Islamic World - Countries

[Muhammad]

these countries all have a Muslim Majority Population, except for Guyana and Suriname, both in Latin America.

 

for more information about these countries, please click here

 

Islamic State of Afghanistan

 

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was founded in 1996. The capital is Kabul. The population is about 22 million and land area is 652 thousand square kilometres. Afghanistan is situated at the south-western part of Central Asia, and shares borders with Pakistan on the south and south-east, Iran on the west and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the north.

 

The climate is arid to semiarid with cold winters and hot summers. The terrain is mostly covered by rugged mountains, with the exception of plains in the north and the south-west.

 

Although there are some oil and gas finds, they are not fully exploited. Coal extraction is the main mining activity. The economy of Afghanistan is based on animal husbandry and related light industries.

 

The international dialing code for Afghanistan is 93.

 

 

Republic of Albania

 

The The Republic of Albania was founded in 1991. The capital is Tirana. The 1997 population is about 4 million and the land area is about 27 thousand square kilometres. Albania is situated on the shores of the Adriatic Sea in South-eastern Europe, and shares borders with Yugoslavia on the north, Macedonian on the east and Greece on the south-east. The Adriatic Sea lies to the west.

 

The climate is mild-temperate with cool, cloudy and rainy winters and hot, dry and clear summers. The interior is generally cooler and more humid. The terrain is covered by mountains and hills with small plains along the coast. The earth is shaky and this causes high tidal waves (tsunami) along the south-western coast.

 

Natural resources include crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber and nickel. Almost two-fifths of the land area is covered with forests and woodlands and the rest by arable land, meadows and pastures, including permanent crops. The economy of Albania is heavily dependent upon agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Albania is 355.

 

 

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

 

The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria was founded in 1962. The capital is Algiers. The 1997 population is 29 million and land area is almost 2.4 million square kilometres. Algeria is situated on the the Mediterranean shores of Northern Africa, and shares borders with Tunisia and Libya on the east, Niger, Mali and Mauritania on the south and Morocco on the west. She has an almost 1 thousand kilometre Mediterranean coastline to the north.

 

The climate is arid to semiarid with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers along the coast and drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau regions. Hot dust/sand-laden winds are a discomforting element especially during the summers. The terrain is such that almost 90% of the land area is covered by the Sahara Desert which is gradually spreading. There are some mountains, along the coast and also to the south, that lead to small plains.

 

To the north, down to the south of the coastal mountain range there is a large depression which is rich in oil deposits. Other resources include natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead and zinc. Only 3% of the land area is arable and even a smaller 2% is wooded. Meadows and pastures take up 13% of the area. The economy of Algeria is based on the petroleum and hydrocarbon industry. Algeria has rich deposits of iron ore, phosphate, lead, zinc and antimony. Agriculture and wine production contribute to the GDP as well.

 

The international dialling code for Algeria is 213.

 

 

Republic of Azerbaijan

 

The Republic of Azerbaijan was founded in 1992. The capital is Baku. The 1997 population is around 8 million and the land area is 86.6 thousand square kilometers. Azerbaijan is situated on the western shores of the Caspian Sea in Western Asia, and shares borders with Armenia to the west and south-west, Iran to the south and and Russia and Georgia to the north.

 

The climate is dry. The steppe is semiarid and subject to drought. The Kura Lowland which has a hot, dry, temperate climate lies below sea level. The terrain is mostly mountainous. The Great Caucasus Mountains lie to the north; the Karabakh Upland is in the west. The Capital Baku is in the Aspheson Peninsula that juts into the Caspian Sea.

 

Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, non-ferrous metals and aluminum are the main natural resources. The land is not arable. More than half of its cultivated land is irrigated. The economy of Azerbaijan is based mainly on petroleum resources. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of the GDP. The Baku oilfields constitute one of the oldest centres of heavy industry.

 

The international dialing code for Azerbaijan is 994.

 

 

The Kingdom of Bahrain

 

The State of Bahrain was founded in 1971. The capital is Manama. The 1997 population is 0.6 million and land area is 0.69 thousand square kilometres. The country is made up of a group of about 35 islands situated midway along the Arabian Gulf.

In 2001 the state of Bahrain Became a Kingdom of Bahrain.

The climate is arid characterised with pleasant winters and very hot and humid summers. The terrain consists mostly of low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment. The islands are linked by causeways and in some cases roads.

 

Main natural resources are oil, associated and non-associated, natural gas, and fish. A very small part of the land is arable and it has a low number of permanent crops. Meadows and pastures take up a very limited part of Bahrain’s land. There are no forests and woodlands. The economy of Bahrain is heavily dependent on its hydrocarbon resources. Traditionally the economy was based upon agriculture, pearling and trade but these activities lost their significance once exploitable petroleum deposits were discovered. Economic diversification is based upon industrialization as well as encouraging private sector investment in such areas as tourism. Banking, finance and trade sectors have also developed.

 

The international dialing code for Bahrain is 1973

 

 

People's Republic of Bangladesh

 

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh was founded in 1972. The capital is Dhaka. The 1997 population is 122 million and land area is 130.2 thousand square kilometres. Bangladesh is situated at the eastern end of the Indian Peninsula in Southern Asia, and shares borders with India all around, with the exception of a short south-eastern frontier with Myanmar. The Bay of Bengal lies to the south.

 

The climate is tropical and is dominated by the seasonally-reversing monsoons. The winter is cool and dry; the summer is hot and humid. June to October is the season for the rainy monsoon. The terrain is mostly flat alluvial plain with some hills in the south-east. For the most part the country is deltaic. The soil is relatively fertile. Flooding of the land is a major problem.

 

The main natural resources are natural gas, uranium, arable land and timber. Two-thirds of the land is arable and 16% is woodland. The economy of Bangladesh is mainly agricultural and the main crop is rice. There is also a diversified light industrial base. Jute has traditionally occupied a pivotal position in the Bangladesh economy since it links agriculture to industry.

 

The international dialing code for Bangladesh is 880.

 

 

Republic of Benin

 

The Republic of Benin was founded in 1960. The capital is Porto-Novo. The 1997 population is around 6 million and land area is 110.6 thousand square kilometres. Benin is situated on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea in Western Africa, and shares borders with Burkina Faso and Niger on the north, Nigeria on the east and Togo to the west. The coast is a straight sand-bar to the south (Atlantic Ocean). The coastline is 121 kilometres.

 

The climate is tropical and hot. It is humid in the south and semiarid in the north. The terrain is mostly flat to undulating plain including some hills and low mountains.

 

Small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble and timber are Benin’s main natural resources. There is a small area of arable land. More than one third of the land is made up of forests and woodlands. The economy of Benin is dependent upon cross border trade with Nigeria. Agricultural products, cotton and petroleum are the major products. Natural gas has also been exploited.

 

The international dialing code for Benin is 229.

 

 

Sultanate of Brunei Dar-us-Salam

The Sultanate of Brunei Dar-us-Salam was founded in 1984. The capital is Bandar Seri Begawan. The 1997 population is 0.3 million and land area is 5.27 thousand square kilometres. Brunei is situated on the northern shores of the Island of Borneo in South-eastern Asia, and with the exception of the north coastline, shares borders with Malaysia all around where it faces the South China Sea.

 

The climate is tropical, hot, humid and rainy. Most of the country is covered by dense equatorial forest. The terrain is made up of flat coastal plain rising to mountains in the east. A hilly lowland lies to the west. Brunei has a very small area of arable land. There are few permanent crops, meadows and pastures.

 

Forests and woodlands make up more than half the land. Crude oil, natural gas and timber are among Brunei’s natural resources. The economy of Brunei is Based on oil revenues and the population of Brunei enjoys one of the world’s highest levels of national income per head. Petroleum and natural gas are assets to the economy. The need for diversification has been emphasised for the future.

 

The international dialling code for Brunei is 673.

 

 

Burkina Faso

The Republic of Burkina Faso was founded in 1960. The capital is Ouagadougou. The 1997 population is around 11 million million and land area is 274 thousand square kilometres. Burkina Faso is situated at the hinterland of Western Africa as a land-locked country, and shares borders with Benin and Togo on the south-east, Ghana and Ivory Coast on the south, Mali on the north and Niger on the north-east.

 

The climate is warm with dry winters and hot, wet summers. There is minimum annual rainfall. Water percolates deeply within the rocky expanses. The terrain is mostly flat. There are primary sandstones towards the south-western border with Mali. The Banfora escarpment is formed to the east. The residual soil of these rocky areas is poor.

 

Manganese, limestone, marble, small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc and silver constitute the natural resources of Burkina Faso. There are no permanent crops and only a small area of the land is arable. The economy of Burkina Faso is agricultural and pastoral. Traditional farming methods are used. The mineral resources are beginning to be exploited.

 

The international dialing code for Burkina Faso is 226.

 

 

Republic of Cameroon

 

The Republic of Cameroon was founded in 1960. The capital is Yaounde. The 1997 population is around 14 million and the land area is 465.4 thousand square kilometres. Cameroon is situated at the eastern shores of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa, and shares borders with Chad and Central African Republic on the east, Nigeria on the north-east, Congo Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on the south and has a 200 kilometre coastline on the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The climate is tropical along the coast and semiarid and hot in the north. It varies according to the terrain. Meadows and pastures take up a limited land area while forests and woodlands cover over half the country. There exists a marked south-north gradation of climates from seasonal equatorial climate in the south to southern savannah and savannah climates to a hotter dry climate of the Sahel type in the far north. The terrain is diverse with coastal plains in the south-west, dissected plateau in the central region, mountains in the west and plains in the north.

 

Cameroon’s main natural resources are crude oil, bauxite, iron ore, timber and hydropower potential. The economy of Cameroon is based on petroleum, agriculture, livestock, timber and hydropower potential. Rubber, palm oil and cotton are produced.

 

The international dialing code for Cameroon is 237.

 

 

Republic of Chad

 

The Republic of Chad was founded in 1960. The capital is N’djamena. The 1997 population is about 7 million and land area is 1,259 thousand square kilometres. Chad is situated in Central Africa, and shares borders with Cameroon on the south-west, Niger and Nigeria on the west, The Central African Republic on the south, Jamahiriya on the north and Sudan on the east.

 

The climate is different in three distinct zones: the south has a savannah woodland vegetation with ample rainfall. The rainfall to the north is 250-500mm per year. This is the marginal Sahel region. The northern third of the country has negligible rainfall and is covered by sparse vegetation which grades north to the desert area. The terrain is mostly desert, except for Lake Chad midway on the western border of the country.

 

There are significant reserves of Uranium and various other minerals in the Aozou strip located in the extreme northern desert area. The economy of Chad is dominated by the agricultural sector. Cotton and groundnuts are the two major cash crops. The cash crops grow in the south. Manufacturing is devoted to the processing of agricultural products.

 

The international dialing code for Chad is 235.

 

 

Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

 

The Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros was founded in 1975. The capital is Moroni. The 1997 population is 0.65 million and the land area is 2.2 thousand square kilometres. The archipelago lies between the east African coast and the north-western coast of Madagascar.

 

The climate is tropical marine with a rainy season between the months of November and May. The terrain is variable as one moves from the coasts to the interiors; from steep mountains to low hills. There are four major islands scattered along a north-west-south-east axis. The islands are volcanic in structure and Mount.Njazidja is still active.

 

The main resource of the country is the sea which supports fishing. The economy of Comoros is mainly agricultural and the main export crops are vanilla, ylang-ylang, and cloves. Comoros has a developing tourism industry.

 

The international dialing code for Comoros is 269.

 

 

Republic of Djibouti

The Republic of Djibouti was founded in 1977. The capital is Djibouti. The 1997 population is 0.63 million and land area is 23.2 thousand square kilometres. Djibouti is situated at the eastern shores of the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa, and shares borders with Eritrea, on the north-west, Ethiopia on the south-west and Somalia on the south-east. There is a 300 kilometre coastline to the east at the south end of the Red Sea.

 

The climate is torrid, dry desert climate. The terrain is such that the mountains in the central regions of the country separate the coastal plains and the plateau.

 

Geothermal areas are the main natural resources in Djibouti. The economy of Djibouti is based on the international port and the activities surrounding it. There is a developing service sector as well.

 

The international dialing code for Djibouti is 253.

