Islam in Nicaragua

According to 2007 statistics released by theUnited States Department of StateconcerningIslam in Nicaragua,there are approximately 1,200 to 1,500 Muslims, mostlySunniswho areresident aliensornaturalized citizensfromPalestine,Libya,andIranor natural-born Nicaraguan citizens born to both of the two groups. The Islamic Cultural Center inManaguaserves as the primarysalaat(prayer) center for Muslims in the city, with approximately 320 men attending on a regular basis. Muslims fromGranada,Masaya,Leon,andChinandegaalso travel to the Managua center for Friday prayers. Granada, Masaya, and Leon have smaller prayer centers in the homes of prominent local Muslims. In May 2007 the Sunni leader of the Managua prayer center was dismissed, due to the increase in Iranian influence in the Muslim community and was to be replaced by aShi'areligious leader. By the end of the reporting period (May 2007) the Shi'a leader had not been identified.

Background

Early Immigration

Muslim immigration occurred in moderate numbers in Nicaragua in the late 19th century. The majority were Palestinian Arab Muslims; the immigration constituted one of the largest waves of immigration toCentral America.Although the exact number of Palestinians is not available, Guzmán writes"it is possible that from the end of the nineteenth century until 1917, when theOttoman Empireentered its final decline, duringWorld War I,40 Palestinian families arrived in Nicaragua ".

This early wave of immigrants quickly lost their Islamic roots and blended into the local population, often by adopting aChristianheritage due to intermarrying and government pressure. At different points during the 1890s to the 1940s Nicaragua, and many other Latin American countries, established laws or issued ordinances that restricted the entry ofArabs,forbade the stay of Arabs already present in the country and curtailed the expansion of their commercial activities.

Immigration: 1960s through 2000

Palestinians celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nicaraguan revolution in Managua waving Palestine andSandinistaflags.

The second group of immigrants in the 1960s was better educated, but not any more oriented towards Islam than the first. This group was affected by two major events in Nicaragua: the1972 Nicaragua earthquake,and theNicaraguan Revolutionin 1979. At that time, many of the former Palestinians immigrated toNorth Americaor returned to Palestine. Those that stayed suffered greatly and their families were further assimilated into Christianity. The latest and smallest group of émigrés was in the early 1990s. Many of these were immigrants returning to Nicaragua who had since become more aware of their Muslim heritage from exposure in North America or Palestine. These immigrants also possessed a stronger Islamic identity than previous groups, enabling an Islamic reawakening by the community.

By 2000 it was estimated that there were 500 families of Palestine Arabs and Palestinian descendants in Nicaragua. The Palestinians that arrived in Nicaragua were mostly Christians and a small number of Muslims, the majority of which came from rural villages nearRamallah,Jerusalem,Beit JalaandBethlehem.The total population of Palestinians in Nicaragua ranks as the largest Arab community in Central America.

Recent developments

According to Fahmi Hassan, President of the 'Asociación Cultural Nicaragüense-Islámica, theMuslimpopulation consists primarily of Arabs who immigrated fromPalestinian territoriesandLebanon,in addition to a number of indigenous converts.In 1999, the firstmasjid(mosque) was constructed in the country on a parcel of land measuring three thousand meters in theSan Juandistrict (Ciudad Jardin) with a capacity for nearly one thousand people. Themasjidprovides introductory courses on Islamic doctrine, as well as a place for performance of the congregational Friday prayer (Salaat al-Jummah) andRamadanactivities. Although the small Muslim community initially lacked finances, they were assisted by contributions from a delegation ofPanamanian Muslims.Besides its characteristicminar,the liturgical office has a library, prayer room, administrative office, children's area, and a school. Religious seminars are offered for both men and women; Spanish language pamphlets are also distributed.Additionally, another new Islamic Center was recently inaugurated, called theCentro Cultural Islámico Nicaragüense.It is operated by a group ofShiite Muslimsand their main goal is the propagation of Islamic teachings. Population of Shiite Muslims existed in Nicaragua from migration of Iranian refugees escapingIranian Revolutionof 1979 and escaping turmoil ofIran–Iraq Warof the 1980s, the Iran–Nicaragua ties strengthened the influence of Shia Islam. Most Shi'ite Muslim Nicaraguans are of Iranian blood, they may still speakPersianand/or otherIranian language,aside fromArabicandSpanish.in the2018 protestsin Managua there was little identified participation by the Muslim community

See also

• Latin American Muslims
• Latino Muslims

External links

• Latino Dawah
• El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish)
• Valeria Imhof (2003).Urcuyo calma a los árabes.El Nuevo Diario
• Edwin Sánchez (2006).El respeto al profeta ajeno es la paz.El Nuevo Diario
• Elhamalawy, Salma (2003),Celebrating Ramadan from Chile to China.
• Mauricio Pineda Cruz, Carlos (July 2005).Al-Qaeda's Unlikely Allies in Central America.Terrorism Monitor Vol. 3, Issue 1
• Marín-Guzmán, Roberto (2000).A Century of Palestinian Immigration into Central America: A study of their economic and cultural contributions.San Jose, CR: Universidad de Costa Rica.
• International Religious Freedom Report 2005,U.S. Department of State
• International Religious Freedom Report 2001,U.S. Department of State
• The Islamic Bulletin,Islam in Nicaragua