ISLAM

A brief history of Muslims in Panama

Dr. Abdul Khabeer Muhammad

The first group of Muslims that came to Panama (Central America) came as slaves from Africa, brought by the Spaniards to work the gold mines. Unlike the Africans in the other parts of the Americas, they refused to be slaves.

In 1552 a group from the Mandinka tribes arrived in Panama. They were always considered as intelligent, industrious slaves and with a higher degree of culture. Of this group, the Vais were the most outstanding blacks of the continent because they had invented a writing system.

Since this famous Mandinka tribe was influenced by Islam, they were all Muslims and it was written in the Spanish Laws of the period that these were prohibited from being brought to the Americas. Yet this was violated, partly because of religious discrimination. 'Mandinka' was among the colonies synonymous with the devil and evil spirits. There was another reason though. Islamic tradition had developed in them a high sense of pride which made them decisively refuse to be considered slaves of the white man. Many were captured and sold, but their spirit of freedom led them to promote and lead slave uprisings. The Spaniards considered them bad people because they forcibly refused to be slaves.

The group of about 400-500 that arrived on the Atlantic coast of Panama in 1552, escaped from a sinking ship and began to live and fight to maintain their freedom. This group did not arrive on the mainland as slaves. They elected one of their members called Bayano or Vaino to be their leader. (My theory is that the name Bayano is a derivative of the Arabic Word bayyan). Bayano led them in their fight against the colonizers.

These Muslims remained steadfast to Islam during the leadership of Bayano. They formed councils, and mosques were built where they held prayers and meetings. These men were steadfast in the faith and Islam, so much that it is related that a couple of them were captured in an ambush, one of the two men were one of the Imams of the group. He was sentenced to death by hanging. They then proposed to him that if he gave up his faith and beliefs, they would be lenient with him; he refused the offer, and he was thrown in a hole with a pack of Great Dane dogs that tore him apart. He persisted in his refusal, and died with his faith. Many more died defending Islam and Freedom.

As a Muslim, Bayano made many covenants with the Governor of Panama which allowed him and his brother Muslims to remain somewhat in peace. Bayano kept his word in all covenants made with the Spaniards; not so the Spaniards. An officer by the name of Ursua was sent to stop the rebellion. Seeing that he could not defeat them, he began to befriend them, and made some agreements with Bayano. These agreements were broken by Ursua by having forty of Bayano's men poisoned at a party he invited them to. Thirty-two died leaving Bayano and seven of his men. When they realized what was happening, some escaped. But, Bayano and his men were captured.

He was sent to Peru then to Spain where he died. It is a known fact that these men converted some of the natives to Islam which brought the love for freedom and justice. So the Spanish colonizers set out to kill them all to stop their growth and that of Islam. These Muslims established a society based on Islamic culture, religion and politics. After Bayano's death, efforts were made to destroy any trace of Islam during that period in Panama. These men lived in the area now known as Darien, San Miguel, Chepo, Pacora, San Blas and the area along the river Baayano, named after Bayano. There is no history as what happened to the Muslims who remained in Panama.

Even the books that teach the history of Panama and Bayano have purposely omitted the fact that he was Muslim. Whenever we lecture on Islam at the various educational institutions and tell them this historical fact, even the professors of history are found lacking. Yet, no one has been able to disprove the historical fact. That is recorded by historian Dr. Fernando Romero in an article titled: El “Rey Bayano” y Los Negros Panamenos en los mediados del siglo xvi (The “King Bayano” and the Black Panamians in the middle of the XVI century).

The second wave of Muslims did not come to Panama until the late 19th Century when some came as travelers and remained. One such Muslim was a brother from Lebanon named Muhammad Majdob, who arrived in 1909, established himself as a merchant in the City of Colon on the Atlantic coast, and remained until 1935. From his family, he had a brother named Najim Majdob who recently resettled in the United States of America.

During the years 1904-1913, the group that arrived and settled in Panama to become merchants came from the Indo-Pakistan area, from Lebanon and other Muslim countries. The major group from Indo-Pakistan came from Bengali, Punjab, Peshavir and Kashmir. Brothers Abdul Jabbar Babu and Ali Akbar led these groups. They numbered 15 to 20 and they came without their families. Therefore, some of them married local women.

In 1929 another group came from Bombay. Among them was Muhammad Ibraheem, Salomon Bikhu, the Asvat family, Ismail and Musa, Bhana family and others. They formed an organization called the Sunni Indo-Pakistan Muslim Society. Many of them lived and prayed in a building located in Calle Colon (Colon Street), and then moved to a room in Calle 19. Among the group was the Jalil family who now resides in Vista Alegre, Province of Colon.

During the period 1929-1948, this organization, then named Panama Muslim Mission, began to build a place for prayer on land donated by Ali Akbar. This was to have been the first mosque built in Panama City. This place was half completed and was used for Salatul Eid, and classes for new Muslims, who numbered about 25 during that period. These new Muslims were blacks of West Indian descent, Jamaicans, Trinidadians and Barbadians. Brother Ali Akbar conducted these classes. This locale still exists today and is located on Avenida 12 de Octubre entrance to Pueblo Nuevo, Panama City. Due to the fact that the place was not in use, local government allowed homeless people to reside there. Abdul Jabbar Babu, Ali Akbar and the secretary of Mission Islam, Abdullah Morris, led the group that assisted in the building of that structure.

During the above mentioned period, there was another group practicing Islam in the City of Colon, located on the Atlantic Coast of the Republic of Panama. A Jamaican named Basil Austkan led this group. He rented a place that was used for Salat and meetings. This place was located on Sixth Street and Broadway, Colon. These Muslims dressed in white robes to pray and fasted during the month of Ramadan and at other times prescribed in Islam.

In 1932 there was a group of Muslim in San Miguel, Calidonia in Panama City who resided in Short Street where they held meetings and prayers.

The Muslims in Panama City from the Indo-Pakistan area had no family structure until 1951 when the first families (wives) arrived. Even though they had built in Pueblo Nuevo, many continued praying in the rented room located on Callo 19, because it was closer to their place of business. One of the brothers by the name of Saliba translated the Quràn to English in order to teach the local people who accepted Islam. These people spoke English because they came from from the West Indies. During the period of the 1950-60s, they remained worshipping in the two areas of Calle Colon and Calle 19. In 1963, they purchased a plot in the local cemetery called Jardin de Paz in order to bury their dead. In 1991, property was purchased in an area called Arrajain, which is now used solely as a Muslim cemetery.

In the mid-1970s, a group of native Panamanians influenced by the Nation of Islam of Elijah Muhammad (their faith is different from the general Muslims’ faith. Close to Qadiyanism), led by Abdul Wahab Johnson, Abdul Kabir A. Malik Reid and Suleyman Johnson, began propagating Islam. This grew into two groups, one on the Pacific side, Panama City, and the other on the Atlantic side, Colon. After having contact with Dr. Abdulkhabeer Muhammad, who then came to Panama, they began to study true Islam in accordance of the teachings Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Holy Qur'an. They were provided with books by Abdulkhabeer and taught the basic principles of Islam.

In 1977, under the leadership of Suleyman, Abdul Wahab and Abdul Kabir A. Malik, they began holding classes on Sundays in the Firemen's rehearsal hall due to the fact that Suleyman is a fireman. Later they received financial assistance from the Arab merchants living in Colon led by Brother Ahmed Sakr. They rented a place on 7th Street and Central Avenue, Colon, where prayers and meetings were held. This group, due to lack of knowledge and assistance, disintegrated.

The Muslims of the Indo-Pakistan area began teaching their children at home in 1965 until 1973, when a small teaching programme began in a room above Bazar Hindustan on Central Avenue, Panama City. Prayers and meetings were also held there. In 1978, they began to use a place in the area of Perejil, Panama City, where prayers and meetings where held until the completion of the Jamah Masjid, which was inaugurated on 15 January, 1982. This masjid was built jointly by the Islamic Calla Society of Tripoli, Libya and Salomon Bikhu a local merchant from India, to provide a place for Muslims to meet and pray. Since its inauguration, classes have been held there in the evenings for children and others.

