The document provides information about Oceania and the presence of Islam and Muslims in the region. Some key points: - Oceania includes Australia, New Zealand, and various Pacific islands spanning Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It has a population of over 40 million, with most living in Australia. - Islam has been present in parts of Oceania for centuries due to contact with Muslim-majority regions in Indonesia and Malaysia. Several Pacific countries like Fiji and Papua New Guinea have seen growth in indigenous Muslim populations in recent decades. - The Muslim population of Oceania is estimated at over 800,000, with the majority living in Australia. Other countries with significant Muslim populations

1. Islam and Muslims in Oceania
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Photo by Ngoc Vuong from Pexels
Javed Mohammed, October 2022

2. Oceania is both small and huge
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3. A few interesting facts about Oceania
• At over 3.2M square miles (8.5M km2), Oceania is the smallest continent in
the world in terms of land area but as it includes most of the Pacific Ocean, it
is huge
• Its population of just over 40 million people makes it the 6th least populous
continent in the world, behind Antarctica
• The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and Sydney is
the largest city on the continent
• Oceania is in the southern hemisphere. This means that it has winter during
June through August and summer during December to February
• It is sparsely populated with more sheep than people
• Approx. 73% of Population identifies as Christians. The remaining subscribe
to various religions including Hinduism, Sunni-Islam, Ahmadiyya, Buddhism,
Jainism, Judaism, Baha'i, as well as a wide array of traditional Indigenous
belief systems which include polytheistic and animistic, with a belief in many
deities and spirits
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4. What is Oceania?
4
Oceania is one of the 7 Continents and a geographical region that includes Australasia,
Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, all in the Pacific Ocean

5. What is Oceania?
5
Over 10,000 islands in
the North and South
Pacific and 14 countries:
1. Australia
2. Fiji
3. Kiribati
4. Marshall Islands
5. Micronesia
6. Nauru
7. New Zealand
8. Palau
9. Papua New Guinea
10. Samoa
11. Solomon Islands
12. Tonga
13. Tuvalu
14. Vanuatu

6. What is Oceania? Polynesia
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• Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and
nesos = island)
• Over 1,000 islands in the central and
southern Pacific Ocean
• Geographically, Polynesia is a triangle with
its three corners at Hawaii (in the North),
Easter Island (in the East) and New Zealand
(in the South West)
• Polynesia also includes Samoa, Tonga,
Marquesas, and French Polynesia
Source: Wiki “Polynesia”

7. What is Oceania? Micronesia
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Micronesia (from the Greek words μικρόν =
small and νησί = island)
Over 2000 islands in the Western Pacific
4 main archipelagos—the Caroline Islands, the
Gilbert Islands, the Mariana Islands, and the
Marshall Islands
Politically divided between 6 territories:
1. Federated States of Micronesia
2. The Republic of Palau
3. The Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands
4. The Republic of Nauru
5. The Republic of Kiribati
6. Territory of Guam
Source: Wiki “Micronesia”

8. What is Oceania? Melanesia
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Greek melas 'black' and nesoi 'islands' because
of skin tone of its people
Mostly in Southern Hemisphere and extends
from Sumba in the west to Tonga in the east,
and includes the Arafura Sea and a few
thousand islands
Includes 4 countries
1. Fiji
2. Vanuatu
3. Solomon Islands,
4. Papua New Guinea
Source: Wiki “Melanesia”

9. What is Oceania?
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All of these lands had and
have indigenous
populations:
1. Australia (Aborigine)
2. New Zealand (Maori)
3. Papa New Guinea
(Papuans)

10. What is Oceania?
10
The three largest land masses
are
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Papa New Guinea
(Followed by the Pacific Islands. For whatever
reason Oceania does not include the
Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan)

11. Oceania Population 2022
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1,871
1,934
11,312
11,572
12,668
17,011
18,055
41,569
44,273
49,551
106,858
114,164
131,232
171,774
222,382
289,950
306,279
326,740
724,273
929,766
5,185,288
10,142,619
26,177,413
0 5,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000 30,000,000
Tokelau
Niue
Tuvalu
Wallis and Futuna
Nauru
Cook Islands
Palau
Marshall Islands
American Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Tonga
Micronesia
Kiribati
Guam
Samoa
New Caledonia
French Polynesia
Vanuatu
SolomonIslands
Fiji
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Australia
Oceania Population 2022
Source: Wikipedia List of Oceanian countries by population and others

