Islam in Spain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Islam in Spain

Regions with significant populations
In absolute frequencies: Catalonia, Andalusia, Community of Madrid, Valencian Community, Region of Murcia
Religions
Majority Sunni minority Shia
Languages
Main: Spanish, Arabic, Berber and others

Spain is a country where most people are Christian. Islam is a smaller religion, mainly practiced by immigrants and their families from countries where most people are Muslim. In 2019, about 4.45% of people in Spain were Muslims.

Islam was a very important religion on the Iberian Peninsula for a long time. This started with the Umayyad conquest of Hispania and officially ended in the mid-1500s. At that time, the Spanish government made practicing Islam against the law. Later, in the early 1600s, about 500,000 people called Moriscos (who were Muslims forced to convert to Christianity) were expelled from Spain. Even though many Moriscos came back or avoided being expelled, Islam was not openly practiced much by the 1800s.

In 2022, a survey showed that 2.8% of people in Spain followed a religion other than Catholicism. However, an unofficial estimate from 2020 by the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE) said that Muslims made up 4.45% of Spain's population in 2019. Of these, 42% were Spanish citizens (many with foreign family roots), 38% were from Morocco, and 20% were from other countries.

History of Islam in Spain

The Great Mosque of Córdoba is one of the old mosques that became churches after the Reconquista.

The Muslim Conquest of Spain

Hispania was the old Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. After the Western Roman Empire fell, a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths ruled the area. They became Christians. Spain was not very stable under Visigothic rule.

News of this instability reached the growing Islamic empire in North Africa. In 711, a Muslim general named Tariq ibn-Ziyad landed in Gibraltar. He led an army that took over most of the Iberian Peninsula. The last Visigothic king, Roderic, was defeated in the battle of Guadalete. By the end of the campaign, most of Spain was under Islamic rule.

The Umayyad Caliphate in 750.

Muslim forces tried to move north into France. But they were stopped by the Christian Frankish leader Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in 732.

The Caliphate of Cordoba around the year 1000.

Islamic rule in Spain lasted for different lengths of time. In some areas, it was only 28 years. In others, like around the city of Granada, it lasted for 781 years. During this time, the Islamic empire brought many new things to society. These included libraries, schools, public baths, literature, poetry, and beautiful buildings. People of different faiths often worked together to develop this culture.

The idea of Muslims, Jews, and Christians living peacefully together in Al-Andalus is called convivencia. Some historians believe it was a time of great understanding and cooperation. They point out that Muslim rulers like Abd-al-Rahman III worked with Christians and Jews. These groups could practice their religions and even hold important positions.

However, other historians believe that convivencia was not always peaceful. They say that non-Muslims often faced challenges. For example, Christians and Jews sometimes had to pay special taxes or follow certain dress codes. There were also times of violence and forced conversions. It seems that how people lived together often depended on their social class and the specific rulers at the time.

The spiritual movement of Sufism also became important in Spain. A famous Sufi teacher, Ibn 'Arabi, was from Murcia.

The Almohad Caliphate expanded in the 12th century.

Muslim Rule in Al-Andalus

Muslims from places like North Africa, Yemen, Syria, and Iran moved into the Iberian Peninsula. They called this land "Al-Andalus."

For a while, Al-Andalus was one of the most advanced Muslim civilizations. It reached its peak with the Umayyad Caliphate in the 900s. Al-Andalus went through several stages:

• The Al-Andalus province of the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus (711–756)
• The independent Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba (756–929)
• The Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (929–1031)
• The first Taifa kingdoms (1031–c. 1091)
• The Almoravid rule (c. 1091–c. 1145)
• The second Taifa kingdoms (c. 1145–c. 1151)
• The Almohad rule (c. 1151–1212)
• The third Taifa kingdoms (1212–1238)
• The Kingdom of Granada (1238–1492)

The Madrasah of Granada was a famous school founded by the Nasrid dynasty ruler Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada in 1349. Many great scholars studied there.

