ABSTRACT
There are currently no detailed studies of Islamic conversion in any other Melanesian country to inform this book. The only work available for comparative analysis is a recent but very brief conference paper on Islam in the Solomon Islands (McDougall 2007). Even the slightly larger body of work on Muslims in Fiji (Ali 2004; Hock 2006) does not examine the issue of Islamic conversion by indigenous Melanesians (Fijians). To cope with the lack, sources and comparative data approaches from the wider literature on religious conversion are vital to conceptualise Islamic conversion in Papua New Guinea. This book uses Lewis Rambo’s framework, detailed in Understanding Religious Conversion (Rambo 1993), which draws on the full research heritage of conversion studies. A comprehensive review of Rambo’s approach can be obtained from Rambo’s work directly, so this chapter provides a simplified overview of Rambo’s seven-stage process relevant for considering conversions to Islam in PNG. Definitions of religious conversion are available in the literature and a number of these are useful for describing the multifaceted nature of Islamic conversion in PNG. A multi-dimensional definition is necessary because no technical definition of conversion to Islam can be found in the Koran or within wider Islamic scholarship. The Koran most commonly uses the Arabic word ‘aslama’ to denote becoming Muslim, which translates literally as ‘submission’ to Allah (Ali 2006a; Dutton 1999; Wehr 1994). However, the word submission fails to adequately define conversion to Islam and what conversion to Islam means to converts in PNG. Following the prescription of Snow and Machalek (1984: 171), ‘empirical indicators of conversion’ can be used to help contextualise a definition of aslama. Conversion to Islam is empirically observable on two levels. The first is verbal and based on an individual declaration and institutional/communal recognition of this declaration. The second indicator is the practical application of Islamic religious principles by a convert, such as choosing and using a Muslim name, wearing Islamic dress (Sunnah clothing), and practising Islam in accordance with the Sharia. The formal and official way to become a Muslim in PNG is the same as becoming a Muslim in any other part of the world. Converts are required to
make a single verbal declaration of the Kalima Shahada in the company of other Muslims. This ritual marker is referred to by PNG converts as Kalima, Shahada, or Kalima Shahada and represents their submission, surrender and acceptance of the oneness of Allah (God) known in Arabic as Tawhid, and the divine laws established in the Koran. Converts recite the following statement in Arabic:
Ashadu al la ilaha illa llah, wa ashadu anna muhammadar rasulu ilah. (Transliterated from Arabic)
I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger and servant. (Translated from Arabic)
(Ali 2006a)
Prior to reciting the Shahada, PNG converts must be ritually cleansed. In the city this means taking ablutions in a specifically dedicated shower block at the Islamic centre, whilst in the Highlands the washing place is simply in a creek. After declaring the Shahada, converts are warmly welcomed as a Muslim by the other Muslims present with physical embraces and greetings of Assalamu Alikom (peace be with you). For converts in Port Moresby, the declaration is formally recognised by the Imam who presents the convert with a certificate on behalf of the ISPNG and a small booklet that covers the basics of Islam. Prior to declaring Shahada, converts are reminded by a senior Muslim or Imam of the solemnity and seriousness of becoming a Muslim and are informed about the aqidah and the five pillars of Islam (Flower 2007). The aqidah represent the six articles of belief in Islam and are referred to in Hadiths by Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari as: belief in Allah as the one and only God; belief in the prophets (nabi) and messengers (rusul) sent by God; belief in angels (malaika); belief in the books sent by God (e.g. the Torah and Koran); belief in the day of judgement (qiyama) and the resurrection (life after death) and belief in fate/destiny (qadar) (Esposito 2005; Nasr 1991). The practical duties of every Muslim are referred to as the five pillars of faith, which technically all converts should practice. These are Shahada, salat (ritual prayer that is undertaken at the specific set times of the day and offered in the direction of the Qibla in Mecca, Saudi Arabia), Zakat (compulsory alms giving), Sawm (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, an obligation on every able-bodied Muslim if they can afford it) (Renard 1996: 5). These practical obligations were emphasised as an important contributing factor of conversion by most PNG converts and are best represented by the following statement by Yusuf:
Being a Muslim is not like Catholic where you are baptised and then you are a Catholic. No. To be Muslim you have to behave like a Muslim.