 

 

Arab Republic of Egypt

The Arab Republic of Egypt was founded in 1922. The capital is Cairo. The 1997 population is 62 million and the land area is 995.5 thousand square kilometres. Egypt is situated at the the north-eastern tip of Africa, and shares borders with Israel on the north-east, Sudan on the south and Jamahiriya on the west. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the north and the Red Sea is in the east.

 

The climate is uniformly arid. The summers are hot and dry while the winters are moderate. The terrain is mostly desert, taking up 96% of the land area.

 

The River Nile is the main resource of the country serving as a waterway and source of irrigation. Other natural resources include crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead and zinc. The economy of Egypt is Diversified and the development of Egypt’s hydrocarbon industry has had a major impact on the economy. Transport and tourism also play a major role. The cotton and textile industry have developed and account for about a quarter of total export revenue.

 

The international dialing code for Egypt is 20.

Republic of Gabon

 

The Republic of Gabon was founded in 1960. The capital is Libreville. The 1997 population is around 1.2 million and land area is 257.7 thousand square kilometres. Gabon is situated at the eastern shores of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa, and shares borders with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea on the north and Congo on the east. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west. Gabon has a 890 kilometre coastline.

 

The climate is tropical. The terrain is made up of a narrow coastal plain, a hilly interior and savannah to the east and south. A very small area is arable and there are few crops. Meadows and pastures take up about one fifth of the land.

 

Natural resources include crude oil, manganese, uranium, gold, timber and iron ore. The economy of Gabon is based on mining and forestry Exploitation of mineral wealth has been the source of economic growth. Prior to the commencement of mineral exploitation the economy was dependent on the timber industry.

 

The international dialing code for Gabon is 241.

 

 

Republic of the Gambia

 

The Republic of the Gambia was founded in 1965. The capital is Banjul. The 1997 population is over 1.2 million and land area is 10 thousand square kilometres. Gambia is situated on the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Western Africa, and shares borders with Senegal only, as it is surrounded on all three sides by her. The Atlantic shore lies to the west.

 

The climate is tropical with hot and rainy summers; cool, dry winters and annual rainfall averages 1,150 mm. The terrain is essentially the valley of the navigable Gambia River.

 

Reserves of petroleum have been identified but not exploited. About 16% of the land is arable and 20% is rain forest. The economy of Gambia is based on agriculture (mainly rice and groundnuts) and related light processing industries along with fishing.

 

The international dialing code for Gambia is 220.

 

 

Republic of Guinea

 

The Republic of Guinea was founded in 1958. The capital is Conakry. The 1997 population is around 8 million and the land area is 245.7 thousand square kilometres. Guinea is situated on the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Western Africa, and shares borders with Guinea-Bissau on the north-west, the Ivory Coast on the east, Liberia and Sierra Leone on the south, Mali on the north and north-east and Senegal on the north. It has a coastline of 320 kilometres on the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The climate is generally hot and humid and there is a monsoon-type rainy season from June to November with south-westerly winds. The dry season lasts from December to May with north-easterly Harmattan Winds. The terrain is flat coastal plain with hilly to mountainous towards the interior parts of the country. Forests and woodlands take up close to half the land area while meadows and pastures take up about one fifth.

 

Main natural resources are bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower and fish. The economy of Guinea is based on the rich mineral deposits available. The mining sector accounts for 90% of the revenue. Agriculture is the second most important sector.

 

The international dialing code for Guinea is 224.

 

 

Republic of Guinea-Bissau

 

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau was founded in 1974. The capital is Bissau. The 1997 population is 1.1 million and the land area is 28.1 thousand square kilometres. Guinea-Bissau is situated on the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Western Africa, and shares borders with Guinea on the east and Senegal on the north. Guinea-Bissau has a 350 kilometre coastline on the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The climate is tropical. There is a monsoon-type of rainy season with south-westerly winds from June to November. The dry season lasts from December to May with north-eastern Harmattan Winds. The terrain is made up of low coastal plains rising to savannah in the east. Meadows and pastures take up close to half the land. Forests and woodlands are spread over one-third of the area.

 

Main natural resources are unexploited deposits of petroleum, bauxite and phosphates along with fish and timber. The economy of Guinea-Bissau is based on agriculture and fishing. Groundnuts are the traditional export commodity. There is some food-processing activity.

 

The international dialing code for Guinea-Bissau is 245.

 

 

Co-operative Republic of Guyana

 

The Co-operative Republic of Guyana was founded in 1970. The capital is Georgetown. The 1997 population is 0.85 million and land area is 19.7 thousand square kilometres. Guyana is situated on the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in northern part of South America, and shares borders with Suriname on the east, Brazil on the south and Venezuela on the west. The Atlantic coast lies to the north.

 

The climate is tropical (hot and humid), moderated only by north-east winds. The rainy seasons are from May to mid-August and Mid-November to mid-January. The terrain is covered mostly with rolling highlands. Low coastal plains and savannah lie to the south. 83% of the area is covered by forests and woodlands.

 

Its natural resources include bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp and fish. The economy of Guyana is based upon the industry-services sector, followed by agriculture and mining.

 

The international dialing code for Guyana is 592.

 

 

Republic of Indonesia

 

The Republic of Indonesia was founded in 1945. The capital is Jakarta. The 1997 population is 201 million and land area is 1,812 thousand square kilometres. The country is made up of thousands of islands situated in the area where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet. The only borders are in the islands of Borneo with Malaysia on the north and New Guinea with Papua New Guinea on the east.

 

The climate is tropical, hot humid and more moderate in the highlands. This can be described as maritime equatorial. The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands with mountains on the larger islands.

 

Indonesia is very rich in natural resources and the main ones include crude oil, tin, natural gas liquids, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal gold and silver. The economy of Indonesia is predominantly based on exploitation of petroleum and there are considerable sectors of manufacturing and agriculture also.

 

The international dialing code for Indonesia is 62.

 

 

Islamic Republic of Iran

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran was founded in 1979. The capital is Tehran. The 1997 population is around 61 million and land area is 1,622 thousand square kilometres. Iran is located in Western Asia, and shares borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the east, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on the north-west, Turkmenistan on the north and Iraq on the west. Iran also has a 2.5 thousand kilometre border on the Caspian sea. The Persian Gulf as well as the Gulf of Oman lie to the south.

 

The climate is mostly arid or semiarid and subtropical along the Caspian coast. It is a climate of extremes. The terrain is rugged in mountainous rim, high in the central basin with deserts and mountains and there are small discontinuous plains along both coasts. It has a small area of arable land and no permanent crops. Meadows and pastures take up about a quarter of the country’s land. Forests and woodlands exist only in limited numbers.

 

Iran’s main natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc and sulphur. The economy of Iran is based on the petroleum industry. Iran is the world’s second richest country in natural gas resources after Russia. Mining is another important source of wealth.

 

The international dialing code for Iran is 98.

 

 

Republic of Iraq

 

The Republic of Iraq was founded in 1932. The capital is Baghdad. The 1997 population is 21 million and land area is 437.4 thousand square kilometres. Iraq is situated in Western Asia, and shares borders with Iran on the east, Jordan on the south-west, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on the south, Syria on the west and Turkey on the north-west. The Gulf lies to the south-west with a brief coastline of 58 kilometres.

 

The climate is mostly desert with mild to cool winters and dry, hot and cloudless summers. The northernmost regions along the mountainous Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasional heavy snows. The terrain is made up mostly of broad plains and reedy marshes in the south-eastern parts of the country. About one fifth of the land is arable and there are few permanent crops.

 

Iraq’s main natural resources are crude oil, natural gas, phosphates and sulphur. The economy of Iraq is based upon crude oil sales as well as river control and irrigation. Iraq had become the world’s second largest exporter of hydrocarbons prior to the Gulf War. At present there exists an embargo limiting exports.

 

The international dialing code for Iraq is 964.

 

 

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

 

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was founded in 1946. The capital is Amman. The population is 5.8 million and the land area is 89 thousand square kilometres. Jordan is situated in Western Asia, and shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia on the east, Palestine and Israel on the west and Syria on the north. She also has a short coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba at the southern tip.

 

The climate is mostly arid desert and the rainy season in the west lasts from November to April. The terrain is such that the eastern part of the country is covered by desert plateau and there is a highland area to the west.

 

Jordan’s main natural resources are made up of phosphates, potash and shale oil. A small part of the land is arable and this is put to maximum use. The economy of Jordan is based upon agriculture (vegetable production in particular), industry and mining. Banking and related services make up a lucrative sector as well.

 

The international dialing code for Jordan is 962.

 

 

Republic of Kazakhstan

 

The Republic of Kazakhstan was founded in 1991. The capital is Almaty. The population is 16 million and land area is 2,670 thousand square kilometres. Kazakhstan is situated in Central Asia, and shares borders with China on the south-east, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on the south and Russia on the north.

 

The climate is dry continental due to the desert which takes up about half the country’s area. The terrain is made up of vast plains extending from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from Western Siberia to the deserts and oasis of Central Asia.

 

The main natural resources are petroleum, coal, iron, manganese and other ores. The economy of Kazakhstan is relatively diversified. Agriculture and heavy industry make up the main sectors. Mining is also a developing sector.

 

The international dialing code for Kazakhstan is 7.

 

 

The State of Kuwait

 

The State of Kuwait was founded in 1961. The capital is Kuwait City. The population is 1.8 million and the land area is 18 thousand square kilometres. Kuwait is situated at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, and shares borders with Iraq on the north and Saudi Arabia on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the east.

 

The climate is dry desert climate with intensely hot summers and short cool winters. The terrain is flat to slightly undulating desert plains. Only 8% of the area is covered by meadows and pastures, the rest being barren.

 

The natural resources are petroleum, fish, shrimp and natural gas. The economy of Kuwait is based on oil and offshore banking services.

 

The international dialing code for Kuwait is 965.

 

 

Republic of Kyrghyzstan

 

The Kyrgyz Republic was founded in 1991. The capital is Bishkek. The population is around 4.7 million and land area is 192 thousand square kilometres. Kyrghyzstan is situated in Central Asia, and shares borders with China on the east, Kazakhstan on the north, Tajikistan on the south and Uzbekistan on the west.

 

The climate is dry continental to polar in high areas such as Tian Shan and subtropical in the south where the Fergana Valley is located. The terrain is barren and the country has no arable land, permanent crops, meadows, pastures, forests or woodlands.

 

The main natural resources are small amounts of coal, natural gas and oil. There are also some deposits of rare metals. The economy of Kyrghyzstan is diversified and has considerable activity in the sectors of mining, agriculture and manufacturing.

 

The international dialing code for Kyrghyzstan is 7.

 

 

Republic of Lebanon

 

The Republic of Lebanon was founded in 1943. The capital is Beirut. The population is around 3 million and the land area is 10 thousand square kilometres. Lebanon is situated on the the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and shares borders with Israel on the south and Syria to the east. The 225 kilometres coastline stretches along the west.

 

The climate is Mediterranean which ranges from mild to cool with wet winters and hot dry summers. The terrain is narrow coastal plain. The Al Biqa (Bekaa Valley) divides the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. One fifth of Lebanon’s land is arable. There are few permanent crops, forests, woodlands, meadows and pastures.

 

The natural resources of Lebanon are limestone, iron ore and salt. It is a water-surplus state in a water-deficit region. The economy of Lebanon is Based on banking and tourism.

 

The international dialing code for Lebanon is 961.

 

 

Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

 

The Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was founded in 1951. The capital is Tripoli. The population is around 6 million and the land area is 1,760 thousand square kilometres. Jamahiriya is situated on the the Mediterranean shores of Northern Africa, and shares borders with Algeria and Tunisia on the west, Chad on the south, Egypt on the east, Niger on the south-west and Sudan on the south-east. Libya has a 1.8 thousand kilometre Mediterranean coastline.

 

The climate is Mediterranean along the coast with dry and extreme desert conditions in the interior regions. The terrain is mostly barren and flat with undulating plains, plateaux and depressions.

 

The main natural resources are crude oil, natural gas and gypsum. There is very little arable land and no permanent crops, forests or woodlands. Meadows and forests make up a small area of the land. The economy of Jamahiriya is based on the production of crude petroleum. The cultivation of barley, wheat and fruit has started. The agricultural sector has gained importance. Manufacturing is geared towards food processing and agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Jamahiriya is 218.

 

Malaysia

 

Malaysia was founded in 1957. The capital is Kuala Lumpur. The population is around 22 million and land area is 329 thousand square kilometres. Malaysia is situated in South-East Asia. Malaysia is made up of the mainland and the Borneo Island and shares borders with Thailand on the north in the mainland and with Indonesia on the south in the Island of Borneo. It has a 4.7 thousand kilometre coastline.

