Mauritius first appeared on maps in the 12th century. The world-renowned Muslim geographer and cartographer, Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrīsi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani al-Sabti (al-Idrīsi), was the first to place Mauritius on a map in his famous Kitab Rujar, used over a century later by Ibn Battuta.
In fact, Mauritius had been discovered by Muslim Arab seafarers in the 10th century, naming it Dina Robin.
And given its flora, fauna, and minute size — added to which they had landed and settled on larger neighbouring islands such as Madagascar — it has been legitimately argued by contemporary Mauritian academics such as Professor AC Kalla, that the island was settled by Arabs.
Dutch possession of Mauritius
In the late 16th century, the Dutch took possession of Mauritius, and named it after their then ruler, Maurits van Oranje, also known as Prince Maurice of Nassau. “Maurits” not so coincidentally means “Moorish” or “those with a swarthy look”.
They were infamous for wiping out the Dodo and being the first to bring slaves onto the island, mostly from East Africa (i.e. Mozambique — named after the Muslim Governor of the region, Mūsa bin Baiq). This was in order to cultivate the sugar plantations they had established.
These slaves were largely Muslims, who suffered the same fate as their latter enslaved brethren arriving during the following French period, of having their Islamic identity stolen from them.
With the Dutch landings — coupled with the European penchant for annihilating Indigenous peoples of lands that they had come across — it is probable that the first inhabitants of Dina Robin were in fact Muslims.
And interestingly, it was during this period that tablets of wax were discovered. It was much later revealed that the writing on the tablets was in Arabic!
Many place names in Mauritius have names such as Moka, Yemen, Medine, etc.
French and later British rule
English is the constitutional language of government and its institutions. Thus, it is often referred to as the de jure official language of Mauritius.
This was as a result of 158 years of British rule, although French is more widespread, being used overwhelmingly in media and the private sector.
The predominance of French in everyday life stems from nearly a century of French rule and settlements from 1715 to 1810. Most Mauritians of French ancestry are the descendants of these settlers.
The Napoleonic Wars, the British land invasion, and 1810 capture of Isle de France — as Mauritius was known during the French period — saw Mauritius and most of the outlying islands (including the Chagos Archipelago) capitulating to the British.
The Treaty of Paris in 1814 confirmed these British possessions.
Slave-run sugar industry brought in a tidy sum
The wily British allowed the established French bureaucracy to continue managing the island, as the Governor was himself British (Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar). After all, why re-invent the wheel!
Similarly with the lucrative sugar industry, also run by the French, Mauritius was operated as a slave-run sugar-based colony by France. This fetched a tidy sum for the British treasury.
Continuing until 1835, Mauritius was the last British colony to abolish slavery. The British Parliament had passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, outlawing the buying, selling, and owning of people as property in all British colonies.
Altruism was not the primary factor. An emerging British middle class, the costly need for troops to garrison British slave colonies due to rebellions, industrialisation, as well as an influential abolitionist movement within the UK, all contributed to this end.
But with the end of slavery, the cunning British found another way to get manpower: indentured Indian labour.
It is worth stating that the Muslim Indians who came towards the tail end of the French sojourn, with the vast majority arriving during the British colonial tenure, actually constituted the fourth wave of Muslims on the Island.
Demographic makeup of Mauritius
Large part with Indian roots
Currently, the total Mauritian population is 1.3 million, around 65 per cent is of Indian origin — including Muslims.
Some Muslims are of Yemeni/Arab heritage, and there are a few Chinese Muslim families. There are also Muslim reverts from other communities.
Subsequent Mauritian governments, invariably Hindu, have deliberately refrained from holding a full census, precisely because this will prove that no community is a majority, i.e. over 50 per cent.
Some odd groupings in the constitution
The Mauritian constitution recognises four communities:
- Hindu (around 45 per cent)
- Muslim (around 20 per cent)
- Chinese (around two per cent) — dwindling fast due to emigration elsewhere.
A fourth, residual General Population category accounts for around 30 per cent, being of African, mixed race, and Euro Mauritians (or “White Mauritians”).
The latter grouping is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, albeit with various Christian sects also present. At the same time, Rastafarianism has seen a marked increase amongst Afro Mauritians.
Approximate figures are given due to the fact that the last complete census was in 1972.
Euro Mauritians control the private sector
The Euro Mauritians — approximately two per cent — are overwhelmingly French, with some British, Irish, Afrikaner, and German ancestry.
They disproportionately control the private sector, no doubt helped by being the largest land owners on the island.
Smallest minorities and a common language
A resident Jewish population of around 150 also lives in Mauritius, as does a minute Sikh community.
Buddhism is practised by the Chinese… often in conjunction with their professed Catholicism.
Given the British colonial legacy, a few hundred Qadianis are also to be found. The current Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mukhtar Taujoo, is a professed Qadiani.
Today, most Mauritians use a lingua franca of Kreol Morisien which primarily has a French-based vocabulary, but also contains loan words from all the languages used by the various ethnic peoples of Mauritius.
The Chagos Archipelago
British bypass of international law
1965 saw the creation of the UK’s last colony: the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
This “colony” was created to — as it now transpires — circumvent UN General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) 1960, which demands that countries gaining independence must not be deprived of, or separated from any of their territories.
