Islam in the Islands, Volume 1

Should you ask any Islander in the streets of the capital, “Are you Muslim?” the response you will almost invariably hear is: “Yes, our nation is 100 percent Muslim.” Yet the pervasiveness of this response leads to another question: how deep does the “100 percent Muslim” identity go? What is the real state of Islam in the Islands?
 
This 72-page report blends photography and journalism to help those outside the the Islands understand the ways that modern cultural values, practices, and beliefs are shaped by Islam. Volume I provides a general introduction to the religious context of the nation, loosely arranged around five key figures and/or moments from their history.
 
All in-country research was conducted during the Spring of 2022 through observation and interviews with locals across six islands. Names have been changed for anonymity.