Fiji

Fiji

Fiji / is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific about 2000 km northeast of the northern island of New Zealand

Most of the Fiji Islands were formed through volcanic activity around 150 million years ago. Some geothermal activities are still noticeable on the Vanua Levu and Tafion Islands. Fiji has been inhabited since the second millennium BC. The country includes an archipelago of more than 332 islands of which 110 are permanently inhabited, and more than 500 small islands with an area of ​​approximately 18,300 km2

 The two main islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and 87% of the population of approximately 850,000 people. The first includes Suva, the capital and largest city of Fiji. Most of Fiji residents live on the coasts of Viti Levu, either in Suva or in small urban centers. As for the heart of the island of Viti Levu, its population density is very low due to the topography of the island

Fiji has a local government system, with municipal councils under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Local Government and Urban Development. Rato Ebeli Nelatiku became Fijian President after the Supreme Court ruled that the designated military leadership after the 2006 coup was illegal. During World War II, the United Kingdom allowed several thousand Fijians to volunteer to help the Allied efforts with a division attached to the Australian and New Zealand forces. The military forces of the Fiji Republic consist of the ground army and naval power

Agricultural economics is a pillar of Fiji's wealth, 40% of the workforce is employed in agriculture, sugar cane represents about half of Fiji's exports, the most prominent food crops are taro, yam, and coconut, and tropical areas fruits, such as bananas and mangoes, and there is forest wealth including mahogany and teak, and the gold mineral that occupies Important place in its exports, as manganese, silver and copper

Islam was transferred to it with the migration of labor from the Indian-Pakistani subcontinent, between the years of (1297 AH - 1335 AH) (1879 AD - 1916 AD), as 16,552 people arrived in Fiji as agricultural workers, and among them were 7,635 Muslims, including 2537 women, and this number represents 12, 61% of all immigrants from the Indian-Pakistani subcontinent, and Islam began to spread among the population of Fiji through these immigrant groups, then Muslim groups from the East Indies, Malay, and East Africa migrated to the country, and thus the number of Muslims began to increase in the Fiji Islands 

Muslims formed the first Islamic organization in the year (1345 AH - 1926 CE). The number of Muslims constitutes 7.7% of the total population, and Muslims constitute about 15.9% of the total Indians and Pakistanis settled in the country, 57.19% of the Muslims live in villages, and Muslims live in the capital Siouva, in the province of Ba, in the province of Makwana, and in the province Roa

Muslims in Fiji suffer from several challenges, the first of which comes from Hindus, as they conveyed with them the challenges practiced by Hindus against Muslims on the Indian subcontinent, as well as the challenge of other elements who treat them as a small minority, and the matter reached many clashes between Muslims and Hindus on Although they belong to one habitat

There are about 25 mosques in the country, scattered in various parts and supervised by the Islamic Authority in Fiji, all built by self-efforts, and the imams of these mosques have a modest amount of Islamic culture, so they need a greater portion of Islamic awareness and Islamic books translated into the country’s language so do not Islamic books are removed in Urdu or English translation, as well as the need to revitalize Islamic education and improve the level of its curricula and teachers

Fiji consists of 322 islands, the largest of which are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The capital, Suva, is located in Viti Levu, the island with around three quarters of Fiji's population. Other major Viti Levu cities are the club with the international airport and the city of Lautoka. The two most famous cities in Vanua Levu are Labasa and Savusavu

The most prominent islands of Fiji, the island of Viti Levu, and the island of Vanua Levu, and the two islands make up 87% of the area of ​​Fiji, which is 18378 km, and the two islands of volcanic origin, and the general appearance of them has molar, and the islands protect coral beaches, and other islands volcanic or sandy coral, some of which are uninhabited

The art of pottery making from Fijian cities reveals that Fiji has been inhabited since about 3500-1000 BC, although the issue of immigration in the Pacific remains. The Lapita people or the ancestors of the Polynesians were believed to be the first to settle on the islands, but little is known about them after the arrival of the Melanesians. They may have some influence on the new culture. Archaeological evidence shows that they then moved to Tonga, Samoa and even Hawaii

The first settlements in Fiji emerged from merchants and settlers from the West for nearly 5,000 years. Remnants of Lapita pottery have been found in numerous excavations throughout the country. Aspects of Fijian culture are similar to Melanesian culture in the Western Pacific but are closely related to older Polynesian cultures such as those in Samoa and Tonga. It is no secret that trade between these three peoples dates back long before European contact, through boats made from the original Fijian trees found in Tonga, in addition to the fact that the Tongan words are part of the language of the Lao group. Pots made in Fiji are found in Samoa and even in the Marquesas Islands