Classes are also held on Sundays at the Masjid in Colon for new Muslims and people interested in Islam, given by Dr. Abdulkhaber Muhammad, and in his absence Hamza Beard.

As of December 1996, there are five masjids in the Republic of Panama. The masjids are located in Panama City, Colon, Aguadulce and David. Islam in Panama began with the advent of slavery to the area and Allah willing, the movement will grow and bring peace, justice and understaning to all the people of Panama, Latin America and the Carribean

Courtesy-The Message Canada Islamic magazine, August 1997

Compiled by Latheef Farook:

My first Ramadhan and Eid

Dr. Kay Frederick

One thing I have learnt from fasting in Ramadan since I converted to Islam in 1994 is that you appreciate food and water more fully. When you can eat whenever you want, you take food for granted. Even being hungry is not the same, because when you are not fasting, and you feel hungry, you eat.

During fasting, when you feel hungry, you wait. Until sunset. And if the hunger pangs began around 10am and you won’t eat until 8 pm, 10 hours later, that’s a lot of waiting. This waiting to eat and drink is not like dieting either. When you diet, you don’t eat this or that food. You may have cravings, you make feel sad, you may even resent watching those around you eat what you’ve decided not to eat – but still, you eat, a carrot, a lettuce leaf, some celery. It’s not the same thing as waiting all day to eat salad.

Fasting during Ramadan is not even like being anorexic – the one who doesn’t eat to the point of sickness. During the day, the anorexic experiences hunger pangs, and doesn’t eat, and feels a sense of power at controlling this need to eat. But even an anorexic will eat something during the day, or during a moment of weakness, an apple, a piece of bread, a chocolate. Anorexia is not like fasting, to say the least, and not to mention the spiritual and motivational differences between fasting and anorexia. For Ramadan is not like being on a diet (Though plenty of Muslims hope to lose weight during Ramadan, it is not a given that one will). When it comes time to break the fast, you eat, and eat well. Ramadan is full of all kinds of treats and special dishes that are cooked only at this time of year. Some people go overboard and feast much of the night, while sleeping much of the day.

Sometimes I break my fast with a glass of water. Water tastes amazing when you’ve not had it all day. And drinking a glass of water never has the same feeling outside of fasting. Yet, drinking water seems so mundane, so ordinary. Many children (and adults) turn up their noses when you offer them a glass of water to quench their thirst – and prefer pop or juice. But try water after fasting – so smooth, so soft, so cool as it trickles down the throat, refreshing that parched spot on the back of the tongue.

And when the fasting day is all over, there is a sense of liberation. Now I can eat or drink as I wish. A saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) springs to mind: “The fasting person has two occasions for joy, one when he [or she] breaks his fast because of his breaking it and the other when he meets his Lord because of the reward for his fast.”

And then there’s sometimes a guilty thought for those who live as if they are fasting, but can’t break their fast at the end of the day because of their life circumstances: poverty; war; drought. It is for this reason that we are taught that Ramadan teaches compassion, and encouraged to be extra generous during this month.

Before I became Muslim I knew nothing of Islam (except the negative stereotypes – oppression, violence and so on). When I met Muslims for the first time and observed their Ramadan fast, I thought it was crazy, a bizarre religious requirement, and one more reason to be an atheist. Only a mean “God” would ask people to abstain from food and drink. I used to see the Muslims lolling about in the afternoons at the international student centre at Queens University, where I had come from Australia to study my MA. They were too tired to study, or so they said. What a silly event, I thought, what a waste of time.

I grin to myself sometimes with this memory, as it is now sometimes I who flop down on the couch in a Ramadan afternoon, feeling lethargic. And I had smiled with recognition, (as well as incredulity and shock) when I later learnt that Tunisian President Bourguiba (ruled 1955-1987) had tried to ban Ramadan in his efforts to increase worker “productivity” and “modernization.”

Part of me understood where he was coming from, while the believer in me trembled at his audacity in going against the Islamic teachings so dreadfully.

Actually, Ramadan indicates that there is more to life that the material world. Tiredness in the afternoon, or even a short bout of unproductively, is not the measure of success – it is the spiritual reward that counts most.