Most Chagossians; especially those based in the UK as well as the few in the Seychelles, do not want anything to do with Mauritius. Most Chagossians want to remain British.
The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 awarded UK citizenship to the Chagossians and their descendants born in exile. Some Chagossians, mostly those who are UK-based, are demanding full independence.
This draws quite a parallel with the plight of the Palestinians and others, where a people were invariably expelled from their land by the British, for the benefit of another (the US).
US military base and its strategic role
It has to be noted that the US military base on Diego Garcia — one of the 60 islands forming part of the Chagos Archipelago — was used as a launch pad for attacks on both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Various articles have detailed how Diego Garcia was used (and may still be used) as a “black site” where kidnapped hostages were taken from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in particular.
Notably, the base was also of vital importance during the airlift of supplies and troops during the 1973 Ramadan War.
Will Mauritius be complicit in future US attacks?
With events in West Asia reaching boiling point, it is inevitable that this island base will play a pivotal strategic role in any future US involvement.
The question is, now the return of sovereignty to Mauritius has been agreed in principle, will any final settlement between Mauritius, the US, and the UK, give Port Louis a veto over military action against, for example, Iran?
If, as is probable, the US does as it wishes, will Mauritius become liable, by virtue of the fact that an attack against another nation will have taken place from its territory?
In one major example, a historical precedent occurred in Afghanistan, where the pretext of Osama bin Ladin being resident — and from where al-Qaeda allegedly launched the 11 September 2001 attacks — caused the country to be bombed, invaded, and occupied for 20 years.
Loss of South African and Malaysian flights near Mauritius
Another angle to the Chagos issue is two air incidents.
In 1987, SAA295, a South African Airways flight from Taiwan, blew up over the Indian Ocean whilst approaching Mauritius. 159 people were killed.
And the unresolved 2014 disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 — with 239 passengers and crew on board — saw plane wreckage recovered off the coast of Mauritius.
Some analysts and aviation observers have speculated that there could have been a connection to the Diego Garcia US military base. Perhaps these aircraft flew too close for the liking of the Americans?
The traditionally trigger-happy US military, out on training exercises, may have felt the need to try out their technology.
India is the elephant in the room; no pun intended!
The not-so-covert role of India in the 3 October joint UK-Mauritius announcement was pivotal.
Similar to the Monroe Doctrine — which established US hegemony throughout the Americas, as well as the bordering Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea — India views the Indian Ocean as within its sphere of influence.
Remember, around 40-45 per cent of the total Mauritian population is of various Hindu sects and ethnicities, with past Hindu-orientated governments always maintaining deep ties to India, especially Modi’s fascist Hindutva regime.
Chagos the Mauritian cash cow
It is well known that the Mauritian government which attained self-rule in 1957 was complicit in the disenfranchisement and the expulsion of the Chagossians, specifically from Diego Garcia.
As compensation for the resettlement of the Chagossians in Mauritius, £3m was given by the UK in 1965.
The UK sent another £650,000 for the Chagossians in 1972, followed by a further £4m during the 1980s.
While this aid totalled over £7.65m to successive Mauritian governments — specifically for the welfare of the Chagossians — most of these funds are unaccounted for!
In short, the Chagos is but a cash cow for Mauritius.
Their primary objective is to benefit from US “rent money” for the 99-year lease of Diego Garcia. And with Trump’s second presidency looming, things may take a nasty turn.
As the first Trump administration proved, he has a predilection for reneging on agreements and treaties.
We should be asking, “Why now?”
The Mauritian general election took place on 10 November.
An alliance of parties led by Navin Ramgoolam, a former Prime Minister and son of the first Mauritian Prime Minister after independence, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, took power.
Most tellingly, Modi’s call to Ramgoolam congratulating him on his election victory came nearly a day before the official announcement by the Mauritian electoral body!
A couple of days prior to the elections, various Hindu organisations on the island — undoubtedly under guidance from India — withdrew their support for the now former Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth.
However, in blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, the UK’s then chief envoy to Mauritius and the so-called BIOT, Jonathan Powell, stated in a Channel 4 interview on 3 October that the British wanted to deal with the Chagos prior to any Mauritian elections.
The bête noire is China. Modi’s India has been drawing increasingly closer to the US, UK, and the broader West, mainly due to their shared concerns over China’s widening foreign policy and economic engagements.
Racist and blasphemous remarks leaked ahead of the election
During electioneering on 1 November 2024 — the day after the Divali state holiday — the Internet was severely curtailed.
This was due to a string of anonymous leaks of telephone conversations, via social media, of (mostly) government officials, including the Prime Minister, his wife, senior politicians, and the Commissioner of Police.
Almost all of the above are Hindus, and were recorded making incendiary, racist, and blasphemous remarks to the detriment of the Black African Christian-Creoles and Muslims.
Maryam (ʿalayha al-Salām) was disgustingly abused by the now former police chief in one of these recordings. Unsurprisingly, this caused an uproar from both the Muslim and Catholic communities.
