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Muslims in the Caribbean Before Columbus

(12 posts)

  1. semirza
    Moderator

    While searching for countries where urdu is spoken or understood, I came across this site with some interesting documents. The following I would like to share: Muslims in the Caribbean Before Columbus Linguistic influences:Another part of the pre-Columbian African hereditary legacy is that left with the Carib people from whose name we derive the word 'Caribbean,' One of their scholars wrote in The Daily Clarion of Belize on November 5, 1946, "When Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies about the year 1493, he found there a race of white people (i.e., half breeds) with wooly hair whom he called Caribs, they were seafaring hunters and tillers of the soil peaceful and united. They, hated aggression. Their religion was Mohammedanism and their language presumably Arabic." On the other hand the British Honduras Handbook states that the Carib "are very clannish and speak a language of their own which they guard jealously. It appears to be basically an African dialect with a strong admixture of French, Spanish and English words."  complete article at: http://www.caribbeanmuslims.com/articles/13/1/Muslims-in-the-Caribbean-Before-Columbus/Page1.html

    Some historical documents. Among them this one is for Pakistan:
    http://www.caribbeanmuslims.com/attachments/1/Ode_to_Quaid_i_Azam_Mohamed_Ali_Jinnah.pdf

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Sep 2010 17:11 #

  2. haider3
    member

    Oh, that was touching indeed, that poem from the Carribean in honour of our own Quaid e Azam Ali JInnah! I'm so glad you posted that. If people in the Carribean could feel that way about the creation of Pakistan, what came over the Pakistanis to treat their own country so badly, so negligently? We've  never learn to treasure what we have. For us, the grass always seemed to be greener on the other side.

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Sep 2010 19:32 #

  3. Abdul Rahman
    Member

     
    http://www.islamictimes.co.uk/content/view/56/50/

    The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar in 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London, with evidence to support his theory that Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim navigator in the Ming dynasty, beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America. Using evidence from maps drawn dated before Columbus' trip that clearly showed America, and astronomical maps traced back to Zheng He's time, Menzies is confident that the Zheng He should be honored as the first discoverer of America. Menzies's conclusion is based on 14 years of research that includes secret maps, evidence of artifacts, and apparent proof of the voyage provided by the modern astronomy software program "Starry Night" and estimates provide some indication that it was around the month of March in 1421 that this discovery was made.

    http://www.fountainmagazine.com/article.php?ARTICLEID=823

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Sep 2010 20:24 #

  4. LifeH2O
    Member

    copy pasted text below from http://moinansari.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!13E83389ABB46AB9!937.entry

    Columbus had recorded the fact that Africans were trading with the Americas. In the narrative of his third voyage he wrote: "Certain principal inhabitants of the island of Santiago came to see him, and they said that to the southwest of the island of Huego, which is one of the Cape Verdes distant 12 leagues from this, may be seen an island, and that King Don Juan was greatly inclined to send to make discoveries to the southwest and that canoes had been found which start from the coast of Guinea and navigate to the west with merchandise." 

    Columbus later recorded "... That after he would navigate, the Lord pleasing, to the west, and from there would go to this Espanola in which route he would prove the theory of the King John aforesaid: and that he thought to investigate the report of the Indians of this Espanola (Haiti) who said that there had come to Espanola from the south and south-west a black people who have the tops of their spears made of a metal which they call 'guanin' of which he had sent samples to the Sovereigns to have them assayed, when it was found that of 32 parts 18 were of gold 6 of silver and 8 of copper."

    Not only was the knowledge of the Presence of Muslims in the Americas known by early Spanish and portuguese explorers, but Muslim geographical and navigational information actually was the foundation of the European expansion. Vasco da Gama is reported to have consulted with Ahmad ibn Majid on the West coast of Africa. Ibn Majid is regarded as the author of a handbook on navigation on the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Southern China and the waters around the West Indies.

    And here is an article denying what you have told 

    http://hnn.us/articles/23662.html

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Sep 2010 20:49 #

  5. haider3
    member

    LifeH, Your last link is a purely Jewish reply to the Muslim presence in the America ahead of Columbus. To be dismissed for what it is worth, Jewish rewriting of history. They're past masters at that.

    AR, the great Muslim Chinese admiral who travelled the world over has been known to us for sometime now, albeit from other sources. I once almost wrote a story about him, then at the last moment gave up the idea. Now that I no longer write stories, I regret that decision.

    Anyway, what struck me then and still strikes me now is that the Muslims did not destroy the places they passed through the way the West did. They destroyed the indigenous peoples wherever they went. We, if we lingered, won over the natives and melted into them, an important testimony to the greatness of Islam and it's respect for human life. Where has that respect gone in today's Muslim world?  

     

    Posted 1 year ago on 27 Sep 2010 9:19 #

  6. pakistani47
    Member

    As far as I know Navigator of Columbus was muslime named Yousuf from Spain. He was relative ibn Ghassan.

    I studied a novel in which yousuf narrates that he found a tribe their who believed in one God and had similar beliefs to Muslims but they were not muslims. It is quite likely that Allah may have sent Prophets in that part of world as well.

    This link also says the similar thing.

    http://old.nationalreview.com/comment/spencer200409150556.asp

    Posted 1 year ago on 27 Sep 2010 10:38 #

  7. haider3
    member

    Thanks pakistani47. Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. Though your article does suggest that the use of Islam here is for PR purposes and as a means of giving Columbus a clean bill of health. Go figure...

    Posted 1 year ago on 27 Sep 2010 11:33 #

  8. semirza
    Moderator

    Columbus discovered America is what is propagated and made to believe. We should dig up facts and publicize distortions in history done by 'super propagandists' - the British.

    Posted 1 year ago on 28 Sep 2010 7:43 #

  9. shafiq12
    member

    I studied a novel in which yousuf narrates that he found a tribe their
    who believed in one God and had similar beliefs to Muslims but they were
    not muslims. It is quite likely that Allah may have sent Prophets in
    that part of world as well.

    The person who believe in one God automatically comes into the definition of Muslim. Islam is a very simple Religion.  Islam simply means submitting yourself in peace to the Absolute One and Living GOD: All the prophet were Muslim, Islam is not a new religion When mankind was created, Islam was created.  Islam is a Religion that started with Adam and ended with Muhammad peace be upon them. 

    Posted 1 year ago on 28 Sep 2010 7:53 #

  10. haider3
    member

    super soldier, that was well expressed indeed. This I have been taught, too, that Islam, as you put it, is not a "new religion". I believe that, as well. Only thing is I'd rather not have Columbus as among the followers of the One Living GOD. 

    Columbus was the genocider-in-chief of history. He is hated as such even in his native Spain and Portugal. Hence the effort to bring Muslims into the picture. Just wait and see. After the geographical link has been established, they will try and put all the blame of annihilating the local populations on us as well. So be careful of where all this is leading one to.

    Which does not mean to say I do not believe we Muslims were great sailors and had reached the American continent before anyone else. There are things in the beliefs of the Red Indians which are astoundingly akin to what we as Muslims believe. And that all their gold was left intact until the Whites jumped in is yet another piece of evidence in my eyes that we preceded them in our arrival. Early Islam, with a few exceptions, eschewed greed as displeasing to Allah.   

    Posted 1 year ago on 28 Sep 2010 8:08 #

  11. shafiq12
    member

    Mirza Ghalib

    Jesus (PBUH) using the word "Muslim" in Luke 6:40:

    Evidence from the English translation of Luke 6:40 that further prove that the word 'Muslim' was used by Jesus:

    Luke 6:40 (KJV)
    40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

    The perfection here means a spiritual one.  What the verse is saying is that knowledge is not what matters!  The teacher or master is higher in knowledge than his student.  But the student can be as high as his teacher, or even higher, by being a true 'MUSHLAM' or Muslim, a spiritually perfect and well-disciplined person!

    "Ein talmeed na'leh 'al rabbo; shekken kal adam she'MUSHLAM  yihyeh k'rabbo."

    Taken from the Aramaic bible society.

    Translation in English:  "No student can be above his teacher, but everyone that is a MUSLIM, can be as his teacher."

    Posted 1 year ago on 28 Sep 2010 8:25 #

  12. haider3
    member

    Thanks, SS. Good to know and shall bear it in mind.

    Posted 1 year ago on 28 Sep 2010 8:43 #

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