 

The climate is tropical. Annual monsoons take place in the south-west from April to October and in the north-east from October to February. The terrain is such that the coastal plains rise and give way to hills and mountains.

 

The natural resources include tin, crude oil, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas and bauxite. The economy of Malaysia is one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing economies of the world. The reason behind this spectacular growth is the existence of rich natural resources. The main motor of growth was the manufacturing sector.

 

The international dialing code for Malaysia is 60.

 

 

Republic of Maldives

 

The Republic of Maldives was founded in 1965. The capital is Male. The population is around 0.3 million and land area is 0.3 thousand square kilometres. It is made up of a chain of coral islands located in the Indian Ocean.

 

The climate is hot, humid and dry tropical. The north-east monsoon takes place between June and August. The terrain is flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters. There is very little arable land available and there are few forests, pastures and woodlands. There are no permanent crops.

 

Fish is Maldives’ main natural resource. The economy of Maldives is based on fishing, shipping and finance.

 

The international dialing code for Maldives is 960.

 

 

Republic of Mali

 

The Republic of Mali was founded in 1960. The capital is Bamako. The population is around 11.5 million and land area is 1220 thousand square kilometres. Mali is situated in Western Africa, and shares borders with Algeria on the north, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast on the south, Guinea on the south-west, Mauritania and Senegal on the west and Niger on the east. Thus, it is a land-locked country.

 

The climate is varied between subtropical and arid. It is hot and dry from February to June; rainy, humid and mild from June to November and cool and dry from November to February. The terrain is such that there are flat to rolling sand covered plains in the north, savannah in the south, and rugged hills in the north-east. The River Niger flows across the north. Mali has a small area of arable land, few forests and woodlands.

 

Mali’s main natural resources are gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, and manganese. Tin and copper deposits are known but not exploited. The economy of Mali is based on mining and agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Mali is 223.

 

 

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

 

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania was founded in 1960. The capital is Nouakchott. The population is 2.5 million and land area is 1025 thousand square kilometres. Mauritania is situated on the the Atlantic Ocean shores of Western Africa, and shares borders with Algeria on the north-east, Mali on the east and Senegal on the south. The Atlantic coastline is 754 kilometres.

 

The climate is hot, dry and dusty. The terrain is made up of barren, flat plains of the Sahara with some central hills. There is a very limited amount of arable land, forests and woodlands. Meadows and pastures take up close to half of the country.

 

The natural resources are iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper and phosphate. The economy of Mauritania is in transition. It was almost entirely traditional and rural based on livestock and agriculture. Now the major impetus for the economy comes from its mineral resources.

 

The international dialing code for Mauritania is 222.

 

 

Kingdom of Morocco

 

The Kingdom of Morocco was founded in 1956. The capital is Rabat. The population is 27.3 million and the land area is 446 thousand square kilometres. Morocco is situated in the the north-eastern corner of Africa, and shares borders with Algeria in the east and Mauritania in the south. The Atlantic ocean lies to the west and the Mediterranean makes up the north.

 

The climate is Mediterranean which becomes more extreme towards the interior regions where it is mountainous. The terrain is such that the coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the backbone for agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18%. 5% is irrigated.

 

The major natural resources are phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish and salt. The economy of Morocco is based on agriculture, livestock-raising and fishing. The mining industry comes second. The major activity is phosphate mining. The tourist industry is an increasingly important area of activity.

 

The international dialing code for Morocco is 212.

 

 

Mozambique

 

The Republic of Mozambique was founded in 1975. The capital is Maputo. The population is around 18 million and land area is 784 thousand square kilometres. Mozambique is situated on the the eastern shores of Southern Africa, and shares borders with Malawi and Tanzania on the north, South Africa on the south-west, Swaziland on the south, Zambia and Zimbabwe on the west. There is a long coastline on the Indian Ocean stretching 2.4 thousand kilometres.

 

The climate is varied between tropical and subtropical. The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands and uplands in the central regions. Forests and woodlands take up about one fifth of the land. Meadows and pastures take up more than half the land. There are high plateaus in the north-west and mountains in the west.

 

Mozambique’s main natural resources are coal and titanium. The economy is based on agriculture and mining. Manufacturing and industry is geared towards South African products.

 

The international dialing code for Mozambique is 258.

 

 

Republic of Niger

 

The Republic of Niger was founded in 1960. The capital is Niamey. The population is 9.8 million and land area is 1267 thousand square kilometres. Niger is situated in Central Africa and is a land-locked country. Niger shares borders with Algeria and Libya on the north, Benin and Nigeria on the south with Burkina Faso on the south-west, Chad on the east and Mali on the west.

 

The climate is desert climate which is mostly hot, dry, dusty and tropical in the extreme south. The terrain is made up of desert plains and sand dunes, flat to rolling plains in the south and hills in the north.

 

The major natural resources are uranium, coal, iron ore, tin and phosphates. There are no permanent crops. Arable land is limited. The economy of Niger is based on mining and the export of uranium. Traditional agriculture for home consumption is important. Maize, sorghum, cow-peas and cassava is grown mostly for home consumption.

 

The international dialing code for Niger is 227.

 

 

Federal Republic of Nigeria

 

The Federal Republic of Nigeria was founded in 1960. The capital is Abuja. The population is around 118 million and land area is 911 thousand square kilometres. Nigeria is situated at the the north-eastern end of the Gulf of Guniea in Central Africa, and shares borders with Benin on the west, Cameroon on the south-east, Chad on the east and Niger on the north. The Atlantic coastline stretches 853 kilometres.

 

The climate is varied according to the region. It is equatorial in the south, tropical in the central regions and arid in the north. The temperatures are relatively high. The terrain is made up of southern lowlands merging into central hills and a plateau. There are mountains in the south-east and plains in the north. Niger is the main river.

 

The major natural resources include crude oil, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc and natural gas. The economy of Nigeria is in transition. The agricultural sector has been reduced in importance due to the development of the petroleum sector. The petroleum sector along with natural gas deposits account for the major economic assets of the country.

 

The international dialing code for Nigeria is 234.

 

 

The Sultanate of Oman

 

The Sultanate of Oman was founded in 1650. The capital is Muscat. The population is 2.3 million and land area is 309 thousand square kilometres. Oman is situated at the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, and shares borders with Saudi Arabia on the west, the United Arab Emirates on the north-west and Yemen on the south-west. Its coastline on the Arabian Sea is 2 thousand kilometres.

 

The climate is dry desert climate which is hot and humid along the coast; hot and dry in the interior. Strong summer monsoons occur in the south-west between May and September. The terrain is taken up by vast desert plains, and rugged mountains are found in the north and to the south.

 

Oman’s main natural resources are crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum and natural gas. Oman has no arable land or permanent crops. There are few meadows and pastures. The economy of Oman is based largely on revenue from the petroleum sector. The construction industry has been developing as well.

 

The international dialing code for Oman is 968.

 

 

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

 

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was founded in 1947. The capital is Islamabad. The population is 138 million and the land area is 771 thousand square kilometres. Pakistan is situated South Asia, and shares borders with Iran on the west, Afghanistan on the north-west and north and India on the east. The Arabian Sea lies to the south.

 

The climate is mostly hot dry desert climate. It is temperate in the north-west and arctic in the north. The terrain is such that the eastern part is covered by the flat Indus Plain and there are mountains in the north and north-west. The Balochistan Plateau lies to the west. Much of Pakistan is highland. The western Himalayas cover the north.

 

The natural resources include land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited crude oil, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt and limestone. 26% of the land is arable. 6% is covered with meadows and pastures and only 4% is forested. The economy of Pakistan is diversified with a significant industrial sector and developed agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Pakistan is 92.

 

 

Palestine

 

The Palestine was founded in 1993. The capital is Jerusalem. The population is almost 3 million and the land area is 6 thousand square kilometres. Palestine is situated in West Asia. The country is separated into two parts with Israel lying in between. She shares borders with Egypt on the west and Jordan on the east.

 

The climate is veried; in the west bank it is temperate with temperature and precipitation varying with altitude. The summers are warm to hot and the winters are cool to mild. The Gaza Strip has a more temperate climate with mild winters and dry and warm to hot summers. The terrain is mostly rugged and dissected upland. There is some vegetation in the west but the east is barren. About one third of the land area is arable and under grazing. The other one fourth is desert while the remaining portion is woodland and forest. The terrain in the Gaza Strip is flat to rolling with sand and dune-covered coastal plains.

 

Natural resources include minerals and marine products. The economy of Palestine is on agriculture and related industries. The country enjoys considerable transfers from abroad from both expatriates and overseas business enterprises.

 

The international dialing code for Palestine is 972.

 

 

The State of Qatar

 

The State of Qatar was founded in 1971. The capital is Doha. The population is 0.55 million and land area is 11 thousand square kilometres. Qatar is situated at the northern shores of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, and shares borders with Saudi Arabia on its western coastline and Oman and the United Arab Emirates lie on the east. It has a 563 kilometre coastline on the Gulf.

 

The climate is desert climate which is hot, dry, humid and sultry in summer. The terrain is mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel. There is no arable land.

 

The main natural resources are crude oil, natural gas and fish. The economy of Qatar is based on petroleum and natural gas. Qatar’s hydrocarbon based industrialisation has centred on the "downstream" processing facilities for oil and gas, along with diversification into heavy industry. Umm Said is the industrial centre.

 

The international dialing code for Qatar is 974.

 

 

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932. The capital is Riyadh. The population is 19.5 million and land area is 2149 thousand square kilometres. Saudi Arabia is located in West Asia, and shares borders with Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait on the north and Yemen on the south. The Gulf of Persia lies to the east and the Red Sea is on the west.

 

The climate is dry and hot. The highest degrees of temperatures in the world are recorded here during the summer. The winters are mild with little rainfall. The terrain is mainly desert with elevation towards the north. The whole of the peninsula is a vast platform of ancient rock.

 

The main natural resource is petroleum. There are some other resources such as marble, clay, and gold. The economy of Saudi Arabia is based on the petrochemical industry. Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of petroleum within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

 

The international dialing code for Saudi Arabia is 966.

 

 

Republic of Senegal

 

The Republic of Senegal was founded in 1960. The capital is Dakar. The population is around 9 million and the land area is 193 thousand square kilometres. Senegal is situated at the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean of West Africa, and shares borders with Guinea and Guinea-Bissau on the south, Mali on the east and Mauritania on the north. It has a coastline of 531 kilometres.

 

The climate is tropical. The rainy season is between December and April also includes strong south-east winds. The dry season from May to November is dominated by hot and dry Harmattan winds. The terrain is made up of low, rolling plains rising to foothills in the south-east. A quarter of the land is arable, while meadows, pastures, forests and woodland take up half of the land.

 

Main natural resources are fish, phosphates and iron ore. The economy of Senegal is basically agricultural. The major crops are millet, sorghum, rice and maize. Groundnut production provides the leading cash crop. The Tourism sector has grown in importance and has become one of the leading source of foreign earnings. The mining sector provides the fourth largest source of export earnings. Senegal has a developed manufacturing sector as well.

 

The international dialing code for Senegal is 221.

 

Republic of Sierra Leone

 

The Republic of Sierra Leone was founded in 1961. The capital is Freetown. The population is around 5 million and the land area is 72 thousand square kilometres. Sierra Leone is situated on the the shores of the Atlantic Ocean of West Africa, and shares borders with Guinea on the north and Liberia on the south-east. The Atlantic coastline is 402 kilometres.

 

The climate is tropical and humid. The summer season lasts from May to December and is rainy. The winter season is dry. The terrain is made up of a coastal belt of mangrove swamps, upland plateaux, wooded hill country, and mountains to the east. A quarter of Sierra Leone’s land is arable. One third of the land is taken up by meadows and pastures. A quarter of the land consists of forests and woodlands.

 

The main natural resources are diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold and chromium. The economy of Sierra Leone is predominantly agricultural. Some 70 different crops are cultivated. Coffee, cocoa, palm kernels and piassava are among the major crops. Mining is the second most important sector.

 

The international dialing code for Sierra Leone is 232.