12. Muslim presence in Oceania
• According to a 2007 article in Pacific Magazine, entitled 'Green Moon
Rising', Islam has seen a substantial increase in adherents amongst
the peoples of Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and
New Caledonia. There have been thousands of indigenous converts
to Islam in Melanesia.
• There is also approximately 400 Muslims in Palau whose government
recently allowed a few Uyghurs detained in Guantanamo Bay to
settle in the island nation.
• Islam has been in some parts of Oceania for at least 400 years (since
the 1600s). When the people of Papua New Guinea and West Papua
traded with China and the Malay empire, in the early 1600s, the
presence of Islam was felt in Oceania for the first time.
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Source: Wiki “Islam in Oceania”

13. Muslim presence in Oceania
• Islam has been in some parts of Oceania possibly as early as the 16th
century due to contacts with the largely Muslim regions in Indonesia. When
the people of New Guinea traded with China and the Malay empire, in the
early 17th century, the presence of Islam was felt in Oceania for the first
time.
• Regions like Western New Guinea have established native Muslim
populations. Islam first arrived to the region via Moluccan influence in the
17th century although Muslim merchants conducted trade with the western
Papuans since at least the 15th century.
• Other parts of Oceania did not feel the presence of Islam until the 19th
century. For instance, the first Muslims in Fiji came when Muslim migrants
came on a ship bringing indentured laborers to Fiji in 1879. Muslims
consisted of 22% of the boarders on Leonidas, which was the first such ship.
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Source: Wiki “Islam in Oceania”

14. Oceania Muslim Population 2022
0
10
10
20
50
50
120
180
200
208
217
240
300
300
420
500
688
1,000
7,500
8,249
58,575
67,409
837,677
0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000
Tokelau
Wallis and Futuna
Cook Islands
Nauru
Niue
American Samoa
Tonga
Marshall Islands
Tuvalu
Micronesia
SolomonIslands
Palau
Guam
Samoa
Northern Mariana Islands
Kiribati
French Polynesia
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
New Caledonia
Fiji
New Zealand
Australia
Oceania Muslim Population 2022
Source: Wikipedia Religion in Oceania & Others

15. Australia
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16. A few interesting facts about Australia
• Australia is both a continent and a country
• It is the earth’s smallest, flattest continent
• One-third of Australia is desert, located in the continent’s center.
Few people live in the dry inland region called the Outback
• There are 6 States, New South Wales is the most populous
state with 65% of the country's population and Western
Australia the largest by land mass
• Most of the major cities are coastal
• Has a population of ~26 Million (2022)
• The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the biggest coral reef system
in the world more than 3,000 reefs and 900 islands and stretches
1,250-miles. Home to over 350 species of corals and over 1,500
species of fish
• Modern Australia started as a Penal Colony for Britain in 1786.
Almost 20% of modern Australians, have some convict ancestry
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17. Great Dividing Range: is the longest mountain
range in Australia stretching over 3,500 km/ 2,175
miles.
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18. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Australia
Early 1400-1700s
• Muslims had contact with Oceania and Australia before Captain Cook
• Indonesia had contact with northern territories and did trade with indigenous people
• Some marriages also took place muslim men married aborigine women and others
accepted Islam
• Some followed to Indonesia and to Philippines. Muslims also paid to use aboriginal land
• Each influences the other
• Aboriginal language has 250 words of Indonesian-Malay languages
• Muslims planted tambourine trees
1840
• Australians brought camels and 20 yrs later camel drivers imported to Australia (as also a
desert) from Afghanistan
• Afghans helped to lay Ghan (short for Afghan) railway (Adelaide to Darwin)
• Muslim Malay pearl divers also cam to Northern territories
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Source: Youtube History of Islam in Australia and New Zealand Dr Stef Keris

19. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Australia
1920s, 1930s
• Next wave of Muslims came built first purpose built
mosque Shepperton, Victoria 1960 and Melbourne
1963
1960s 1970s
• Muslim from Balkans including Bosnia etc. came
• Muslims from many other countries came later
• Australian economy becomes greatest exporter of Halal
meat to the world
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Source: Youtube History of Islam in Australia and New Zealand Dr Stef Keris

