Islam in Venezuela

There are approximately 100,000 Muslims in Venezuela, 0.4 percent of the nation's population [ [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90271.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007 - Venezuela] ] . Venezuela has a small but influential Muslim population, many of them Arabs of Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian descent and Turkish. (Luxner, Larry. "Bowing to Mecca from Caracas". Americas, 1992, volume 44, issue 4, page 4)

The capital, Caracas, has a Muslim population of 15,000. The Mezquita Al-Ibrahim mosque in Caracas is the biggest in Latin America. Located in a rapidly changing area of the city, this historic mosque features the use of dome, minaret and portal to single its presence in the urban landscape, and devices such as the octagonal hall rising up from a platform to a circular dome to achieve the transition between the street and the interior of the prayer hall. It was constructed with funds from the Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahim Foundation under the planning of architect Oscar Bracho. Other notable mosques and Islamic organizations include the "Isla Margarita-Caribe La Comunidad Islámica Venezolana, Centro Islámico de Venezuela", the "Mezquita al-Rauda" in Maracaibo, the "Asociación Honorable Mezquita de Jerusalén" in Valencia, "Centro Islámico de Maiquetía" in Vargas, and the "Asociación Benéfica Islámica" in Bolívar.

Margarita Island in particular is home to a sizeable Arab Muslim community. The local cable television outlet carries al-Jazeera as well as channels from Lebanon, like LBC Sat and ART and more recently, the Saudi/Imarati MBC. Women wearing hijab work cash registers, and on most shop counters, Qur'anic ayah are on display. Arabs are involved mostly in retail businesses and more recently, banks as well as travel agencies.

On February 11, 2006 around 200 (mainly Muslim) protesters marched to the Danish embassy in Caracas and burnt Danish and U.S. flags, as protests over cartoons of Prophet Muhammad spread to Latin America. ["Venezuelan Muslims protest cartoons", From correspondents in Caracas, The Australian, February 11, 2006]

On July 20, 2006 dozens of people marched in Caracas towards the Israeli embassy to protest against the war in Lebanon. Most of them were Venezuelan Muslims, but some were members of pro-government organizations. ["Israeli embassy receives document supporting the peace in Lebanon and Palestine. From the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications and Information. Caracas, July 20, 2006 ]

Notes

External links

*Mezquita Sheikh Ibrahim website on MiPunto.com [http://www.mipunto.com/venezuelavirtual/galeria_fotos/caracas/foto05.html]