 

 

Democratic Republic of Somalia

 

The Democratic Republic of Somalia was founded in 1960. The capital is Mogadishu. The population is around 10 million and land area is 627 thousand square kilometres. Somalia is situated at the the "Horn of Africa", and shares borders with Djibouti on the north, Ethiopia on the west and Kenya on the south-west. Somalia’s coastline along the Indian Ocean is 3 thousand kilometres. This coastline forms the so-called Horn of Africa.

 

The climate is desert with monsoons in the north-east between December and February. The cooler south-west monsoon takes place between May and October. Rainfall is irregular and there are hot and humid periods between the monsoons. The terrain is made up mostly of flat to undulating plateaux rising to hills in the north. A very small part of the land is arable and there are no permanent crops. Forests and woodlands are very limited.

 

Somalia’s main natural resources are uranium and reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper and salt that are largely not exploited. The economy of Somalia is traditionally based, principally on the herding of camels, sheep, goats and cattle. Exports of livestock products accounted for 80% of Somalia’s total earnings.

 

The international dialing code for Somalia is 252.

 

 

Republic of the Sudan

 

The Republic of the Sudan was founded in 1956. The capital is Khartoum. The population is around 28 million and land area is 2376 thousand square kilometres. Sudan is located in North-East Africa, and shares borders with the Central African Republic on the south-west, Chad on the west, Egypt on the north, Ethiopia on the east, Kenya, Uganda and Zaire on the south with Libya on the north-west. It has a short coastline of 53 kilometres on the Red Sea.

 

The climate is tropical in the south and arid desert in the north. The rainy season lasts from April to October. The terrain is flat, featureless plain and the mountains are located in the eastern and western parts of the country. The arable land area is limited and there are no permanent crops. Meadows and pastures take up a quarter and forests and woodlands about one fifth of the country’s land.

 

Sudan’s main natural resources are small reserves of crude oil, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica and silver. The economy of Sudan is primarily an agricultural and pastoral with a majority of the population engaged in the agricultural sector. Cotton production and the mineral exploration have gained in importance.

 

The international dialing code for Sudan is 249.

 

 

Suriname

 

The Republic of Suriname was founded in 1975. The capital is Paramaribo. The population is around 0.45 million and the land area is 156 thousand square kilometres. Suriname is situated on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of South America, and shares borders with Brazil on the south, French Guiana on the east and Guyana on the west. The coastline on the Atlantic Ocean is 386 kilometres.

 

The climate is tropical but moderated by winds. The terrain is made up of rolling hills and narrow coastal plain with swamps. Forests and woodlands take up a large portion of the country. There is no arable land and no permanent crops.

 

Suriname’s main natural resources are timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite and iron ore. The economy of Suriname is relatively diversified in range, but the dominant sector is the bauxite industry. Forestry and manufacturing constitute the two other important sectors.

 

The international dialing code for Suriname is 597.

 

 

Syrian Arab Republic

The Syrian Arab Republic was founded in 1946. The capital is Damascus. The population is around 15 million and the land area is 184 thousand square kilometres. Syria is situated in West Asia, and shares borders with Iraq on the east, Israel and Jordan on the south, Lebanon on the west and Turkey on the north. Syria has a 193 kilometre coastline on the Mediterranean Sea.

 

The climate is mostly desert with hot, dry, sunny summers from June to August and mild, rainy winters from December to February along the coast. The terrain is made up of semiarid and desert plateau with narrow coastal plain and mountains in the west. There are few permanent crops but more than a quarter of the land is arable. Meadows and pastures take up close to half of the land area.

 

The major natural resources are crude oil, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble and gypsum. The economy of Syria is still predominantly agricultural. The iron, steel and textile industries play a significant role in the economy. Syria’s leading exports are petroleum, cotton and phosphates.

 

The international dialing code for Syria is 963.

 

 

Republic of Tajikistan

 

The Republic of Tajikistan was founded in 1991. The capital is Dushanbe. The population is around 6 million and land area is 140 thousand square kilometres. Tajikistan is located in Central Asia, and shares borders with Afghanistan on the south, China on the east, Kyrgyz Republic on the north and Uzbekistan on the west. It is a land-locked country.

 

The climate is varied from mid-latitude semiarid to polar in the Pamir mountains. The terrain is dominated by the Pamir and Altay Mountains. The Western Fergana valley is in the north and the Kafirnigan and Vakhsh Valleys are located in the south-east. A limited land area is arable and there are no permanent crops, meadows, pastures forests or woodlands.

 

The major natural resources can be listed as significant hydropower potential, petroleum uranium, mercury brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony and tungsten. The economy of Tajikistan is basically based on agriculture and mining.

 

The international dialing code for Tajikistan is 7.

 

 

Republic of Togo

 

The Republic of Togo was founded in 1960. The capital is Lome. The population is 4.5 million and land area is 54 thousand square kilometres. Togo is situated on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea in Western Africa, and shares borders with Benin on the east and Burkina Faso on the north. Ghana lies on the west and there is a coastline of 56 kilometres to the south.

 

The climate is tropical. It is hot and humid in the south and semiarid in the north. The terrain is mostly rolling savannah in the north and plains in the south separated by some hills running from south-west to north-east. The coastal region is covered with extensive marshes and lagoons. Roughly a quarter of the land is arable and forested with the remaining half unused.

 

The natural resources are phosphate, limestone and marble. The economy of Togo is based on phosphate mining and agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Togo is 228.

 

 

Republic of Tunisia

 

The Republic of Tunisia was founded in 1956. The capital is Tunis. The population is 9 million and the land area is 155 thousand square kilometres. Tunisia is situated on the the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa, and shares borders with Algeria on the west and Libya on the south-east. The coastline on the Mediterranean sea is 1100 kilometres.

 

The climate is temperate in the north with mild and rainy winters and hot and dry summers. It is desert and semiarid in the south and hot and dry in the central plain. The terrain is such that the meadows and pastures take up about one fifth of the land and about two thirds of the land is arable while there are few forests and woodlands. The mountains are located in the north.

 

The natural resources are crude oil, phosphates iron ore, lead, zinc and salt. The economy of Tunisia is based on textile industry, agriculture and mining. The tourism sector is also an asset.

 

The international dialing code for Tunisia is 216.

 

 

Republic of Turkey

The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923. The capital is Ankara. The population is about 65 million and the land area is 769 thousand square kilometres. Turkey is situated in West Asia, and shares borders with Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran in the east, Iraq and Syria on the south, Greece and Bulgaria on the north-west. It is surrounded by the Black Sea to the north, Aegean Sea to the west and Mediterranean Sea to the south.

 

The climate is temperate with hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters. The winters grow harsher towards the east and the interior. The terrain is mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains. The Anatolian Plateau is a high, central Plateau. 30 % of the land is arable and 26% is made up of forests. Another 12% is meadows and pastures.

 

Its main natural resources are antimony, coal, chromium, bauxite, mercury, copper, borate, sulphur and iron ore. The economy of Turkey is diversified with a strong industrial base in textiles and food processing and main crops of wheat, barley and sugar beet in agriculture.

 

The international dialing code for Turkey is 90.

 

 

Republic of Turkmenistan

 

The Republic of Turkmenistan was founded in 1991. The capital is Ashgabat. The population is about 4.5 million and land area is 470 thousand square kilometres. Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia, and shares borders with Afghanistan on the south-east, Iran on the south, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on the north. The Caspian Sea lies to the west.

 

The climate is subtropical desert. The terrain is made up of flat to rolling sandy desert with dunes.

 

The major natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt and magnesium. The economy of Turkmenistan is based upon its rich natural resources.

 

The international dialing code for Turkmenistan is 993.

 

 

Republic of Uganda

 

The Republic of Uganda was founded in 1962. The capital is Kampala. The population is 20.5 million and the land area is 200 thousand square kilometres. Uganda is situated in Central Africa and is a land-locked country. Uganda shares borders with Kenya on the east, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zaire on the south and Sudan on the north.

 

The climate is tropical and generally rainy with two dry seasons which take place between December and February and between June and August. It is semiarid in the north-east. The terrain is made up mostly of plateau with rim mountains. About a quarter of the land is arable. There are few crops. Meadows and pastures take up a quarter of the land and forests and woodlands take up about one third of the land area.

 

The main natural resources are copper, cobalt, limestone and salt. The economy of Uganda is based on agriculture. Coffee, tea, cotton processing as well as other industries are in the process of rehabilitation. Mining is also an important sector.

 

The international dialing code for Uganda is 256.

 

 

The State of United Arab Emirates

 

The United Arab Emirates was founded in 1971. The capital is Abu Dhabi. The population is about 2.6 million and the land area is 84 thousand square kilometres. United Arab Emirates is situated on the the eastern shores of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, and shares borders with Qatar on the west, Saudi Arabia on the south and Oman on the east. The Persian Gulf lies to the north.

 

The climate is desert climate where the eastern mountains are somewhat cooler. The terrain is flat and barren coastal plain that merges into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland with mountains to the east. Only 2% of the land is open to agriculture.

 

The natural resources are pearls, fish and petroleum. The economy of United Arab Emirates is dominated by petroleum.

 

The international dialing code for United Arab Emirates is 971.

 

 

Uzbekistan

 

The Republic of Uzbekistan was founded in 1991. The capital is Tashkent. The population is around 23.5 million and the land area is 414 thousand square kilometres. Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia, and shares borders with Afghanistan on the south, Kazakhstan on the north, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan on the east and Turkmenistan on the west.

 

The climate is mostly mid-latitude desert and semiarid grassland in the east. The terrain is made up of flat to rolling sandy desert with dunes. The Fargana Valley to the east is surrounded by mountains and the shrinking Aral Sea to the west.

 

The main natural resources are petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten and molybdenum. The economy of Uzbekistan is based on agriculture and mining. The development of natural resources has become a priority.

 

The international dialing code for Uzbekistan is 7.

 

 

Republic of Yemen

 

The Republic of Yemen was founded in 1990. The capital is Sana’a. The population is 16.5 million and the land area is 528 thousand square kilometres. Yemen is located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, and shares borders with Oman on the east and Saudi Arabia on the north. It has a coastline of 1.9 thousand kilometres along the Red Sea.

 

The climate is mostly desert which is hot and humid along the west coast and temperate in the western mountains as a result of seasonal monsoons. The climate is extraordinarily hot, dry and harsh desert climate to the east. The terrain is made up of narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains. Dissected upland plains in the central areas slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula.

 

The main natural resources are crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble and some fertile soil to the west. The economy of Yemen is based on agriculture, fishing and mining.

 

The international dialing code for Yemen is 967.

[Muhammad]

Muslim Minorities In Other Countries

.

.

..: AFRICA

 

 

Angola: Report on Muslims

 

Luanda, Rabi Awwal 7/May 30 (IINA) - A report by the Pan-African News Agency (PANA) has disclosed that 2.5 percent of Angola’s population are Muslims, and they account for 2.75 of the country’s 11 total population. Just ten years ago, the Muslim population was not more than a quarter of a million.

 

The report ascribes this increase in the number of Angolans embracing Islam to the increased number of Muslim traders and merchants from West Africa who have chosen to settle in Angola.

 

A number of Angolan cities and town have of recent witnessed an increase in Islamic activity, particularly in the construction of mosques, Islamic centers, and Qur’anic schools, with the objective of spreading Islamic culture and the Islamic Message.

 

Muslims affairs in Angola are taken care of by the Supreme Council of Angolan Muslims.

 

Angola is situated in southern Africa and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, and is rich in natural resources, including agriculture and oil production.

 

Angola was colonized by Portugal since the 16th century of the Gregorian calendar, and its indigenous people were subjected to all kinds of discrimination, and were denied even basic human rights. But, after a long and bitter struggle Angolans were able to snatch their independence from the Portuguese, in the mid-seventies of the last century.

 

HI/OB/IINA

 

 

DRC: Snippet on Islam and Muslims

 

Kinshasa, Sha’aban 3, 1422/Oct 19, 2001 (IINA) - Muslims in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make up 15 million of the country’s 60 million population, but they are largely illiterate and unemployed, according to Haj Modelo Maliba, chairman of the National Islamic Council. He said the reason for that is that most of them did not go to school, since there were Islamic schools at the time of the Belgian colonial rule over the country. The only schools that existed then were Christian one.

 

Maliba said that the result is that now over 90 percent of government jobs are in the hands of Christians, the majority of whom still remain illiterate.

 

He appealed to Islamic organizations and countries to do everything possible to help their Muslim brethren in the DRC, particularly in the field of providing scholarships for students and training courses within or outside the country.

