Growing Numbers Convert To Islam in Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea a growing number of people are now choosing to pray at a mosque rather than a church.
PNG is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of people turning their backs on Christianity and converting to Islam.
"A lot of Papua New Guineans are converting to Islam not because they don"t like the other religion. It"s just they"ve become, they feel comfortable in there," said Khalid, an Imam who received his training in Malaysia.
"The practice of Islam is much easier than the other religions. In the religion of Islam you are your own preacher. You learn how to pray.”
"God is not only in the mosque, it"s everywhere. So if I don"t come into the mosque, the house of prayer, I can pray under the trees, in the house, anywhere."
Papua New Guineans began converting to Islam in the early 1980s, and there are now more than 4,000 followers with recent reports of entire villages converting at the same time.
"Once the religion itself spread I tell you, I"m just predicting in 20, 30 years" time, all Papua New Guinea will submit to Islam."
Khalid says attitudes will change as the number of Papua New Guineans converting to Islam continues to increase.
Since1980s the number of Muslims is growing rapidly in Papua New Guinea. This great increase in the number opeople who believe in Allah, who embrace Quranic morality and who choose Islam is very joyful for the whole Muslim world. Allah states in the Qur’an those whom He will open their breasts to Islam as He wills, as below:
When Allah desires to guide someone, He expands his breast to Islam. When He desires to misguide someone, He makes his breast narrow and constricted as if he were climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah defiles those who do not believe. (Surat al-An‘am, 125)
Muslims should pray to Allah with a deep love hoping to meet with Allah’s mercy and Paradise in the Hereafter. They should strengthen their faith in the deepest way and be thankful to our Lord.