Prayer Direction Changes: 70 Mosques in South America – Al-Marsad Video
Suriname’s Unique Mosques: Praying East and West
Historical Origins of Divergent Qibla
Traveler Thawab Al-Subaie, owner of the Tourist YouTube account, highlighted a engaging religious practice in Suriname: some mosques pray in a direction opposite to Mecca. al-Subaie discussed this during an appearance on the Eight podcast.
According to Al-Subaie, in Suriname, approximately 70 mosques pray towards the west, while 120 mosques pray in the direction of Mecca. this unusual practice stems from the arrival of Indonesian laborers in Suriname around 1890.
The Impact of 19th-Century Navigation
The initial Indonesian arrivals,traveling westward,established mosques oriented accordingly.This orientation persisted until approximately 1950. Al-Subaie explained that early 20th-century conflicts and navigational challenges contributed to the continuation of this practice.
Later, another group of Indonesians arrived and informed the existing community of the correct qibla (direction of prayer). However, some mosques maintained the original westward orientation, citing tradition: “This is what we found our fathers to be,” as Al-subaie reported.