 

Maliba went on to say that the Muslims of the DRC do not own any of the infrastructure facilities, such as hospitals, health centers, universities, schools, and the few they have are not up to par. He said even the mosques are not worthwhile talking about, because most of them are simply huts.

 

The Muslim leader said that another thing which the Muslims in the DRC are in need of are preachers, teachers and people who could provide guidance to them, in matters related to their faith and its proper practice.

 

He said there should also be a broadcasting and television station to beam guidance program to the Muslims of his country, and also news about their brethren in other parts of the world.

 

HI/OB/IINA

 

WIPO helps Gambians who embraced Islam

 

Banjul, Gambia, Shawwal 21//Jan 5,2002 (IINA) – One hundred Gambian nationals have embraced Islam in the hands of Libya-based World Islamic Propagation Organization (WIPO), at a ceremony that was attended by Daawa activists, Imams and other Gambian Muslim personalities.

 

The secretary-general of WIPO made an inspection tour of the educational and other institutions that are sponsored by the organization.

 

Two new mosques were also opened in the outskirts of the capital, Banjul.

 

In Surinam, WIPO organized training courses in the Arabic language for Muslim students.

 

WIPO is financed by the government of Libya.

 

OB/OB/IINA

 

 

Islam in Ghana - Report

 

Accra, Muharram 21/Apr 15 (IINA) - Ghana was formerly known as the Gold Coast, because the mining of this commodity was the most profitable commercial undertaking at the time in this West African country that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Out of its population of 20 million, Ghana’s Muslims account for 45 percent of that population.

 

Sheikh Hassan Khalid, a prominent Ghanaian Islamic Daawa activist said that Islam reached through Daawa activists who visited the country from the neighboring African countries, whose sole aim was to spread Islam to their neighbors.

 

Sheikh Hassan told DAAWA magazine that many of Ghana’s Daawa activists got their Islamic education in mosques where the activists from the neighboring countries used to give instruction to the Muslims, adding that the mosque in Ghana is playing a prominent role in the lives of the Muslims here.

 

He said apart from being a place of worship, the mosque is also a place of learning, scholarship, and guidance, adding that in addition to the learning the Holy Qur’an the faithful learn other subjects, such as the Prophet’s Hadith, and other Islamic Shari’a Studies.

 

Sheikh Hassan Khalid said that the Daawa activists of Ghana are now focusing their attention on the Muslim youths, so as to prevent them from going astray, and lead them toward the proper path and the correct Islamic practices.

 

Speaking about some of the problems facing Ghanaian Muslims, Sheikh Hassan said that ignorance is one of the problems, and the Daawa activities face the problem of lack of resources, and this has made it impossible to acquire new and modern methods of spreading the Islamic Daawa. These include printing presses and other communication equipments.

 

Sheikh Hassan also referred to the sporadic frictions between Muslims, and said that these frictions also hamper Daawa work, in one or another.

 

HI/OB/IINA

 

 

Uganda: Mufti speaks on problems facing Muslims

Kampala, Rabi Thani 10/June 31 (IINA) - The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Sha’aban Ramadhan, has outlined some of the problems facing the Muslims here, and told IINA that there are six million Muslims out of Uganda’s population of 21 million. He said there are 6,700 mosques, and in practically every mosques there is a Qur’an Study Circle, plus there is one Islamic University, and it comes under the aegis of the of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

 

As for Christian missionary activity, the Mufti said that while there are 60 missionary radio stations in the country for calling people to Christianity, there was only one Islamic radio station, known as the Bilal Station, which is supported by Saudi Arabia and by the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).

 

As for Islamic action to counter Christian activities, Sheikh Ramadhan said that such countries as Libya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have their Daawa activists in the country, but that these were not adequate to the task. He said that at the moment there are 60 Ugandan students studying at the Azhar, and at Saudi Islamic universities there are at present 100 Ugandans studying on scholarships from the MWL. He said that this year there were 25 student Daawa activists who graduated from the Azhar, whose expenses were paid for by the Azhar and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt.

 

The Mufti, however, appealed to Muslim states to increase their help to Uganda’s Muslims.

 

HI/OB/IINA

 

IINA – 01

Uganda Muslims continue their march toward progress

 

Kampala, Muharram 7/Apr 1 (IINA) - The Muslims of Uganda continue to pursue their path toward progress in all fields of human endeavor, so as to build their human capacities and protect their rights, discharge their duties, and continue their peaceful co-existence with their non-Muslim compatriots.

 

Uganda’s Muslim population has grown to 30 percent of the total population, and in order to meet the demand for more facilities they have started to build new modern schools, and to improve the old ones. By 1994, the Muslims had 1,015 primary schools, 101 secondary schools, two colleges, and a university.

 

According to 1991 statistics, literacy among Ugandan Muslims was 59 percent, the number of graduates increased from it was in 1964 (only two graduates), while today the number of doctorate holders and other university graduates is 200.

 

Uganda’s Muslims have also set up a number of health centers, whose services are not just confined to Muslim patients, but encompass patients from all religious denominations in the country.

 

Furthermore, Uganda’s Muslims youths have become more conformist to their faith than even their Christian counterparts in the country.

 

HI/OB/IINA

 

IINA – 03

Uganda: Islamic University

Kampala, Dhul Hijja 3/Feb 15,2002 (IINA) – The Islamic University of Uganda was founded in 1988, and is situated in the east of the country, in a city called Mbale, where the Muslim population is quite substantial. The university has five faculties, namely the faculties of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language, Education, Business and Public Administration, Science, Art, Sociology. The university issues undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to the students who pass its exams.

 

There are now 1,137 students enrolled at the university, boys as well as girls.

 

The initial funding for the university came from the Islamic Solidarity Fund and in the form of donations from governments and Islamic organizations, as well as from individual philanthropists.

 

Last year the Islamic University of Uganda was faced with financial problems, and was not able to adequately service its debts. Therefore the Islamic Solidarity Fund had to intervene and bailed it out to the tune of US$600,000, and at the same time the Fund asked the Islamic Development (IDB) to grant the university a loan that would enable it to pay its debts. But this request has yet to be met.

 

But the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has come up with a rescue plan, under which a commercial center, to be known as the King Fahd Plaza, is to be built in the heart of the Ugandan capital, and toward which the kingdom has paid US$5,000,000. The center, which would be in the name of the Islamic Solidarity Fund, is expected to generate income to the tune of US$1.5 million per annum, all of which would go toward supplementing the university’s budget.

 

OB/OB/IINA

 

Muslims in Zimbabwe - Snippet

 

Harare, Muharram 19/Apr 13 (IINA) - Statistics indicate that there were 1.2 million Muslims in Zimbabwe before the advent of British colonialism in this country in 1888. But from then on their numbers have been declining, to the extent that there now are only 200,000 Muslims in the country, out of a total population of about ten million.

 

The majority of the Muslims live in the rural areas, where they till the land, and in mining areas. Those who are involved in business live mostly in towns and cities.

 

Zimbabwe’s Muslims have formed various types of Islamic organizations, and are keen in spreading the Islamic way of life and culture in various parts of the country. They have therefore set up Islamic schools, after they had obtained government permission, under which each group of 50 families is allowed to set up its own Islamic school. They also have the right to build mosques in those areas.

 

At the University of Zimbabwe a chair of Islamic and Arabic Studies has been set up. There are about 100 main mosques in Zimbabwe, plus hundreds of other smaller mosques, attached to each is a Qur’an teaching school.

 

It is reckoned that Islam came to Zimbabwe in the first century of the Hijri calendar, and Islamic civilization and culture prevailed in the country until the advent of British colonialism in 1888. The colonial administration persisted until Ian Smith made what was known as the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in 1965.

 

It is noteworthy that the British colonialists adopted a negative policy toward the Zimbabwean Muslims, and started to persecute them and deprive them of their possessions, including their agricultural holdings. They were then forced to work in mines, under very trying circumstances, simply because they resisted the colonialists and urged their compatriots also to do so.

 

However, despite all odds, the Muslims continued with the struggle, until eventually Zimbabwe gained its true independence.

 

HI/OB/IINA

[Muhammad]

Muslim Minorities

.

.

..: ASIA

 

 

Countries With Muslim Minority Populations

By The Associated Press

April 28, 2004, 1:57 PM EDT

 

 

Following is a list of countries with significant Muslim minority populations:

* THAILAND: Muslims comprise about 5 percent, or 3.1 million of Thailand's population of 62 million. They have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, Thailand's only Muslim-majority provinces. Alienation caused by the central government's policies has been the source of a decades-old separatist struggle.

 

* INDIA: The country's 150 million Muslims -- nearly 14 percent of the population of 1.1 billion -- makes India home to more Muslims than any other country but Indonesia. Periodic riots between Muslims and the country's dominant Hindus have killed thousands over the years. In 2002, at least 1,000 Muslims were killed by Hindu mobs and more than 100,000 fled their homes in Gujarat state after 58 Hindus were killed by Muslims on a train in Godhra.

* PHILIPPINES: Muslims represent about 5 percent of the country's population of 85 million people. There are two main Muslim separatist groups. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has been fighting for self-rule in the south for more than two decades and has agreed to peace talks with the government to be held in Malaysia, although no date has been set. The Abu Sayyaf has a 13-year history of kidnappings-for-ransom and beheadings and envisions turning a string of southern islands into an Islamic enclave.

* CHINA: About 50 million Muslims comprise just under 4 percent of China's 1.3 billion people. They are concentrated in the southwestern province of Xinjiang, where opponents of Beijing's rule say the government represses them and is sending millions of ethnic Han Chinese from the east to cement its political and cultural control over the region.

* SRI LANKA: Muslims number 1.3 million, or about 7 percent of the country's population of 18.6 million. Muslims have been the target of systematic killings at the hands of the country's rebel Tamil Tigers, who are Hindus. Muslims remain marginalized in a country dominated by Buddhist Sinhalese. In 1990, 130 Muslims were massacred at two mosques.

* SINGAPORE: About 15 percent of its 4 million people are Muslims. A ban on traditional Muslim head scarves at schools caused an uproar in multiracial Singapore in 2003. The tiny city-state has adopted a strong-arm approach to terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, locking up scores of suspected terrorists under a security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

* MYANMAR: Muslims make up about 4 percent of Myanmar's 53 million people, most of whom are Buddhist. In the early 1990s, around 250,000 Muslims from the northwestern Rakhine state fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape alleged religious persecution by the ruling junta. Most of the refugees have since returned under a U.N.-sponsored program.

* CAMBODIA: Approximately 600,000 Muslims, mainly part of the Cham ethnic group, make up less than 5 percent of the primarily Buddhist country's 13 million people. The Cham are among the country's poorest people. The government is concerned the Cham minority has ties to Muslim terror groups, specifically Jemaah Islamiyah, but has been unable to uncover specific links.

 

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

__________________

 

 

Muslim's In CAMBODIA

 

Haji Yusuf is Deputy Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Phnom Penh. Cham Muslims make up the largest religious minority in Cambodia, with around 500,000 adherents. Robert Carmichael and Lon Nara talk to him.

 

Can you give us some background on Cambodia's Cham Muslims - where the Chams originally came from, and how Chams came to be the biggest minority in Cambodia?

 

The Cham Muslims are better known as the Champa people, who came from Champa [on the southeast coast of Vietnam]. According to the Koran, Islam was first [transmitted to the people] by Mohammed and came from the Arab world.

 

The Cambodian Cham Muslims were converted by Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian Muslims as well as other light-skinned Muslims who came to the country in the time of our ancestors. Before this, very few Chams were Muslim.

 

Can you tell us something about yourself: where you were born and raised, and what motivated you to become a spiritual leader.

 

I was born on Chruy-Changvar Peninsula (in Phnom Penh) in 1941; my mother died three years later. I remember aged four seeing Japanese soldiers riding a horse and cart and wearing their caps. When I was ten my father remarried and moved to Kampong Cham province. At that time I knew very little Khmer and not much of the Koran.

 

Because my family was very poor I did not have much time to study. Eight years after going to Kampong Cham I returned to Chruy-Changvar. In 1972 I started work as a medical assistant at the Pasteur Institute, after my brother helped me get a job there. I worked there until 1975, but I remember wanting to quit during the war in 1973. The French doctor asked me not to resign, because I had worked so hard.

 

At that time I was convinced Pol Pot could not enter the city because there were many weapons stored on the peninsula. But the KR came in very easily because of the political problems.