Overall I have found that Ramadan is a very productive month. There is no time wasted on snacks or lunch; all that time spent preparing and eating food, and drinking, is used for work. It seems easier to focus without the distractions of food.

My first few Ramadans were excruciating. And I was blessed to have become Muslim during winter, when we broke our fast around 5 pm. I always used to joke that in 15 years when Ramadan was during a Canadian summer, that I’d move to the Equator.

Well, now, here I am, learning to fast during summer. I can only imagine what it is like for a new convert, learning to fast during summertime. At least, I quipped to such a new convert recently, when the winter Ramadan fast rolls around, you’ll be thinking “Is that it? Did I fast today?”

I have realized as time has passed the meaning of the Quranic verse that tells us to vie with each other in piety: I’ve met people who find fasting easy, who love it, and look forward to it, but they find something else very difficult; whereas I might find that thing easy, but fasting very difficult. Which is why the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once remarked that people are equal in the eyes of God like the teeth of a comb.

Deeply spiritual Muslims will know that what I am writing about Ramadan signals a lack in my spirituality. This hit home to me a few weeks ago, as I felt a kind of dread in the lead up to Ramadan – will I be able to handle such a long fasting day – I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it.

I marvelled at the story of one of the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh), Abu ad-Darda’, who said he would not like to live except for three things, “Having thirst for the sake of God during the midday heat, prostration for God’s sake during the middle of the night, and sitting with a people who choose the most pleasant speech in the same way that one chooses the sweetest fruit.” I mulled over this and those friends who have expressed a similar and somewhat baffling love of Ramadan: Abu ad-Darda’ looked forward to what I was dreading: thirst in the heat of summer. Clearly I have been lacking something (Muslims will know this as ‘eeman’ – a gauge of my faith or relationship to God).

Ramadan is over, and I’ve made it, thanks to God’s help. I have realized this year, in a kind of epiphany, that it is the spiritual relationship that sustains you through the long days of hunger and thirst. If you want to get more out of fasting than hunger or thirst, to nourish the spiritual side is to nourish the body too.

Of course, we are taught this every year, as Ramadan approaches and is upon us. Why are we fasting? “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) taqwa [self-restraint, God-consciousness, piety] (Surah Al Baqarah 2:183).”

But I suppose I didn’t understand the full extent of it. I probably still don’t. Deeply spiritual Muslims may well shake their heads in wonder that I could have been so blocked-headed all this time – I am wondering myself – but it is normal, each one of us is on our own unique spiritual journey to God. The real blessing is to understand the true message of Ramadan, even if it has taken me so long to get there. That is why I think those 15 years after I first fasted, I finally had fasted my first Ramadan. It is also why I believe the Qur’an and its traditional teachings should be approached with humility and patience. You never know how long it may take to do the work needed to pry open the shell and find the pearl.

My Story - Michael David Shapiro

I am ethnically a Russian Jew. My quest began when I was 19 years old. I was recovering from my stint with Scientology (yes I was brainwashed into it). My belief in God was uncertain. My goal in life was to be a rock star. I was living in my Pasadena apartment and working as a secretary. Funny, I know.

One night I was walking to the kitchen, and encountered a dark fellow. I remembered asking him, “Can I keep this vodka in the fridge tonight?” We shook hands and went to sleep. After that point, my life changed drastically.

This dark fellow, a Muslim, was the first Muslim I had ever met. Extremely curious, I conversed with him about his faith. What’s this stuff I hear about praying five times a day…And about Holy War…Who is this Mohammed? Our talks were accompanied by our Christian roommate, Wade. Together, we created “The Jewish, Christian and Muslim dialogue sessions”. In it, we discovered many differences and many commonalities.

My interest had then shifted from sex, drugs, and parties to a massive search for the truth. A search that I had to complete...a search for God…and a search for how to follow him.

In my quest for the truth, I asked myself, “Ok let’s start simple, how many God’s do I think are out there?” I figured only one; knowing that a divided God is weaker than One God, figuring that if one God didn’t agree with the other, there might be arguments and feuds. One God was my choice.

