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Islam is a minority religion in the Netherlands Antilles. There are about 2,500 Muslims in the Islands,[1] 1000 of which are in the Caribbean Netherlands,[2][3] or 0.31% of the population. Most Muslims are emigrants from Lebanon, Syria and Suriname.[4]
Muslims began to reach the islands during colonial times as workers (mainly as slaves and indentured labourers, from Sub-Saharan African countries then from the British India (Indian subcontinent). Then there was a wave of Muslims coming from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq as well as some indigenous people who converted to Islam.[1] In 1982 there were about 2000 Muslims.
The majority of the Islam community is located on Curaçao where is the only mosque:[4] Omar bin Al-Khattab Mosque, with its imam, Sheikh Yakubu Mohammed.[3] There are other Islamic centers, including: