jesus as God, but rather as a Prophet of God sent to the Children of Israel, making it quite different from mainstream Christianity in those key respects.”

NE: You have converted to Islam. What drove you to do that and what did you see in Islam that you did not see in other religions?

AMS: “Yes, I formally embraced Islam in 1994, from Lutheran Christianity. I grew up in a quiet and religiously devout family, as such as I was quite familiar with religion before encountering Islam. The simplest answer I can give in terms of motivation for my [conversion] to Islam is my personal discovery of its valid and reliable claims to ultimate truth, which I researched extensively and comparatively. In terms of comparative religion, I did more research on other religions after embracing Islam as Islam encourages Muslims to know and educate themselves beyond the familiar and commonly accepted information. As such, I was able to know the difference and uniqueness of Islam as a universal and authentic way of life from other systems of beliefs in the world. My own PhD research topic further exposed me to the knowledge and awareness of other religions and ideological systems. What I find unique about Islam is its practical guidance in all aspects of life, striking a perfect balance between secular and metaphysical aspects of human life. As such, Islam is a complete way of life, guiding me in my daily life, both public and private. Obviously, other religions also have aspects of guidance, but with Islam it is quite a comprehensive, pragmatic and rational path.”

NE: When someone hears the word ‘Islam’ most often revenge or an eye for an eye concept comes to mind. Is this a misconception about Islam or are there sins and criminal offences that Islam does not tolerate?

AMS: “Yes, there are quite a number of misconceptions about Islam in the public mind, that being one of them. However, when one goes beyond the stereotypes and in some cases, distortions of Islam, either by some deviant Muslims or enemies of Islam, it can easily be perceived that Islam is a vengeful or violent religion. However, just like all human beings, Muslims can take revenge or retaliate against those who hurt them. Yet, the concept of an eye for an eye is also a Jewish concept.

The Bible is very clear on this, especially the Old Testament. Even Christians who are supposedly one of the most non-violent people are often seen to be involved in vengeful actions, the so-called ‘war on terror’ being spearheaded by Christian nations, though, largely secularised, is nothing but a war of revenge, and in some cases, even a war of extreme aggression against innocent Muslims. If September 11 was the trigger of the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, why is it taking so many years to retaliate against one incident against so many Muslim nations, by people who are supposed to believe in turning the other cheek in the first place? The difference seems to be the same. It is, however, true to observe that Islam has a zero tolerant policy to sin and crime.”

NE: In the Christian religion, all churches have a social responsibility towards the faithful. What is the Islamic Centre and all other Muslim centres doing to address the plight of Namibians?

AMS: “For one, the Windhoek Islamic Centre is a young organization, established in late 1999. However, since its establishment it has managed to send local Namibians for Islamic education and even facilitated a number of scholarships for Namibians to study in various parts of the world, notably South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Malaysia, Egypt and locally. There are many students being sponsored by the Windhoek Islamic Centre, some with full scholarships facilitated by the Windhoek Islamic Centre, studying at Unam and the Polytechnic of Namibia, with two of them expected to graduate this year. The Windhoek Islamic Centre has also been involved in various charitable and community welfare activities such as free distribution of clothes, food and meat to poor communities. The same has been replicated in various parts of Namibia where Muslims are, such as in Walvis Bay, Oshakati, Oshikango, Ondangwa, Katima Mulilo and Keetmanshoop. The other major contribution by Muslims is employment creation and family values, with many Muslim business people employing thousands of Namibians in their businesses all over the country.”

NE: How does Islam co-operate or try to work with Christian churches for the betterment of society?

AMS: “There is an emerging cooperation in the areas of alcohol abuse in relation to road safety awareness campaigns and the fight against gender-based violence. However, there are no formal working relations between Islam and the churches in Namibia. Due to the religious differences and the lack of infrastructural establishment of Islam in Namibia, the working relations between the churches and Islam in Namibia is minimal at the moment.”

NE: Since the churches impact people’s lives directly and positively, especially in terms of morality, how does Islam address the burning issues of abortion, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, eating at dumpsites, baby dumping, passion killings etc?

AMS: “In the context of the secular state like in Namibia, Islam can do very little, since Islam is a non-significant player on the local national stage. As such the role that Islam and Muslims can play is very limited. However, in terms of moral teachings, Islam is very well suited to solve all those social and moral problems. Islamic teachings promote marriage, a fair economic system, for example, Islam prohibits interest and teaches its true followers to strive to obey God’s commandments in all aspects of their lives.”

NE: How do you project or see the growth of Islam in the next five years?

AMS: “Islam has come to stay in Namibia. Islam will grow naturally in Namibia. The more the Muslims of Namibia proactively and positively start to engage the Namibian society, Islam and Muslims become more visible. Africa is already a Muslim continent, with the exception of Southern Africa. Therefore it will not be strange for Islam to grow in Namibia. The people of Namibia are open minded and the Namibian government is a friendly government towards Islam and Muslims, making it possible for Muslims to live freely in Namibia.”

For a more detailed interview with Dr Armas Abdul Malik Shikongo about his personal background, please click here: http://www.namtranslations.iway.na/shikongo.htm