Islam in Iceland
The Nordic country of Iceland has one of the smallest Muslim communities in the world,[citation needed] of only 770 people (as of 2013). This corresponds to 0.2% of the population of Iceland.
History
The earliest mention of Iceland in Muslim sources originates in the works of Muhammad al-Idrisi in his famous Tabula Rogeriana mentioned Iceland's location in the North Sea.
Perhaps the earliest contact between the Islamic world and Iceland occurred in 1627, when North African pirates raided portions of Iceland, including the southwest coast, Vestmannaeyjar, and the eastern fjords.[1] This event is known in Icelandic history as the Tyrkjaránið (the "Turkish Abductions").
Demographics
- "Association of Muslims in Iceland" (Félag múslima á Íslandi) has 465 members (as of 2013).
- "The Islamic Cultural Centre of Iceland" (Menningarsetur múslima á Íslandi) has 305 members (as of 2013).[2]
The number of Muslims in Iceland is suspected to be not much more than the two associations combined.[citation needed]
Association of Muslims in Iceland
The Association of Muslims in Iceland (Félag múslima á Íslandi) was founded in 1997. It is headed by Salmann Tamimi, a Palestinian immigrant.[3]
The Islamic Cultural Centre of Iceland
The Islamic Cultural Centre of Iceland (Menningarsetur múslima á Íslandi) was founded between 2009 and 2010.[citation needed]
Mosques
Muslims in Iceland worship at the Reykjavík Mosque; a Sunni mosque on the third floor of an office building in Ármúli 38, Reykjavík.[2] It has two imams and offers daily and nightly prayers attended by a mix of local Icelanders and visiting Muslims. It also offers weekly Friday prayers for Jumu'ah.
In 2000 the Muslim Association applied to purpose-build a mosque in Reykjavík. The city government authorized a plot of land much smaller than requested but did not approve the building plans. The project stalled when approval of additional land and further progress was tied to approval of the adjacent Russian Orthodox church.[4]
Outside interest
The Muslims of Iceland attracted the interest of Al Jazeera, which planned a documentary dealing with Muslims in Iceland and New Zealand. Al Jazeera is interested in how Ramadan is honored in the higher latitudes where the night can be of unusual length when compared to the majority-Muslim lands.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Jørgen Nielsen; Samim Akgönül; Ahmet Alibaši?; Brigitte Maréchal, Christian Moe (11 November 2010). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe. BRILL. pp. 251–. ISBN 978-90-04-18475-6. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mannfjöldi eftir trúfélögum 1998-2012 . Hagstofan.is (Icelandic)
- ↑ AFS, Islam and Icelanders
- ↑ Fontaine-Nikolov, Paul (2006-01-13). "You Can Worship Your God". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ↑ "Al Jazeera Shoots Documentary on Icelandic Muslims". Iceland Review. 17 Aug 2011.]
External links
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