Once I opened up my mind to the possibility of the existence of God, I analyzed both atheist and theist beliefs. The thing that directed me to the latter was the quote “Every design has a designer”. With that in mind, eventually I woke up with certainty that God exists. I can’t explain why, I just felt it somehow.

This newfound excitement was accompanied by a sense of responsibility to follow the Creator. The world of religion was my next frontier.

Then I asked myself, “Where do I start?” There are literally thousands of them. I need a way to narrow them down to a just a few. How do I accomplish such a task? “Find the ones that are monotheistic” entered my mind. “Hey that makes sense, since I believe in only One God.”

The major religions I encountered that fell under the title of Monotheistic were Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Well since I’m a Jew, I started with Judaism. Explanation after explanation, equation after equation, comparison after comparison, analogy after analogy, I couldn’t grasp this concept. Ok let’s keep looking here.

Islam means submission. The main beliefs are as follows: One God, worship God five times a day, give 2.5 percent annual charity, fasts during Ramadan (to be closer to God and appreciate life…among other reasons) and finally journey to Mecca for Hajj if you are able financially. Ok, nothing hard to understand so far.

There’s nothing that conflicts with my logic here. The Quran is a book with all of these interesting miracles and timeless wisdom. Many scientific facts only discovered recently where proclaimed 1400 years ago in this book.

Ok, Islam had passed my initial religious prerequisites. But I wanted to ask some deep questions about it. Is this religion universal? Yes, anyone can understand these basic beliefs…no analogy or equation are needed. Does it agree with science? Yes, dozens of verses in the Quran agree with modern science and technology. As I sifted through the countless logical facts that I read through and researched, one thing took my attention the most – Islam, the name of this religion. I noticed it is written many times in this Quran.

Naming is the very basis which humans identify with objects, both physical and non-physical. If religion is supposed to be pras ticed and spread to every person on earth, shouldn’t there be a NAME for it? Islam is the only of these religions to include the name of the religion in its scriptures. This is so huge for me. I realized I would follow Islam at that point. I then became a Muslim. I knew the truth. I was out of the darkness. I came into the light…

Signs of Allah in oceans and lands

The rains, the seas, rivers, streams, the oceans, drinkable water that flows when you turn on a faucet... People are so used to the existence of water that they probably never think about the fact that a major part of the Earth's surface -indeed, most of it- is covered with water. However, what is singularly important here is that, among all known celestial bodies, only the Earth provides drinkable water.

Fully four-fifths of the Earth's surface is covered with water. In addition to large water masses such as oceans, there are various other water sources whose sizes and attributes are different from each other, such as rivers and small lakes. Some of these waters are too salty to be drinkable, but others are fresh. There is a perfect water balance that has been arranged according to the needs of all living things on the Earth.

By virtue of water, millions of species of creatures exist on Earth, and the balances that are necessary for life are preserved. For example, clouds and rain are formed by the evaporation of large water masses. Water has a high capacity for drawing and holding heat. For this reason, the large water masses of the oceans and seas maintain the balance of the world's heat. Therefore, the temperature difference between day and night in regions near the sea is very small. This makes these regions more livable.

The existence of the oceans, a bird's-eye view of which is seen at the left of this page, is highly significant. Because the oceans reflect the sun's rays less than land does, they receive more sun energy, yet they disperse this heat in a more balanced way. Therefore, the oceans cool the equatorial regions and prevent them from becoming excessively hot, and also warm the waters of the Polar Regions to prevent them from freezing completely.

Through the transparency of water, water mosses can photosynthesize under the surface of the ocean. Water is one of the few substances in nature that expands when frozen. It is because of this that the seas and oceans do not freeze from bottom to top.

All of the physical and chemical features of water, of which only a few have been given here, show us that this liquid has been specially created for the needs of human life. It is surely no coincidence that such water is not available on any other planet besides the Earth. The Earth, which has been specially created for human life, has blossomed with life through water, which has also been specially created. Allah, Who has created countless blessings for His servants and bestowed on them an easy mode of living, has created water with unique artistry and delicacy. As He maintains in the Qur'an, “It is He Who sends down water from the sky...” ( Holy Quran -Surat an-Nahl: 10)