 

During the Khmer Rouge period I worked as a blacksmith. When they asked what my previous job was, I told them I had been a fisherman. I told them that Islam was a religion of praying for happiness, and that according to Islam, killing is sinful. Islam states that even cutting down trees for no reason is sinful, but if you kill an animal and give the meat to people, you will have merit in this life.

 

I was lucky to survive the Khmer Rouge time. I returned home after that and was appointed as chief of my group, and then became village chief. Six months after the Khmer Rouge left, I organized my people to set up this community and make it strong. We taught them how to form a civilian militia and devised social programs for the village. I also advised my people to start to farm the land rather than let it lie unused.

 

Because the villagers considered me a good and righteous man who does not lie, I was offered the job of first imam at the mosque. I did not accept that offer, preferring to be deputy imam instead. I felt that being first imam was a very senior position.

 

Cambodia is considered a more liberal society for free religious worship than several other countries in the region, such as Vietnam. To what do you ascribe the differences, and what other problems do Cham Muslims face here?

 

Since the end of the Khmer Rouge there has been widespread freedom of religious worship, and this has improved continuously since UNTAC days, when for the sake of democracy UNTAC set up international standard laws.

 

However, Cham Muslims do have certain problems. First we do not have enough schools or places of worship; second, only a small number of intellectuals survived the Khmer Rouge. Our fellow Chams in Canada, the US and New Zealand take pity on our circumstances and send money to build schools and mosques, and money to help the poor and orphans. Orphans are more prevalent in Cham society than in Khmer society as a whole.

 

What is your opinion on the social changes seen here since UNTAC came and left - particularly changes such as increased prostitution and higher rates of HIV?

 

There was both political and religious progress following UNTAC's arrival, but the change also affected Cham Muslims. Women now wear stylish skirts that expose their legs, and others wear shirts that show off their breasts. This did not happen before UNTAC came. My mother's generation wore long-sleeved shirts.

 

During UNTAC's time, many people from other poor countries came to Cambodia and transmitted HIV throughout Cambodia. I do not refer any nationality in particular, but I know that nowadays there are some Cham Muslims who are HIV-positive.

 

Islam states that a man is prohibited from having sex with any person other than his wife, but some men do not abide by this. The person who holds fast to his religion will not [get infected]. Government officials visit my mosque twice a month to train the villagers on how to avoid HIV.

 

What is your opinion on problems in society such as corruption?

 

Corruption is a personal matter, and to my understanding the government tries its best.

 

Funding for mosques and schools has come in recent years from other Islamic states that some say are repressive in their social attitudes. How much money has your mosque received, and does it ever come with doctrinal conditions attached, such as the position of women in society?

 

I know that Kuwait has given funding to some mosques to help teachers in schools with an extra $20 a month each. Our community no longer receives money from any states.

 

We receive funding from Cham Muslims living abroad - from Indonesian and Malaysian people. An American man in UNTAC gave $500 to help build our mosque. There were no repressive conditions attached to the funding. These people help us with a pure mind.

 

How many mosques are there in Cambodia, and are services conducted in Arabic or Khmer?

 

I know that before the Khmer Rouge came to power there were more than 300 mosques throughout Cambodia. There are more than that nowadays, and services are held in Khmer, Arabic and Cham. Before prayers people would always wash their face and clean their nose, then brush their teeth, but some people these days do not follow this so strictly.

 

We follow Sunni Islam, which is not hostile to other people; rather it helps them. If a Sunni man slaughters a cow he gives meat to other people living nearby regardless of their religion. In my community we also give food to Buddhist monks living on the peninsula and take them for free on the ferry across the river.

 

Staying with doctrine - some Islamic countries, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban, and to an extent Saudi Arabia, have repressive policies towards women. What is the position of women in Cham society?

 

Muslim women in Cambodia are not allowed to work hard like in the Khmer Rouge time, but they can work as medical staff, cooks, and the like. I advise my people to do whatever work they can find - if there is a job that a man can do, then it is a job a woman can also do. However, their hair must not be displayed, for fear that it might excite a man who is not her husband.

 

According to Muslim law, a woman is required to cover her face exposing only a space for the eyes. This was what women had to do in the time of Mohammed. In Cambodia a woman's face need not be covered - this helps her to see well and breathe properly. We should not be so strict, because [a restrictive practice] is like a string - if it is too tight, it will snap. We should be moderate.

 

Is there much inter-marriage between Chams and the majority Buddhist Khmer population, and if not, is it discouraged?

 

Islam is an open and generous religion. If I have a son and he falls in love with a woman from any other nationality, he can still get married to her. One of my sons-in-law is a Chinese-Khmer who was Buddhist. When he came to live with my family, he converted to Islam and learned the traditions. He also changed his name and agreed to abide by Islam. However, in the past some Cambodian Buddhist men have found that they could not convert to Islam- they missed their Buddhist faith, and so left their wives.

 

You have made the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Haj) - how many Chams have done so?

 

I came back from Mecca in June 1992, after spending 40 days there. There was a 22-strong delegation, mostly men but with three women. Many Cham Muslims travel to Mecca. Each year more than 100 Cham Muslims go on the pilgrimage.

 

Do you think Cambodia's Chams feel their first loyalty is to Islam or Cambodia?

 

In my opinion, the Cham Muslims love both their religion and their nation. We will follow whatever legal instruction is given, as long as it falls within the Constitution. However, we will not kill people. We are loyal to the authorities and also to our religion. We enjoy the same rights as all Khmer - we can stand for election as MPs, we can join the army, we can do everything.

 

The attack on Afghanistan has put Muslims in many countries in a difficult position: while most were horrified at the terrorist acts in the US and agree that the US has to defend itself, many are also concerned at the effect this will have on Afghanistan's impoverished civilian population. What is the feeling among Cambodia's Muslims about what is happening there now?

 

Cham Muslims regret the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the New York. It cost thousands of Americans and other nationalities their lives. We also expressed our condolences for the American people and other people who died in the attack. We strongly oppose the attack.

 

We are also angry with those who commit terrorism, both overtly and covertly. According to the Koran - and you can read it in English - Allah flatly prohibits bullying of other people. Those who are bullied have to speak frankly of their anger and ask [the perpetrators] to stop doing such things, because it is contradictory to our religious edicts. The retaliatory attack by America is not wrong, because it was done in self defense. No one could endure that terrorist attack [on the US] However, using war to settle problems can damage the advantage.

 

The US should undertake a cold war rather than a hot war - as the saying goes: while hot waters run shallow, cold waters run deep. The US can arrest anyone, but it should use this in a cold way. For example: if we use the fire to burn something, it will burn quickly. However, some cold elements - like ice - seem to get hot if you hold them long enough.

 

If the US makes this a cold war, then in my opinion it could arrest the entire group. But when it attacks in a hot war way, it risks the group separating and makes them harder to capture. It is like catching a group of thieves. It is regrettable that some bombs hit civilians, rather than landing on those who undertook the terrorist acts. It would be very good if the US stopped its bombing now and started a cold war instead.

 

Are there any signs of unhappiness or unrest among Cham Muslims?

 

Cham Muslims feel much pity for the civilian victims in Afghanistan and the US when they see they have lost a parent, a wife, a husband, their children. There are victims in both the United States and Afghanistan.

 

America can let the world live. It can do anything - the world is in its hands. We are not angry with America, because thousands of their children died in the attacks. We simply suggest that the US stops the war and is patient and acts with a cool head.

 

Afghanistan's children are no different to the children in America. Recently President Bush appealed to American children to donate $1 each to help Afghan-istan's children, so I think America is the father of the world. I repeat again that America should stop the attacks and instead find a political solution.

 

What is your opinion of Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaida?

 

America is right in its quest for Osama bin Laden, but I am not sure if a court would convict him for the killings. The US probably has enough evidence against Osama, which is why they are bombing Afghanistan. I don't know whether Osama would be found guilty or not - that would have to wait until a trial - but I imagine that he might be involved.

 

Islam states that if Osama is a genuine Muslim, he cannot commit such a crime because it is contradictory to the law - Mohammed prohibited such killing. For example: if someone kills your family member and you are the head of the family, you can forgive the killer. If you don't forgive them, you can ask for compensation.

 

Probably Osama bin Laden does not hold to Islamic law. However, what I have seen of him in his appearances on TV makes me think he could not commit the terrorist acts: I saw him holding an angkam [a string of wooden beads held in the hand] while praying.

 

Every religion has angkam. According to Islam those holding angkam are always thinking of God. Osama always holds it, which means he is thinking of God and how to persuade his people to do good things - not to kill people. So he is apparently a very good man, but I cannot sound out his mind.

 

Some Cham Muslims felt that the restrictive decree issued by the Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs, and subsequently struck down by Prime Minister Hun Sen, reminded some Chams of their time under the Khmer Rouge. As one who lived through that period, can you tell us how it affected you personally, and how Chams suffered in general?

 

During the Khmer Rouge time the Cham Muslims suffered worst of all. We were forbidden to pray or follow our Islamic traditions and would be killed if we spoke our language. They asked us to eat pork, which according to our religion we cannot do, and we were killed if we refused. There was a lot of repression.

 

The KR also banned women from covering their heads and ordered them to cut their hair short. The population of Cham Muslims was 800,000 [during the 1960s]; at a meeting I attended recently I was told there are now 500,000. That means that half of our people were killed.

 

We ate very little - only a few spoons of very watery porridge. We had no freedom to speak, to eat, to live. They took away all these freedoms.

 

In the 1960s there was only one Cham Muslim politician - the undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Cults and Religion. He was killed by the Khmer Rouge. Now there are 20 Chams in the government and the National Assembly and others in the military.

 

In my mother's time those Cham Muslims who wanted to hold a ceremony or slaughter a cow had to ask for permission from the authorities. Now we have a very good relationship with the authorities; we can hold ceremonies or slaughter animals without informing them, because we have democratic rights. We would like to express our thanks for this to the Cambodian government.

 

Turning to role models for young Cham: what qualities are necessary in a good role model for the younger generation?

 

There are many requirements. First we have to recognize clearly who God is. We consider Allah to be our god. Mohammed was the messenger of Allah, and he delivered the message to us and we have to follow that message.

 

Second, we have to pray five times a day. Third we have to observe Ramadan in order to know how difficult life is for the poor. If we have money we have to think about the poor to make our minds generous.

 

Fourth, excess jewelry and money should be given to the poor. Fifth, we must go on the pilgrimage to Mecca to see the tomb of Mohammed and hold the traditional ceremonies. There are many other requirements, such as learning how to make a living and not relying on others. It is not a good thing to be a beggar in Islam.

 

Another necessity is to undertake a rightful, legal business. And learning to be an erudite person, and show respect to your elders. All these are the requirements that someone wanting to be a good role model should have in order to guide the younger generation.

 

Finally, do you think that the West might come through the current events with a better understanding of Islam - for example as a tolerant, inclusive religion, rather than the views that have long colored Western attitudes?

 

Allah did not order Osama bin Laden to undertake terrorism. Allah did not conspire with Osama bin Laden or order him to kill people, just like the killing of more than one million Khmer people was not ordered by Buddha.

 

I understand that the West is not against Islam, but they can arrest anyone who commits these acts without using weapons, as I said earlier about using a cold war. We can arrest terrorists in a cold way.

 

I think that the West will not paint Islam in a bad light and that in the future the West will understand Islam better. The West will learn that Islam is a good religion, and that it is only individuals, not Islam, who commit terrorist acts.

 

Phnom Penh Post, Issue 10/22, October 26 - November 8, 2001

 

 

Muslims in China

 

 

History of Islam in China

Muslims take great pride in citing a hadith that says "Seek knowledge even unto China." It points to the importance of seeking knowledge, even if it meant traveling as far away as China, especially as at t the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), China was considered the most developed civilization of the period. Islam in China began during the caliphate of 'Uthman ibn Affan (Allayhi Rahma, ra), the third caliph. After triumphing over the Byzantine, Romans and the Persians, 'Uthman ibn Affan, dispatched a deputation to China in 29 AH (650 C.E., Eighteen years after the Prophet's (pbuh) death), under the leadership by Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqaas (Allayhi Rahma), Prophet Muhammad's (Salla Allahu wa Allahai wa Sallam, pbuh) maternal uncle, inviting the Chinese emperor to embrace Islam.

