The only native Japanese Imam in Tokyo

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Population of Japan – 127,000,000

Population of Tokyo – 13,000,000
No. of Muslims in Japan (estimate) – 100,000
No. of Japanese Muslims (estimate) – 10,000
No. who converted to Islam NOT for marriage(estimate) – 2 or 300
No. of Japanese Imam's in Japan – 5
No. of Japanese Imam's in Tokyo – 1

Abdullah Taqy is the only Japanese Imam in Tokyo.

A chance meeting with a foreign Muslim 12 years ago in Tokyo's Shibuya district and a life spent studying various religions led him to convert to Islam 3 ½ years ago.
He completed the Hajj, the worlds largest annual religious pilgrimage, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia 2 ½ years ago at the invitation of the Saudi Arabian government.
Shortly after, a meeting with the man who started him down his path to Islam 12 years previously led him to becoming the Imam at a small mosque in the Kabukicho area of Tokyo.

His day job for the past 20 years has been as a tattooist and body piercer.

He is soft spoken and exudes a calmness and friendliness that one cannot help being affected by.

He is truly, 1 in 13 million.

Photography,Audio,Editing – Uchujin/Adrian Storey

©Uchujin/Adrian Storey 2010. All Rights Reserved.
uchujin.co.uk

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Amir (MR)

Formerly Mujahideen Ryder (now retired), I'm a Muslim American born in Brooklyn, NY with Guyanese parents currently living in Maryland working full-time as web developer.

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  • Saifullah

    He appeared in al-Jazeera a few years ago when they were filming for the Hajj in Japan. I believe the video exists on Youtube. Tokyo and outskirts have quite a few mosques now and not to mention numerous musallahs in universities.

  • Halima

    Allahu akhbar! May Allah SWT bless and guide this imam and all the other muslims in Japan , and guide the Japanese people to the Truth and help them in this time of great need for their country.

  • AbdulAziz

    Yeah I know about this brother.

    I have an acquaintance who knows him personally…there are other Japanese imams in Japan besides him. Abu Hakim Maeno is the most prominent; he speaks Arabic, Japanese, and English fluently. He is doing a lot of good things for the muslim community in Japan.

  • Pingback: BME: Tattoo, Piercing and Body Modification News » ModBlog » ModBlog News of the Week: March 18th, 2011

  • HT

    MashaAllah! May this man continue to be guided and inshaAllah spread the word