Islam in Latvia

Part of a series on Islam 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 • Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) • Djibouti • Egypt • Equatorial Guinea • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mali • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger • Nigeria • Rwanda • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Seychelles • Sierra Leone • Somalia • South Africa • South Sudan • Sudan • Swaziland • Tanzania • Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) • Zambia • Zimbabwe Asia Afghanistan • Bahrain • Bangladesh • Bhutan • Brunei • Burma • Cambodia • China (Hong Kong) • East Timor • India • Indonesia • Iran • Iraq • Israel and the Palestinian territories • Japan • Jordan • Kazakhstan • Korea • Kyrgyzstan • Kuwait • Laos • Lebanon • Maldives • Malaysia • Mongolia • Nepal • Oman • Pakistan • Philippines • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Singapore • Sri Lanka • Syria • Taiwan • Tajikistan • Thailand • Turkmenistan • Turkey • UAE • Uzbekistan • Vietnam • Yemen Europe Albania • Andorra • Armenia • Austria • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Belgium • Bosnia • Bulgaria • Croatia • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Georgia • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Macedonia • Luxembourg • Malta • Moldova • Montenegro • Netherlands • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • Serbia • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Ukraine • United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) • USSR The Americas Antigua & Barbuda • Argentina • Bahamas • Barbados • Belize • Bolivia • Brazil • Canada • Chile • Colombia • Costa Rica • Cuba • Dominica • Dominican Republic • Ecuador • El Salvador • Grenada • Guatemala • Guyana • Haiti • Honduras • Jamaica • Mexico • Nicaragua • Panama • Paraguay • Peru • St. Kitts & Nevis • St. Lucia • St. Vincent & the Grenadines • Suriname • Trinidad & Tobago • United States • Uruguay • Venezuela Oceania Australia • Cocos (Keeling) Islands • Federated States of Micronesia • Fiji • Guam • Kiribati • Marshall Islands • Nauru • New Caledonia • New Zealand • Northern Mariana Islands • Palau • Papua New Guinea • Samoa • Solomon Islands • Tonga • Tuvalu • Vanuatu This box: view · talk · edit

The presence of Muslims in Latvia was first recorded in the early 19th century. The Muslims had mainly Tatar and Turkic backgrounds, and most had been brought to Latvia against their will. These included Turkish prisoners of war from the Crimean War and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877. After the Russo-Turkish War almost one hundred Turkish prisoners were brought to the town of Cēsis, where nearly 30 perished owing to harsh conditions of weather, under no suitable location for warmth and no protection for cold.^[1]

The total Muslim population in Latvia is estimated at about 2000 by Pew Forum,^[2] but at about 10,000 by local Muslims.^{[citation needed]}

20th century

In 1902, a Muslim congregation was officially established and recognized by the government. The community elected Ibrahim Davidof as its leader and a prayer hall was inaugurated. The majority of Muslims residing in Latvia in the early part of the 20th century were conscripted in the Russian army. After release from service, most would leave for Moscow.

During the creation of the Soviet Union and amid civil war, many refugees entered Latvia, including Muslims of various ethnicities. They were however known to Latvians as Turks. In 1928, Husnetdinov, a Turkic priest, was elected leader of Riga Muslim community. He held that post until 1940.

See also

• Religion in Latvia

References

• Latvia's minority groups from the south and east - The Latvian Institute

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Mapping the global Muslim population; A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population; October 2009; p.31