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.[1] However, according to official estimates the Colombian Muslim community numbered just 10,000 people[2] or 0.02% of the total Colombian population.[3] Most Colombian Muslims are immigrants from the Arab World along with a small number of local converts.[2][4]
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. Maicao plays host to the continent's third largest mosque, the Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Most Muslims in Colombia are descendants of Arab immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine during the late 19th to early 20th century.[5] The Afro-Colombian Muslims in Buenaventura, Colombia's main Pacific port city, have over the years embraced the teachings of the Nation of Islam, mainstream Sunni Islam, and the Shia Islam denomination.[6]
^Klich, Ignacio, Jeff Lesser (1992). Arab and Jewish immigrants in Latin America. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN0-7146-4873-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
