Islam in Colombia is a minority religion, with most Colombians adhering to Christianity (Catholicism). According to a 2018 study conducted by Pew Research Center, the size of the Colombian Muslim population ranges from about 85,000–100,000 people out of a total population of 50.4 million.
The Muslim community in Colombia is just a minority, unsurprising in such a heavily Catholic country, though the community is slowly but steadily growing. This is evidenced by the number of mosques in the capital.
Arab Colombians (Arabic: عرب كولومبيا) refers to Arab immigrants and their descendants in the Republic of Colombia. Most of the migrants came from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine.
The Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (Spanish transcription Omar Iban Al-Jattab) is a mosque in Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia.
Suriname has the highest percentage of Muslims in its population for the region, with 13.9% or 75,053 individuals, according to its 2012 census. Islam came to Suriname with immigrants from Indonesia (Java) and South Asia (today India, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
Despite their hands-off approach, Jaime says they have seen an explosion of Latino and Latina converts. "Based on data Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group embracing Islam in America," Fletcher said.
Islam has grown to 813,392 people, which is 3.2 per cent of the Australian population.
Protestant Christianity
Protestantism, primarily Evangelicalism, now represents 13% of the Colombian populace, and is growing faster than the national growth rate. "Evangelicos" (as they are called in Colombia) hold to the authority of the Bible.
The Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil estimates there are about 1.5 million Muslims and others say about 400,000 to 500,000. There are over 150 mosques where Muslims perform their daily prayers. Islam in Brazil may be presumed to have first been practiced by African slaves brought from West Africa.
The country has a population of around 126 million as of 2020 census and according to the Pew Research Center, the Muslim population was 60,000 in 1990, 111,000 in 2010, and is predicted to be 126,000 in 2030; however, according to the 2010 National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) census, there were only ...
Most of the Lebanese community's forebears immigrated to Colombia from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for economic, political and religious reasons. The first Lebanese moved to Colombia in the late nineteenth century. There was another wave in the early twentieth century.
Distribution and ethnic background
While most sources estimate whites to be 20% of country's population, the Federal Research Division (using data from 2005 census) puts that percentage at 37%.
Genetic studies estimate that admixture of Colombians varies between 62.5% European, 27.4% Amerindian, 9.2% African and 0.9% East Asian ancestry in 2015; and 73% European, 20.4% Amerindian, and 6.6% African ancestry in 2018. One of the highest European heredities in Latin America as shown in studies.
Sources of the Islamic community indicate that at the moment, in Chile, there are 3,000 Muslims. Many of those are Chileans who, as a result of their conversion, have even changed their names. In spite of the small number of believers, they are not a homogenous community.
Due to secular nature of the Peru's constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country. The statistics for Islam in Peru estimate a total Muslim population of 15,000, largely based in the capital city Lima; this represents 0.015% out of total population of 32,555,000 inhabitants.
Overall, there is a majority of Sunni Muslims in the country. However, in Costa Rica, we observed a peculiar and unique migration of the Khoja Shias,” said Moya. He points out that Costa Rica is the only country in Central America with a Khoja community.
Portugal is an overwhelmingly Christian majority country, with adherents of Islam being a small minority. According to the 2021 census, Muslims represent around 0.4% of the total population of the country.
Now, almost a century after the first Islamic center was built, Chile boasts over 13 mosques and Islamic centers. Home to approximately 5,000 Muslims, including Sunnis and Shiites who have their own distinct mosques and centers, these sites are the communal epicenters for the Muslim minority in Chile.
Argentina is a predominantly Christian country, with Islam being a minority religion.
Muslim community leaders estimate there are between 100,000 and 150,000 followers of Islam (between 0.3 and 0.5 percent of the population), consisting primarily of persons of Lebanese, Syrian, and Libyan descent living in Nueva Esparta State and the Caracas metropolitan area, as well as in Valencia and Maracaibo.
There are a number of Islamic communities in Colombia, the most important of which, according to their size, are in Bogotá, Maicao and Buenaventura. There are also Islamic centers in San Andrés, Nariño Department, Santa Marta and Cartagena. There are also primary and secondary Islamic schools in Bogotá and Maicao.
The number of Muslims in Latin America, according to Muslim sources, is about 6 million, or 1.2 percent of the population of almost 500 million.
Arab Australians are mainly concentrated in Victoria and New South Wales. Smaller groups also reside in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, with fewer in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Although Islam is a minority religion in Russia, Russia has the largest Muslim population in Europe. According to the US Department of State in 2017, Muslims in Russia numbered 14 million or roughly 10% of the total population.
Muslims are a minority group in China, representing 1.6 to 2 percent of the total population (21-28 million people) according to various estimates. Though Hui Muslims are the most numerous group, the greatest concentration of Muslims are in Xinjiang, which contains a significant Uyghur population.