 

Even before this, the Arab traders during the time of the Prophet (pbuh), had already brought Islam to China, although this was not an organized effort, but merely as an offshoot of their journey along the Silk Route (land and sea route).

 

Even though there are only sparse records of the event in Arab history, a brief one in Chinese history, The Ancient Record of the Tang Dynasty describes the landmark visit. To Chinese Muslims, this event is considered to be the birth of Islam in China. To show his admiration for Islam, the emperor Yung Wei ordered the establishment of China's first mosque. The magnificent Canton city mosque known to this day as the 'Memorial Mosque.' still stands today, after fourteen centuries.

 

One of the first Muslim settlements in China was established in this port city. The Umayyads and Abbasids sent six delegations to China, all of which were warmly received by the Chinese.

 

The Muslims who immigrated to China eventually began to have a great economic impact and influence on the country. They virtually dominated the import/export business by the time of the Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). Indeed, the office of Director General of Shipping was consistently held by a Muslim during this period. Under the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 CE) generally considered to be the golden age of Islam in China, Muslims gradually became fully integrated into Han society.

 

An interesting example of this synthesis by Chinese Muslims was the process by which their names changed. Many Muslims who married Han women simply took on the name of the wife. Others took the Chinese surnames of Mo, Mai, and Mu - names adopted by Muslims who had the names Muhammad, Mustafa, and Masoud. Still others who could find no Chinese surname similar to their own adopted the Chinese character that most closely resembled their name - Ha for Hasan, Hu for Hussein, or Sai for Said, and so on.

 

In addition to names, Muslim customs of dress and food also underwent a synthesis with Chinese culture. The Islamic mode of dress and dietary restrictions were consistently maintained, however, and not compromised. In time, the Muslims began to speak Han dialects and to read in Chinese. Well into the Ming era, the Muslims could not be distinguished from other Chinese other than by their unique religious customs.. In spite of the economic successes the Muslims enjoyed during these and earlier times, they were recognized as being fair, law-abiding, and self-disciplined. For this reason, once again, there was little friction between Muslim and non-Muslim Chinese.

 

 

Over the years, many Muslims established mosques, schools and madrasas attended by students from as far as Russia and India. It is reported that in the 1790's, there was as many as 30,000 Islamic students, and the city of Bukhara, - the birthplace of Imam Bukhari, one of the foremost compilers of hadith - which was then part of China, came to be known as the "Pillar of Islam."

 

The rise of the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 CE), though, changed this. The Ch'ing were Manchu (not Han) and were a minority in China. They employed tactics of divide-and- conquer to keep the Muslims, Han, Tibetans, and Mongolians in struggles against one another. In particular, they were responsible for inciting anti-Muslim sentiment throughout China, and used Han soldiers to suppress the Muslim regions of the country. When the Manchu Dynasty fell in 1911, the Republic of China was established by Sun Yat Sen, who immediately proclaimed that the country belonged equally to the Han, Hui (Muslim), Man (Manchu), Meng (Mongol), and the Tsang (Tibetan) peoples. His policies led to some improvement in relations among these groups.

 

Since the People?s Republic of China was founded in 1949, tremendous upheavals occurred throughout China culminating in the Cultural Revolution. Muslims along with all the Chinese population suffered. After the third congress of the 11th Central committee, the government greatly liberalized its policies toward Islam and Muslims.. Since religious freedom was declared in 1978, the Chinese Muslims have not wasted time in expressing their convictions.

 

Under China's current leadership, in fact, Islam appears to be undergoing a modest revival. Religious leaders report more worshipers now than before the Cultural Revolution, and a reawakening of interest in religion among the young.

 

According to a publication on mosques in China(1998 edition), there are now 32,749 mosques in the entire People's Republic of China, with 23,000 in the province of Xinjiang. There has been an increased upsurge in Islamic expression in China, and many nationwide Islamic associations have been organized to coordinate inter-ethnic activities among Muslims. Islamic literature can be found quite easily and there are currently some eight different translations of the Qur'an in the Chinese language as well as translations in Uygur and the other Turkic languages.

 

Muslims have also gained a measure of toleration from other religious practices. In areas where Muslims are a majority, the breeding of pigs by non-Muslims is forbidden in deference to Islamic beliefs. Muslim communities are allowed separate cemeteries; Muslim couples may have their marriage consecrated by an imam; and Muslim workers are permitted holidays during major religious festivals. The Muslims of China have also been given almost unrestricted allowance to make the Hajj to Mecca. China's Muslims have also been active in the country's internal politics. As always, the Muslims have refused to be silenced. Islam is very much alive for China's Muslims who have managed to practice their faith, sometimes against great odds, since the seventh century.

 

Islamic Heritage of Muslims in China

by Prof. Li Hua Ying, Published in Al-Nahdah Magazine

 

Since Islam reached China in the middle of the 17th century, many Chinese have embraced Islam due to the simple nature of Aqidah, for its high regard in tolerance and high moral principles.

 

Besides surging toward well-being in this world and the hereafter, with utmost regard in ensuring the practice of Allah's commandments, the Chinese steadfastly proceeded to acquire knowledge and traditions of their own motherland. They also benefitted from good values induced from their cultural heritage.

 

The Muslims, together with the Han tribe and others, helped develop China during times of joy and agonyu. They were responsible to a great extent for restoring peace to the border states, improving the economy and developing religious knowledge.

 

Just as Islam was thought to be the religion of the peasants, so too was it considered only to be taught in the mosque. There was no support from the authorities, past or present, when it came to Islam. Therefore, the development of Islam in the provinjces inhabited by Muslims was basically through individual families. It was difficult for Islam to gain a footing in provinces where there were no Muslims. This led to research into the reasons for the ignorance about Islam.

 

This meant that no alim took the task to acquire knowledge of Chinese traditions and culture in the provinces around the Yangtze river and the Yuan region as a means of disseminating Islamic teachings and hasting its spread throughout China. Only after the 17th Century was this importance realised.

 

Islamic books in the classical Han language about linguistics, philosophy, fiqh, akhlaq, history and Chinese thought and traditions were published. Writers such as Ma Chu (1640-1711), Leo Tse (1660-1730) and Chang Chung (1584-1670) were respnsible for producing their own works and not merely translating from Arabic and Persian. A number of these books clearly synchronised with the teachings and philosophies of Confucius.

 

The first attempt at translating the Quran took place in the 19th century. Ma Pu Shu completed 5 juz, and though it was incomplete, it did serve to bring a measure of knowledge to the common people.

 

The 20th century saw successful attempts by numerous scholars to achieve this goal. One of the most distinctive was Shaikh Wang Jing Chai (1879-1949). Forty Hadith by Imam Nawawi was translated by Yang Shi Chian.

 

Philosophy and social sciences also benefitted from Chinese Muslim scholars. Works by Wang Dai Yu and Liu Tsi during the Ming and Chend Dynasties were hgihly regarded. They not only became the basis of Chinese Islamic philosophy, but also helped in the enrichment of thought in Chinese philosophy.

 

Ties were restored through multilateral trade between China and many foreign countries during the 17th century. Thsi resulted in closer relations between Chinese Muslims and other Muslims countries. More scholars from China were able to gain access to Islamic educational institutions abroad. Presently there have been greater interaction between Muslims in China and abroad. As Muslims we all continue to remain under the banner of a single brotherhood. (We Care, 4:11).

 

ARAB NEWS Editorial: Muslims in China

2 November 2004

 

 

In today’s economically vibrant and politically self-confident China bad news is no news, unless it is really bad. So, things must have gone really badly for China’s official news agency to report ethnic clashes in the central province of Henan, where martial law has been imposed. It may take weeks for the full picture of the incidents, in which 10 people were killed and scores injured, to be pieced together. Beijing’s decision to declare the province off-limit for foreign journalists is not going to help.

 

What seems certain is that a group of farmers from the majority Han ethnic community, attacked the villages of the Hui Muslims minority, setting fire to homes, farms and shops. A series of battles ensued in which rival gangs used farm equipment as weapons. The Hui Muslims in Henan have been victims of persecution for centuries. During the so-called Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, triggered by Mao Zedong in the 1960s, Muslims were forced to abandon their faith, were prevented from performing religious rites, and press-ganged into Communist Party “correction†centers. During the darkest days of the Cultural Revolution, with the printing and possession of the Qu’ran made a capital crime, Muslims learned the text by heart, each man or woman specializing in one or more surahs. Called “the walking textsâ€, they were in great demand for secret religious ceremonies.

 

The city of Xian, a major Islamic center for over 1,000 years, and the starting point of the famous Silk Road, was, for more than a decade, treated by Maoist zealots as enemy territory.

 

It is only in recent years that China has acknowledged the existence of Muslims among its citizens. But even then every effort is made to keep Muslims at bay. Official statistics put their number at around 10 million whereas most experts offer an estimate of 50 million. Muslims are discriminated against when it comes to the better jobs created since China’s conversion to economic capitalism. Muslims have virtually no presence in the ruling Communist Party that has been transformed into a political and business elite in recent years. And that means that one finds hardly any Muslim in the civil service or the leadership echelons of the armed forces. In areas such as the far west province of Xinjiang, or East Turkestan, where Muslims still form a majority, Beijing is trying to alter the demographic balance by bringing in large numbers of Han settlers. Restrictions are also imposed on the building of mosques, the creation of religious schools, and the training of Muslim religious leaders. The more radical Chinese leaders have seized upon the global trend in which Islam is often equated with violence and terrorism as an excuse for repressive policies vis-à-vis ordinary Muslim citizens.

 

The new Chinese ruling elite, although Communist by provenance if not by persuasion, has been intelligent enough to understand the inevitability of diversity in a large and multiethnic society. Mao’s nightmare of a dream to turn all citizens into robots waving his red book and singing his praises produced nothing but tragedy on an unprecedented scale. New China is blossoming because it has allowed a measure of economic liberty and diversity. It should go further and also allow religious, cultural, and ethnic freedom for all its citizens, including Muslims.

 

Records of the Communist:

According to population statistics of 1936, the then Kuomintang Republic of China had an estimated 48,104,240 Muslims. Below is a reference from about the Muslim population before Communist Revolution:

 

"There are in China 48,104,241 Mohammedan followers and 42,371 mosques, largely in Sinkiang, Chinghai, Manchuria, Kansu, Yunnan, Shensi, Hopei, and Honan. "Ferm, Vergilius (ed.). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976), pg. 145. [1st pub. in 1945 by Philosophical Library. 1976 reprint is unrevised.]

 

Under the pretext of unification of national education, Islamic schools were closed and their students transferred to other schools which taught only Marxism and Maoism. Other outrages included the closing of over 29,000 mosques, the widespread torture of imams, and executions of over 360,000 Muslims. Aside from the physical annihilation, Muslims have been subjected to a constant attack on their Islamic identity especially during the so-called Cultural Revolution (1966-76). For instance, posters which appeared in Peking (later to be called Beijing) in 1966, openly called for the abolition of Islamic practices. Muslims were also barred from learning their written language which incorporated the Arabic script and was influenced by Arabic, Turkish and Farsi. This change was critical as it distanced Muslims from the Arabic language, the language of the Qur'an and their Islamic aspirations. During this era many Mosques were closed down and waqf properties were confiscated. (Yusuf Abdur Rahman)

 

Since religious freedom was declared in 1978, the Chinese Muslims have not wasted time in expressing their convictions. There has been an increased upsurge in Islamic expression in China, and many nationwide Islamic associations have been organized to coordinate inter-ethnic activities among Muslims. Islamic literature can be found quite easily and there are currently some eight different translations of the Qur'an in the Chinese language as well as translations in Uygur and the other Turkic languages (Yusuf Abdul Rahman). There are now some 34,000 mosques and 400 Islamic organization in the entire People's Republic of China (Beijing, Rabi Awwal 28/June 20 (IINA). Muslims are allowed to perform Hajj and the number of pilgrimage from China is about 3000 per year.

 

At present, according to official statistics there are 28 million Muslim in China but in1936 it was estimated that the Muslim population was 48 million. By this time total population has increased 3-4 fold. So we can conclude that the total Muslim population has increased minimum by that same proportion. Therefore, now the total Muslim population is at least 150 million.

 

 

Snippet on the Meshket(Georgian Turk) Muslims

Tiblisi, Rabi Thani 3/Jun 14 (IINA) – Georgia was once owned by the Turkic people known as the Meshket Turks, who originally came from Central Asia and then spread out across the Caucasus, according to historical and archeological records. Under the rule of the Meshket Seljuk Muslims, the region prospered both economically and politically, and was an independent entity between the Christian Georgian-ruled areas and the Turkish Empire.

