HILARY HOSIA
The Ahmadiyya Marshallese Muslim community in Uliga welcomed a new Imam this month: Imam Qasim Choudhary. Imam Qasim is replacing Imam Sajid Iqbal, who has served as the Ahmadiyya leader since 2017.
Imam Sajid has been appointed to Austin, Texas as his next station. The current Imams in Kiribati and Federated States of Micronesia are also beginning their service in the region the same time as Sajid, are also being replaced and reassigned.
The Ahmadiyya mosque in Uliga was built in 2012. At the time, the presence of Ahmadi Muslims in Majuro was small numbers in Uliga. During the ensuing years, the community has gained over 100 members, many of whom have migrated to the US in recent years.
The current number of Ahmadi Marshallese in Majuro is close to 60.
Like many religions in Majuro, the Ahmadiyya Community offer various charity and services to members and non-members alike. One visual contribution to Majuro is the clean up the community does every New Year’s Day after the Block Party. The community is a strong believer of putting kids in school and has made contributions for school uniforms and supplies. The kitchen at the mosque is open for members and non-members in the neighborhood. Another attractive attribute of the community is the free internet at the mosque often given to visiting fishermen or passersby.