20. Muslim lifeguards wearing hijab in Australia
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21. New Zealand
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22. A few interesting facts about New Zealand
• Made up of two main islands called North Island and South
Island, where most of the population is and about 600 islands
• Southern Alps—300-mile Mountain range down center of South Island
• 16 peaks over 10,000 feet; over 360 glaciers
• North Island has hilly ranges, volcanic plateau
• About 5+ million Population (2022). Largest city called Auckland
on North Island with 1.6 million inhabitants
• 60% of people are of European descent
• Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world
• The indigenous people are the Māori, who settled in NZ over
1000 years ago are about 16.5% of the population
• There are more sheep than people
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23. 23
Muslims have a long presence in New Zealand
Source: Reuters

24. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
New Zealand
Early 19th century
• Muslim Chinese gold miners first ones to go to New Zealand
• Followed by other Muslims from India, Eastern Europe from 1900 to 1960s
• 1970s and 80s from Fiji as laborers
• Mainly came for trade or labor
Source: Youtube History of Islam in Australia and New Zealand Dr Stef Keris
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25. Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea.
The western half of the Island is part of Indonesia.

26. A few interesting facts about Papua New
Guinea
• Papua New Guinea (PNG) lies north of Australia. Most of the
country’s land is on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea.
The Western half of New Guinea is part of Indonesia
• New Guinea is the world's largest island after Greenland!
• About 9 million people live in the country. Three quarters of all
people live on the main island of New Guinea
• 96% of all Papua New Guineans are Christians
• Third largest rainforest after the Amazon and Congo
• More than 700 different ethnic groups live in PNG, divided into
Papuan (who make up most of the population) and Melanesian
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27. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Papau New Guinea
16th to 19th century
• Muslim trading networks operated, started in 16th century, and more direct contact with Seramese
Muslims and Muslims from the Trans-Fly coastal region between 17th and 18th century. Knowledge of
ironworking introduced by Muslims from Maluku
20th century
• In 1970s Muslim population estimated to be ~120. Mainly expat workers from Africa and South Asia
1982
• Islam officially recognized by the government
1988
• First Islamic center established, with the help of a Malaysia-based Islamic organization and others
1996
• 3 more Islamic centers established, with help of Muslim World League. Now 7 Islamic centers in the
nation. Ahmadiyya Muslims established their first mosque in 1988
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Source: Wikipedia “Islam in Papua New Guinea”

28. Muslims in Papua New Guinea
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Call to prayer in a mosque
Source: www.vladsokhin.com/work/islam-oceania

29. Muslims in Papua New Guinea
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Converts to Islam have combined Islamic beliefs with native rituals
Source: www.vladsokhin.com/work/islam-oceania

30. Fiji
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31. A few interesting facts about Papua New Fiji
• The Fijian archipelago is made up of ~333 islands but most
87% of population lives on two of those islands, Viti Levu
and Vanua Levu
• Large Indian population, dating back to 1813
• Largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere
• Has 3 languages, English, Fijian, and Fiji Hindi
• The Practice Of Walking On Hot Stones Began In Fiji
• Kava is the traditional drink of Fiji
• Fiji has many volcanoes
• Fiji water is really from Fiji
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32. A Fijian Cultural Wedding
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33. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Fiji
1884 onwards
• As laborers completed their five-year tenure, Muslim communities started to form in many
areas of Fiji. Most of these were Pashtuns and Punjabis who were Muslims. Although
Muslims lived as a separate community, they had peaceful relations with other
communities including the native Fijians and the Indian Hindus
1879 to 1916
• Indentured laborers over 60,000 were brought to Fiji from South Asia, 22% were Muslims
• A mosque was built in Navua, in 1902 and many more since
1907-present
• A group of indentured laborer went on strike in Labasa. Muslims played their part in
protest against indenture
• An Islamic organization, the Anjuman Hidayat ul-Islam made a petition to the Fijian
government for the solemnization of Muslim marriages by a qazi and recommended its
secretary's appointment for the Suva area
• For the 1966 Fiji elections, the Muslim Political Front was formed to advance Muslim
political rights. It later on joined the newly formed Alliance Party
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Source: Wikipedia “Islam in Fiji”

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Source: FijianGovernment on Youtube
Fijian Minister for Health officiates at Suva Muslim College Prefects Induction Program

35. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
New Caledonia
• Islam in New Caledonia is a minority faith, consisting of 2.6% of
population or 6,357 people
• The community is largely ethnic Javanese, and primarily speaks
French, and Arabic or Indonesian, causing a linguistic gap between
them and neighboring Anglophone Muslim communities in Australia
and Fiji
• There is an Islamic center in Nouméa, and another in Bourail
catering to Algerian-Caledonians
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Source: Wikipedia “Islam in New Caledonia”

36. New Caledonia
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37. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Interesting Facts
• A tropical atoll 2,000km from the West
Australian coast
• A remote territory of Australia in the Indian
Ocean (depending on your POV not quite
in Oceania)
• Its 2 coral atolls comprise 27 tiny islands
but only 2 occupied
• The population on the two inhabited Cocos
(Keeling) Islands generally is split between
the ethnic Europeans on West Island (est.
pop. 120) and the ethnic Malays on Home
Island (est. pop. 500)
• Islam is majority religion, with 3 mosques
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38. 38
Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Muslim Wedding Procession

39. Chronology of Muslim presence in Oceania,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
1609
• The archipelago was discovered by Captain William Keeling of the East India Company
Early 1800s
• Migration of laborers of ethnic Malay and Indonesian origin (predominantly Muslim)
1857
• The islands were annexed by the British Empire
1955
• Islands were transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia
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40. Muslims in Papua Vanuatu
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A Muslim girl in Vanuatu having fun with a mirror
Source: www.vladsokhin.com/work/islam-oceania

41. The future of Islam in Oceania
• With the exception of Australia and New Zealand, based on its
geography Oceania is not as well populated or visited as other
continents in the world
• However, depending on where you live it can feel “remote”
• There is so much natural beauty in places and people in Oceania
• Although the numbers may be small compared with the rest of the
world, the growth of Islam is ever increasing
• Besides visiting more popular locals in Europe, Asia, and Americas,
consider a visit to some of these exotic lands
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42. Predicted Growth of Muslims in Oceania
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Source: Youtube: DataPlayer

43. Oceania is a great place to visit and explore
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Source: Nabilah Ayunnim, Crescent Rating

44. Travel Tips to Oceania
Australia
• As we covered before Australia is huge, both a country and continent. On the West Coast, Sydney, Brisbane, on the South
Coast Melbourne and Adelaide, Darwin on the North Coast, Perth on the East Coast and Hobart in Tasmania are great
entry points as well as to see and do. There is a wide range of climates and landscapes
New Zealand
• Although NZ is small compared to Australia, it’s land mass is packed with scenic and cultural experiences. Great
infrastructure helps mobility. Plus you can meet many indigenous Māori who are Polynesians, and in greater Auckland
Papua New Guinea
• Lots of tropical rainforests, scenery, and diverse cultures. An adventurous, rarely visited travel destination where caution
is advised due to crime, sometimes civil unrest, volcanic activity and others. You should check eg the US State
Departments Travel Advisory before making any plans
Polynesia (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and several territories, such as American Samoa, French Polynesia,
Hawaii)
• The words and images of Polynesia conjure Paradise and “Heaven on earth.” There are the obvious and popular
destinations like Hawaii and Tahiti, they can be a little more touristy and costly, but we will leave it to you to figure out
which place resonates for you.
Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu)
• Fiji is the most visited country in Melanesia although New Caledonia is also a popular tourist spot
Micronesia (Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau)
• Sees less travel than the rest of the island groupings. Palau is the most interesting destination among these islands
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45. Oceania, getting there and about
• Besides being the most popular destinations, Auckland in New Zealand,
Brisbane, and Sydney in Australia, and Nadi in Fiji are the best hubs to travel to
other Pacific islands
• Best time to visit Oceania is generally from April to August (as there are
storms/cyclones from November to March). Regardless check the weather
forecast before making plans
• Oceania is large, diverse, and spread-out. This means you have to pick a few
locations/cities that you want to visit
• Unless you are a student, retired or just travelling the world with unlimited time
for most people selecting an area and doing a 2-week trip is much more
manageable
• Identify your and your family or friends interests. For some it is the beach,
snorkeling, for others it is seeing the landscape or experience the culture, for
others it is adventure
• Although the weather varies by city and location one thing to keep in mind is hot
and humid weather can be exhausting, so plan your day in short 2-3 hour
excursions
• Research, plan, and then allow that things will happen that are not in your
control. That is where patience and prayer comes in. Fi Amanullah
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46. 46
“Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then
turns you into a storyteller.”
Ibn Battuta