 

In 1555, the Meshket region came under the hegemony of the Ottoman Empire, and remained so for three centuries. But in 1829 there was a treaty whereby the Russians who had defeated the Turks in a war imposed their own hegemony on at least part of the Meshket region. However, the life of the Meshket Muslims was not the happiest one under the Russians, and by the early 19th century this region, like other regions in the Caucasian, witnessed deportation, and this process was being actively assisted by the Armenians, and because of Turkey’s continued weakness, the region became a Russian vassal. And when the Bolshevik Revolution took place in 1917, the whole area was under Russian subjugation.

 

When the Russians were fighting the Germans in the First World War, Stalin sent not less than 40,000 of Meshket Muslims to fight for Communist Russia, against their will, and not less than 20,000 died in that war. As if that was not enough, Stalin then started to deport all those who survived, as a result of which the Meshketians became a landless people. In 1944, the Meshket region was given by Stalin to Georgia, his birthplace. When he thought that Turkey might conclude a pact with Hitler’s Germany, he continued the deportation of Meshket Muslims from the Soviet part of Russia, to Central Asia, and their place was taken up by Armenians and Georgians.

 

In the process of deportations, many of the Meshketians perished, particularly children and the elderly.

 

Even when Khruschev condemned the Stalinist regime in 1956, he never said a word about the Meshket Muslims, their deportation and suffering, let alone their right to return to their original homeland. But the Meshket did not keep quiet, and started to agitate for their rights, including their right to return to their original homeland, and formed organizations that would speak for them. But the Russians did not like this, and they started to suppress the Meshketians and falsely accused them of all sorts of crimes, many of them were arrest, persecuted and incarcerated.

 

But the reason behind the resistance of the Georgians and Russians to the Meshket’s return and resettlement was more religious than demographic, in that they feared that the Meshketians being Muslims would strengthen Islam in the region. Helping in all these efforts of resisting the return of the Meshketians to their homeland are the Armenians, because of their fear that the lands they took over from the expelled Meshketians would be restored to their original owners.

 

Georgia accepted the principle of return of the Meshketian, but on condition that they do not lay any claim to any land, and that they change their names to Georgian ones, and thus completely forget their right to their ancestral land. Some did accept these conditions, but they are living in appalling conditions, apart from the hostility they are facing from the Armenians. The Armenians claim that the land is theirs, and they have no wish to share it with the Meshket Turks. In any event, there are only 184 Meshket families who have been allowed to return to Georgia, and even these are not allowed to settle in the area of Meshketia.

 

Despite all their agitation for their human rights, including their right to return to their homeland, the Meshket Muslims are not welcome in Georgia, and those. They are not allowed even to register themselves, let alone buying property and getting decent employment, neither in Georgia nor in Russia. "The Meshketian condition is no better than that of the Chechen Muslims who are still suffering from Russian persecution and discrimination," observes one writer.

 

The matter was taken up with the European Commission, and in September 2000 the return of the Ahiska Turks to Georgia was discussed and a 12-year plan for their gradual return was devised. But Georgia would have nothing of the sort, and has been continuing its policy of forcing the Meshketians to adopt Georgian names and surnames and a Georgian identity, while Armenians are not subjected to the same requirements and are free to maintain their own cultural and ethnic identity. In fact, the Armenians enjoy a good degree of autonomy to run their affairs, a right that is absolutely forbidden to the Meshketians.

 

Thus the Meshketians continue to suffer, and the future does, indeed, look beak for them, and both the UN and the EU seem to be impotent and unable to do anything, probably because the Meshketians are Muslim.

 

OB/OB/IINA

 

Muslims in Sri Lanka

 

Colombo, Muharram 7/Mar 21,2002 (IINA) - Sri Lanka’s Muslims were in the past mainly centered in the eastern part of the country, but the war between the government’s security forces and the Tamil Tigers has forced many of them to leave and settle in such places as the capital, Colombo, according to one of the Muslim leaders in the country, Ibraheem Salim, who had come to the holy sites to perform this year’s Haj.

 

He said that while the Muslims of Sri Lanka enjoy freedom of worship, they somehow perceive that they are being discriminated in other fields, such as senior civil service jobs, and the like, though there are some who do hold senior political positions, such as ministers.

 

Salim said that while there are the usual divisions among the Muslims of Sri Lanka, Daawa work continues to thrive, and Islamic centers and schools continue to be set up, with assistance from Muslim brethren from other parts of the world. He said that Islamic Studies form part of the curriculum of formal schools, but only up to Ordinary Level, but more needs to be done by Muslims on the level of secular subjects, in order to prepare their children for contemporary life in the professions.

 

Salim said: "But unfortunately, we are seriously lacking funds for technical education and for creating professionalism in our youth, and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to philanthropists to sympathetically look into this matter."

 

Salim said that Muslims make up eight percent of Sri Lanka’s population of around 19,000,000, but despite their numerical inferiority, they do not face any particular threat against them from the warring factions in the country.

 

Salim said the mosque plays an important role in the life of the Muslims of Sri Lanka, including the officiating of Muslim marriages. He said the Grand Mosque in the capital, Colombo, "is an accepted authority on sighting of the new crescent" for Ramadhan and the Eid festivities, and many of the scholars, local or foreign, visit this mosque.

 

 

Muslims in Nepal (Report)

 

Katmandu, Rajab 17/Oct 14 (IINA) - Muslims of Nepal speak the Urdu language, and they constitute eight percent of the total population of 14,000,000, . The majority of the Muslims live in the mountainous areas adjacent to the border with India, but their economic situation leaves much to be desired. They are not involved in any commercial or industrial undertakings, and the majority of them are either unskilled laborers or small-scale subsistence farmers, with a sprinkling of some lower-level civil servants.

 

Thus ignorance and backwardness are rampant among Nepalese Muslims, and this had led to their forfeiture of their human rights in the country.

 

Even in the faith that they profess, their knowledge of Islamic principles and culture is very meager, and they do need guidance and direction in this respect. Many of them are Muslims in name only, but hardly know anything else about Islam.

 

In the capital, Katmandu, which is situated in the middle of a mountainous area, there are four mosques, though there also are Islamic schools, such as the Jankbur Daham School, which was set up in 1386 AH in that city. It is used as a center for producing Da’awa activists, as Islamic education and the teaching of the Arabic language are not allowed in government schools.

 

The Muslims of Nepal are not given the right to practice Islamic personal law, because there are no such laws in the country, though Islam dawned on it in the fifth century of the Hijri calendar, according to existing historical records. It was Arab and Muslim traders who introduced Islam to Nepal.

 

Sheikh Muhammad Nassir Al-Abboudy, Assistant Secretary General of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) said that the Muslims of Nepal are incapable of combating their backwardness in social, economic, and political matters, nor are they capable of confronting the missionary activities and their enticements. The missionaries have been able to open schools, clinics, libraries, and other facilities, including cash disbursements. They even send some of the Nepalese converts to their seminaries in Europe and the US, so as to brainwash them even more.

 

Even Jews, the Chinese, and Indians have their schools, libraries, clinics and other facilities, for their own political agenda and influence.

 

Nepalese Muslims do, however, get help from such countries as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in the form of scholarships to those who wish to study at the universities of the two countries.

 

 

Arakan’s Muslims: A Snippet

Kuwait City, Shawwal 24//Jan 8 (IINA) – The military rulers of Burma (Myanmar) continues its repressive actions against the Muslims of Arakan Province, which is situated in the southwest of the country, and the repressive measures include the assassination of some individuals and the destruction of mosques.

 

Many have been displaced, and many have been forced to work in the construction of homes for the Burmese soldiers and their families, apart from using them in buildings roads and other facilities for the government.

 

After expelling the Muslims from their homes, the houses are allocated to Buddhists. Even Wakf (endowed) Muslim lands are confiscated, and the Muslims are denied freedom of movement within the country, and even travel outside the country. According to the amendment to the citizenship law that was effected in 1982, the Rohingya Muslims of Burma have been deprived of their Burmese citizenship, and therefore they could not involve themselves in business.

 

The Muslim women are subjected to rape, and they are not allowed to cover themselves with the Hijab, and many are forced to work in military barracks.

 

Apart from the destruction and desecration of mosques, the junta also sanctions the destruction of Muslim schools, Muslim cemeteries, and the detention of Muslim scholars.

 

The Rohingya Muslims are not allowed to organize themselves into political or social organizations, and no charitable or humanitarian organization is allowed to offer its services to them. Muslims are not allowed even to travel abroad for the Haj or to slaughter sacrificial animals during the Haj occasion.

 

Muslim young men and women in Burma are not allowed into any of its institutions of higher education, nor are they allowed to travel abroad in order to pursue further education, in addition to other forms of deprivation and harassment.

 

Muslims are even denied medical attention and treatment in government hospitals and clinics, and they are forced to abandon their Muslim names and adopt Buddhist ones.

 

Since 1991, the harassment of Muslims in Burma has been increasing by leaps and bounds, and this has forces many to take refuge in such neighboring countries as Bangladesh, where there are now not less than 300,000 living as refugees, but under very difficult and trying conditions. Many of them have had to return to Burma.

 

Arakan is separate from Buddhist Burma by a range of mountains called the Arakan Mountains, and their province is about 20,000 square miles in area, with Akyab as its provincial capital. It has a population of around 4,000,000, of whom 70 percent are Muslims, 25 percent Buddhists, and five percent made up of various faiths, including Christians and Hindus.

 

The Rohingyas take their name from the ancient name of Arakan, and Islam was introduced to it by Arab merchants who visited it in the first century of the Hijri calendar, followed by other waves of Muslim visitors, who brought with them, the Message of Islam. The response to the message was spontaneous, according to historians.

 

In 1406 AD, King Naramakhbala, who was the ruler of Arakan, was attacked by the king of Burma, and he had to take refuge with Sultan Nasiruddin Shah of Bengal, and, in the process, he embraced Islam 24 years later. He chose for himself the Muslim name Suleiman Shah, and was later able, with the help of his Bengal host, to regain his lost kingdom.

 

In 1420 AD, the first Islamic state was declared in Arakan, under the leadership of Suleiman Shah, of course, and for the next 350 years the country was ruled by one Muslim ruler or another. But in 1784 the country was once again attacked and occupied by Buddhist Burma, and when Britain took Burma in 1824, the Muslim population in Arakan was rendered weaker and weaker.

 

Then in 1948 Burma became independent from Britain, and despite all efforts to gain independence for Arakan as a separate state, those efforts did not meet with success. However, the Burmese Government of the time gave guarantees that the Arakanese would be afforded the right to self-determination.

 

But when the Burmese became stronger and sure of themselves as a sovereign state, such guarantees were thrown overboard, and let alone the right to self-determination being denied to the Arakan people, even their basic human rights have been flouted and violated. And since the military junta took power in Burma, matters have gotten even worse for the Muslims of Arakan, and everything is being done to cleanse the region of its Muslim population, and replace it with Buddhists.

 

The President of the Gulf-based Muslim Students’ Federation, Ibrahim Muhammad Atiqurrahman, told IINA that Myanmar’s Government demolished 72 mosques in the year 2001 alone. He added that there is now there is a new law the forbids the construction of new mosques or the repair and renovation of any old mosque, plus a rule that says that any mosques that was built within the last ten years should be pulled down.

 

Atiqurrahman went on to say that the government of Myanmar has now set up a committee to survey the Muslims of Arakan and their properties and other types of wealth, which committee has been imposing exorbitantly large tax assessments on them, and anyone who fails to pay up is jailed, unless he could pay a huge bride to the committee’s officials.

 

Even Arakan fishermen have not bee spared the oppression of the junta in Burma, and several get killed from time to time, simply because they are practicing their profession, though with legal permission from the concerned authorities.

 

In yet another effort to reduce the number of Muslims in the province, the Myanmar Government has passed a decree forbidding any male to get married before the age of 30, and a woman from being married away before she reaches the age of 25 years, according to Atiqurrahman.

 

But even if and when a couple wishing to get married reach the legal age, the marriage would not be sanctioned by the Marriage Bureau of the government, unless and until a proper bribe is paid to the official concerned with the issuance of such a permit, adds Atiqurrahman, who concluded by appealing to Muslims and Muslim governments and organizations to help their brethren of Arakan, in whatever way possible.