Islam in Argentina

Muslims in Argentina المسلمون في الأرجنتين
Arjantin'de Müslümanlar

King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center, Buenos Aires, the largest mosque in Argentina.

Total population
c. 400,000-500,000
Regions with significant populations
Buenos Aires •  Buenos Aires Province • Tucumán Province
Religions
Islam
Languages
Rioplatense Spanish • Arabic • Turkish • Wolof • Persia
Related ethnic groups
Arabs in Argentina, Turks in Argentina, Senegalese in Argentina

Islam by country

World percentage of Muslims by country

Africa

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Mayotte
* Morocco
* Western Sahara
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Réunion
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Asia

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Georgia
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Americas

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* French Guiana
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Europe

* Albania
* Andorra
* Austria
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Tatarstan
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

Oceania

* Australia
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* Guam
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Nauru
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Islam portal

* v
* t
* e

Argentina is a predominantly Christian country, with Islam being a minority religion. Due to secular nature of the Argentine constitution, Muslims are free to proselytize and build places of worship in the country.

Although accurate statistics on religion are not available (because the national census does not solicit religious data), the actual size of Argentina's Muslim community is estimated to be around 1% of the total population (400,000 to 500,000 members), according to the International Religious Freedom Report in 2015.[1][2]

## Early Muslim immigration

[edit]

There are some indications that the Muslim presence within present day Argentine territory dates back to the time of the Spanish exploration and conquest. The first mentioned Muslim settlers were the 15th century's Moorish-Morisco (Muslims of the Iberian peninsula of North African and Spanish descent) who explored the Americas with Spanish explorers, many of them settling in Argentina who were fleeing from persecution in Spain such as the Spanish Inquisition.[3]

However, in the 19th century Argentina saw the first real wave of Arabs to settle within its territory, mostly from Syria and Lebanon. It is estimated that today there are about 3.5 million Argentines of Arab descent, most of whom are Christian.[4]

## Islamic institutions in Argentina

[edit]

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|

Muslims in Argentina (estimated)

Year  | Population  | % of
Argentina
1990 | 444,000 |  1.4%
2010 | 1,000,000 |  2.5%
2030 | 1,233,000 |  2.6%
Source: Pew Research Center.[5]

The first two mosques in the country were built in Buenos Aires in the 1980s: At-Tauhid Mosque was opened in 1983 by the Shia community of Buenos Aires and with the support of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Argentina, while Al Ahmad Mosque was opened in 1985 for Sunni Muslims and is the first building with Islamic architecture in the country. There are also several mosques in other cities and regions throughout the country, including two in Córdoba, two in Mar del Plata and the southernmost Sufi mosque in the world, in El Bolsón.[citation needed]

The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Centre, the largest mosque in Argentina, was completed in 1996 with the help of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the then King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd, on a piece of land measuring 20,000 m². The total land area granted by the Argentine government measures 34,000 m², and was offered by President Carlos Menem following his visit to Saudi Arabia in 1992. The project cost around US$30 million, and includes a mosque, library, two schools, a park, is located in the middle-class district of Palermo, Buenos Aires.[citation needed]

The Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA), headquartered in Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic affiliated endeavors. The IOLA holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America, as well as the propagation of Islam.[citation needed]

## Notable Muslims from Argentina

[edit]

* Shaykh Isa Garcia \- Isa Garcia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied Arabic, Islamic studies, and theology at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. He is a specialist in the origins of Prophetic Tradition. Garcia has translated numerous books, with many only available to a Spanish-speaking readership in his translation. He is also the author of the series Know Islam. Garcia is listed as one of the top 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.
* Sohail Asad (Edgardo Rubin) \- an Argentinian of Lebanese descent who was born in Buenos Aires in 1970 and is now a philosopher and preacher of Shiite Islam.

* Lee Aaliya
* Carlos Menem Jr
* Eduardo Menem
* Abdul Karim Paz
* Soher El Sukaria
* Jorge Yoma
* Zulema Yoma

## See also

[edit]

* Islam portal
* Argentina portal

* Latin American Muslims
* Latino Muslims
* Arab Argentines
* Religion in Argentina
* List of mosques in Argentina
* Morisco
* Mudéjar
* Moors

