Islam is a very small minority religion in the Marshall Islands, a country of about 60,000 people located in the central Pacific Ocean. The overwhelming majority of the population is Christian, primarily Protestant denominations like the United Church of Christ and Roman Catholicism, due to historical missionary activity.
Islam in the Marshall Islands:
- Population: The Muslim population is extremely small—estimated to be fewer than 100 individuals.
- First Presence: Islam was introduced by a small number of foreign workers and students, mainly from Bangladesh and other Muslim-majority countries.
- Ahmadiyya Muslim Community: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community established the first and only mosque on the islands in the capital, Majuro, in 2012. This makes the Marshall Islands one of the few Pacific Island nations with a formal mosque.
- Community Size: The Ahmadiyya community and other Muslims mostly consist of expatriates, such as workers from Bangladesh, and a very small number of local converts.
- Public Perception: The Muslim presence is so small that Islam is largely unfamiliar to the general Marshallese population, and there have been no reports of significant religious tension or conflict related to Islam.
Unique Facts:
- The Marshall Islands is one of the world’s least Muslim-populated countries.
- Despite its tiny size, the establishment of a mosque has made it part of the wider Pacific Islamic community, connecting with similar small Muslim communities in places like Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Fiji.
Marshall Islands
Country Code Top-Level Domain: .mh
Country Code: +692