- Islam in Ecuador
The statistics for Islam in Ecuador estimate a total
Muslim population of 275, representing 0.002 percent of the total populationFact|date=February 2007. The first Muslims settlers inEcuador were primarilyArabs who immigrated fromLebanon , thePalestinian territories ,Syria , andEgypt following the two World Wars and the destruction of theOttoman Empire . Their settlements were concentrated inQuito and inGuayaquil with smaller communities in Manabí, Los Ríos, and Esmeraldas provinces. Arab Christians and Muslims created a non-religious ethnic organisation called "Lecla" in the 1940s and The Arab Club in the 1980s. By the mid 1990s more indigenous Ecuadorians began acceptingIslam , and together with the Arab community, they rented an apartment to be used for Friday prayers. Later the Egyptian Embassy provided a private apartment for the same purpose. The Centro Islámico del Ecuador, founded onOctober 15 ,1994 , was the first Muslim religious organization recognized by the government. The religious activities, as well as social, cultural and educational activities are conducted according toSunni Islam and the center receives no financial support from any foreign country. The Islamic Center also translates and publishes literature in Spanish on a variety of Islamic topics. The Centro Islámico del Ecuador sends representatives annually to the Latin Muslims Leaders gathering that usually takes place inArgentina .
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