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2010". United States Department of State. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
2. ^ "Table: Muslim Population by Country". Pewforum.org. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
3. ^ Muslims in American History: A Forgotten Legacy by Jerald Dirks.
4. ^ September 2001 Executive Summary, Racial Discrimination: The Record of Argentina, Human Rights Documentation Center
5. ^ "Table: Muslim Population by Country". Pewforum.org. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2015.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Kusumo, Fitra Ismu. ISLAM EN AMERICA LATINA TOMO I: La expansion del Islam y su llegada a America Latina (in Spanish). Fitra Ismu Kusumo.
* Kusumo, Fitra Ismu. ISLAM EN AMERICA LATINA TOMO Il: Migración Árabe a América Latina y el caso de México (in Spanish). Fitra Ismu Kusumo.
* Kusumo, Fitra Ismu. ISLAM EN AMERICA LATINA Tomo II: Migracion Arabe en America Latina (in Spanish). Fitra Ismu.
* Kusumo, Fitra Ismu. ISLAM EN AMERICA LATINA Tomo III: El Islam hoy desde America Latina (in Spanish). Fitra Ismu.
* Abdulrahim, Ali; Der, Thiam, Iba; A, Talib, Yusof (2016-10-17). The Different aspects of Islamic culture: Islam in the World today; Islam and the Muslim world today. UNESCO Publishing. pp. 338–40\. ISBN 978-92-3-100133-8.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
* Council, American Foreign Policy (2019-04-30). The World Almanac of Islamism 2019. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. pp. 63–80\. ISBN 978-1-5381-3054-4. `{{cite book}}`: `|first=` has generic name (help)
* Narbona, Maria del Mar Logroño; Pinto, Paulo G.; Karam, John Tofik (2015-09-15). Crescent Over Another Horizon: Islam in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino USA. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-4773-0229-3.
* Islam and Muslims in the American Continent. Center of Historical, Economical and Social Studies. 2001. pp. 565–603.
* Jozami, Gladys (1996). "The Manifestation of Islam in Argentina". The Americas. 53 (1): 67–85\. doi:10.2307/1007474. ISSN 0003-1615. JSTOR 1007474.
* Brieger, Pedro; Herszkowich, Enrique (2002). "The Muslim Community of Argentina2". The Muslim World. 92 (1–2): 157–168\. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2002.tb03738.x. ISSN 1478-1913.1–2&rft.pages=157-168&rft.date=2002&rft_id=info:doi/10.1111/j.1478-1913.2002.tb03738.x&rft.issn=1478-1913&rft.aulast=Brieger&rft.aufirst=Pedro&rft.au=Herszkowich,+Enrique&rft_id=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1478-1913.2002.tb03738.x&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Islam+in+Argentina" class="Z3988">
* McLarney, Ellen (2024-10-14), "Islam and Race in Argentina", The Routledge Handbook of Islam and Race (1 ed.), London: Routledge, pp. 188–202, doi:10.4324/9780429058875-14, ISBN 978-0-429-05887-5, retrieved 2025-08-07
* Chitwood, Ken (2019), "Islam in Argentina", Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions, Springer, Cham, pp. 622–626, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-27078-4_262, ISBN 978-3-319-27078-4, retrieved 2025-08-07
* P., Brieger (2000). "Muslims in Argentina". ISIM Newsletter. 6 (1). Archived from the original on 2024-09-29.
* Rajina, Fatima (2016-07-02). "Islam in Argentina: Deconstructing the Biases". Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 36 (3): 399–412\. doi:10.1080/13602004.2016.1212495. ISSN 1360-2004.
* "Muslims Welcome Hijab Law In Argentina". hwpi.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-07.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islam in Argentina.

* Islam in the Americas by Florida International University research-led team
* El Islam en Argentina

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Mosques in Argentina

* Al Ahmad
* King Fahd
* At-Tauhid
* Asociación Cultural y Culto Pan Islámica
* Asociación Unión Islámica Rosario
* Centro Islámico Arabe de Mendoza
* Mezquita Islámica de Córdoba

* Category
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Islam in the Americas

Sovereign
states|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
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* Peru
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* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
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Dependencies
and territories|

* Anguilla
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* U.S. Virgin Islands

* North America
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*   * Latin America
*   * South America

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Lebanese people and diaspora

Countries|

| Africa|

* Egypt
* Syro-Lebanese
* Ghana
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Guinea
* Ivory Coast
* Nigeria
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa

|

Americas|

* Argentina
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* Guadeloupe island
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* United States
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Asia|

* Cyprus
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Europe|

* Austria
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Oceania|

* Australia
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Personalities|

| Africa|

* Egypt
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* Liberia
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* South Africa

|

Americas|

* Argentina
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Western-Asia|

* Cyprus
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Europe|

* Belgium
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Oceania|

* Australia
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Syrians and diaspora

Countries|

| Americas|

* Argentina
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* Mexico
* United States
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* Uruguay
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|

Middle East|

* Jordan
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Asia|

* Japan

Europe|

* France
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Oceania|

* Australia
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Africa|

* Ghana

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Arab diaspora

Africa|

* Ghana
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Asia|

* Afghanistan
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Europe|

| North|

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|

Southeast|

* Bulgaria
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South|

* Greece
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West|

* Austria
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* France
* Beur
* Paris
* Germany
* Berlin
* Netherlands
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North America|

* Canada
* Cuba
* El Salvador
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Mexico
* United States
* Detroit

Oceania|

* Australia
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South America|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Paraguay
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

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