Islam in Suriname

According to the official data, the Muslim population of Suriname represents about 13.9 percent of the country's total population as of 2012, which is the highest percentages of Muslims on the South American continent. Though the majority belong to the Sunni interpretation of Islam and some syncretic sects such as Sufism and Javanese Kejawèn.

Mosque Keizerstraat in Paramaribo

Some speculate that Muslims first came to Suriname as slaves from West Africa and then were converted to Christianity over time, even though there is little proof for these speculations. The ancestors of the actual Muslim population came to the country as indentured laborers from South Asia and Indonesia, from whom today most Muslims in Suriname are descended.

Because Islam came to Suriname with immigrants from Indonesia (Java) and South Asia (today India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), who brought their local form of Islam to Suriname, it is strongly influenced by these regions. Apart from descent, most Surinamese Muslims also share the same culture and speak the same languages. Suriname has a small number of Afghan Muslims and their native-born children.[1]

Demographics

There are 75,053 Muslims in Suriname, according to the 2012 census.[2] This number is up from 66,307 Muslims in 2004. However, the share of Muslims declined from 19.6% to 13.9% in the last half-century. The main reason for the declining share of Muslims in Suriname is the mass conversion of Ahmadi Muslims of Javanese descent to Christianity in the last years.[3] Between 1971 and 2012 the share of Christianity among ethnic Javanese people grew from 9% to 21% (+12%), while that of Javanese Muslims decreased from 85% to 67% (-18%). The share of Muslims of Indo-Surinamese descent decreased from 17% to 13% in the same period (-4%), mainly because of emigration to the Netherlands and declining fertility rates. The share of Muslims among Maroon people doubled from 0.1% to 0.2%.

Year [4]	Suriname (population)	Muslim population	Share (%)
1964	324,893	63,809	19.6%
1971	379,607	74,170	19.5%
1980	355,240	69,713	19.6%
2004	492,829	66,307	13.5%
2012	541,638	75,053	13.9%

Most Muslims in Suriname are non-denominational Muslims (53%), followed by Sunnis (28%) and Ahmadiyya (19%).

Ethnic groups

Islam is the main religion among Javanese Surinamese people (67%) and the second largest religion among Indo-Surinamese people (13%) and multiracial people (8%).

Islam by ethnic group as of 2012
Ethnic group	Population	Muslims	%
Javanese Surinamese	73,975	49,533	67.0%
Indo-Surinamese	148,443	18,734	12.6%
Multiracial people	72,340	5,471	7.6%
All Afro-Surinamese	206,423	621	0.3%
Amerindians	20,344	138	0.7%
Chinese Surinamese	7,885	112	1.4%
White Surinamese	1,665	32	1.9%
Others and indefinable	10,561	412	3.9%

Geographical distribution

Mosque in Paramaribo

Commewijne District has the highest share of Muslims (mostly Javanese Surinamese), followed by Nickerie District and Wanica District (mostly Indo-Surinamese).

Share of Muslims by district according to 2004 Census
District	Percent of Muslims
Commewijne District	40.4%
Nickerie	22.5%
Wanica	21.7%
Saramacca	18.8%
Para	11.3%
Coronie	11.0%
Paramaribo	9.4%
Marowijne	6.8%
Brokopondo	0.2%
Sipaliwini	0.1%
Suriname	13.5%

International

Suriname (since 1996) and Guyana (since 1998) are the only countries in the Americas which are member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.[5]

Notable Muslims

• Rashied Doekhi

See also

• Religion in Suriname

References

1. The Afghan muslims of Guyana and Suriname
3. (in Dutch) MOZAÏEK VAN HET SURINAAMSE VOLK: VOLKSTELLINGEN IN DEMOGRAFISCH, ECONOMISCH EN SOCIAAL PERSPECTIEF Archived 2017-09-02 at the Wayback Machine page 121
4. Muslim Population in the Americas: 1950 – 2020 page 7
5. Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Archived 2013-12-09 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

• Bal, Ellen; Kathinka Sinha-Kerkhoff (August 2005). "Muslims in Surinam and the Netherlands, and the divided homeland" (PDF). Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 25 (2): 193–217. doi:10.1080/13602000500350637. hdl:1871/33761.