One of the telephone calls was made by the wife of Pravind Jugnauth. This was replete with insulting and personal attacks against the (now to be replaced) Indian High Commissioner.
New Delhi clearly felt that mini-Modi Jugnauth’s re-election was not in their best interests. Coupled with this, violence was expected if Jugnauth retained power, due to his fascist demeanour and control of the media.
Issues triggered by the UK Chagos announcement
Interestingly, these issues have all arisen since the 3 October 2024 UK announcement that the Chagos would revert back to Mauritian sovereignty.
Indeed, the very next day, the figurehead President of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun, dissolved the National Assembly.
Roopun then announced that elections were to take place on Sunday 10 November. This conveniently prevented the British offer from being debated in Parliament.
So the Chagos announcement was used by the now erstwhile government as a feather in its electoral cap, and the current ruling alliance is relying upon the same expected windfall from the US lease on Diego Garcia to finance its electoral promises. But as stated, Trump isn’t known for honouring agreements!
Mauritius’ stability required for all
India’s geopolitical aspirations
New Delhi’s geopolitical aspirations in the Indian Ocean align with that of the US and UK, thus an axis is in effect, keeping Chinese interests out of the region.
And India needs a stable Mauritius due to many Indian politicians, industrialists, and personalities holding investments and interests on the island.
The well-oiled Mauritian offshore banking system is well utilised by such people, as was highlighted by the 2016 release of the Panama Papers.
Britain’s continued involvement
Sir Geoffrey Cox KC, a prominent British Tory MP, appeared unannounced as an “Electoral Observer” (or shall we say fixer?) prior to and during the 10 November elections.
A former Attorney General for England and Wales, Cox was coincidentally replaced by Boris Johnson by the noxious half Mauritian, Suella Braverman!
Sir Geoffrey has business interests on the island, as well as close connections with Mauritian politicians and prominent businessmen.
It is expected that he will play an important role, along with Jonathan Powell, regarding the handover of the Chagos Archipelago… Of course, minus Diego Garcia.
Mauritius the maritime hub
With the curtailment of ships and tankers that typically traverse the Red Sea — due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East — Mauritius’ world-class harbour and facilities are now in demand for vessels of all types.
This is bringing in financial dividends for the regimes: both past and present.
During apartheid South Africa, Mauritius — despite its overt anti-apartheid stance — facilitated the transfer of foreign currency and goods (due to the boycotts in place against the racist White regime) on behalf of Pretoria.
This was facilitated by familial and marital links of Euro Mauritians and those who had emigrated to South Africa. Commission “earned” by Mauritian politicians of all shades made this a profitable venture.
Litmus test in the form of an Israeli music event?
It has come to light that a large musical event is to be held on 7 December, at a location near and in conjunction with one of the Island’s 5-star hotels.
Among the invited are prominent Israeli DJs.
As military service is obligatory for nearly all 18+ year-olds, especially Jews — coupled with mandatory reservist duties — it is understood that these “DJs” have trained with and no doubt have taken part in the Zionist-Nazi regime’s atrocities and war crimes.
So this is now an upcoming litmus test for both the new Mauritian government (who overwhelmingly received the Muslim vote) and the Muslims in general who, like Muslims elsewhere, are vociferous in their support for Palestine.
Future role of Muslims in Mauritius
The 250,000+ Muslims or around 20 per cent of the total population constitute the majority in the capital, Port Louis.
Captains of industry, businessmen and women, educators, media, leading politicians and financiers and more are to be found amongst Muslims.
Unfortunately, a secular streak is woven into the Muslim Mauritian psyche, regardless of their professed Aqīda or madhab. The current prominent and strategic positioning of this community should have already facilitated a strong bond and source for da’wah.
There are 200+ masājid dotted all over the island. Those Muslims who are active on the da’wah scene and ready to rise up to confront any threat against their Islamic identity are but a fraction.
Numerous Islamic organisations do exist. These should be the nuclei for a stable, strong, and influential Muslim community. And issues such as the Chagos or Indian, American, British, or even Chinese influence need Muslims to act in a unified way across all of Mauritius.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
Books
- Emrith, M. (1994) History of the Muslims in Mauritius. Le Printemps, Mauritius.
- Vine, D. (2009) Island of Shame. The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia. Princeton University Press, USA.
Newspapers
Mauritius
- Le Mauricien
- L’express
- Defimedia
- Weekly
- Star
United Kingdom
- The Guardian
Miscellaneous
- Stealing a Nation (2004). [Vimeo]. Written, directed and presented by John Pilger. UK: Granada Television.
- https://www.channel4.com/news/uk-hands-chagos-islands-to-mauritius-pms-special-envoy-on-decision
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-between-uk-and-mauritius-3-october-2024
- Numerous further online newspapers and videos
- Interviews and discussions with various Mauritian academics and political observers
A alhamdoulillah, the concert was finally cancelled following representations made to the newly installed authorities namely by an Ad Hoc support group to Palestine, requesting boycott of the zionist entity and a forceful statement by newly elected PM Dr Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam.
Alhamdulillah.
This was an acid test for primarily the Muslim community in Mauritius who habitually hold pro Palestine events.
As Muslims we expect nothing from anyone, illallah!