The Reconquista

A battle between Moors and Christians during the Reconquista, from The Cantigas de Santa María.

After the Caliphate broke apart, Christian kingdoms in northern Spain slowly took back control. This process was called the Reconquista (meaning "Reconquest"). The first major city to be taken by Catholic forces was Toledo in 1085.

After the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, most of Al-Andalus came under Christian control. The only Muslim territory left was the Nasrid dynasty Emirate of Granada. The Granada War began in 1482. Finally, in 1492, the city of Granada and its famous Alhambra palace fell to the forces of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. This marked the end of Muslim rule in Spain.

After the Reconquista

When Granada was conquered, a treaty was signed. It allowed Muslims in Spain to keep their religion, language, schools, laws, and customs. However, local Catholic leaders often interpreted this treaty differently. The first Archbishop of Granada, Hernando de Talavera, was quite tolerant.

But things changed in 1492 with the Alhambra Decree. This decree began to take away freedoms. When Cardinal Cisneros replaced Archbishop Talavera, he started forcing Muslims to convert to Christianity. He also publicly burned thousands of Arabic books.

The Moors ask James I of Aragon for permission.

In 1499, some Muslims, called Mudéjars, rebelled in the First Rebellion of the Alpujarras. This rebellion failed and gave the Catholic rulers an excuse to cancel the promise of religious freedom. That same year, Muslim leaders were ordered to hand over most remaining Arabic books, which were then burned. Only medical books were saved.

Starting in Valencia in 1502, Muslims were given a choice: be baptized as Christians or leave Spain. Leaving was often very difficult because of the costs and challenges of moving. So, many were forced to convert. These "New Christians" were also called "Moriscos." Many of them secretly continued to practice Islam. An Islamic scholar in North Africa, Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah, even issued a religious ruling (a fatwa) in 1504. It said that Muslims could outwardly pretend to be Christian, and even do forbidden things like drink wine or eat pork, if they were forced to. This was to protect them from the Spanish Inquisition.

Coat of arms of Vélez-Málaga, Andalusia.

Secretly practicing Islam continued into the 1500s. In 1567, King Philip II made using the Arabic language illegal. He also banned Islamic religion, dress, and customs. This led to the Second Rebellion of Alpujarras. In 1609, King Philip III finally ordered the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain. This expulsion was very effective in Valencia, where many Muslims lived. However, in other parts of Spain, many Moriscos managed to avoid expulsion or returned later.

The last major legal action against Moriscos for secretly practicing Islam happened in Granada in 1727. Even after this, some Morisco communities kept their identity alive into the late 1700s.

Later, in 1799, a new treaty with Morocco allowed Moroccans in Spain to practice their religion freely. This was in exchange for Spanish Catholics having the same rights in Morocco.

Muslim Population in Spain

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 says that no one has to share their religious beliefs. This means that numbers about religious groups are estimates.

The number of Muslims in Spain has grown a lot in the last 20 years. This is linked to more immigration after Spain joined the European Economic Community in 1986. Official estimates suggest about 2% of Spain's population are Muslims.

The areas with the most Muslims are Catalonia, Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, and the Region of Murcia. However, in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which are close to Morocco, Muslims make up a much larger percentage of the population.

This chart shows how the total population and Muslim population in Spain changed from 2003 to 2019. The X-axis starts at 39 million, so it highlights the growth of the Muslim population.

Autonomous Communities	Muslim population 2019	Percentage
Melilla	44,958	51.98
Ceuta	36,822	43.43
Region of Murcia	112,527	7.53
Catalonia	564,055	7.35
La Rioja (Spain)	19,462	6.14
Balearic Islands	59,418	5.17
Aragon	59,821	4.53
Navarre	29,563	4.52
Community of Madrid	299,311	4.49
Valencian Community	221,355	4.42
Andalusia	341,069	4.05
Canary Islands	75,662	3.51
Castile-La Mancha	69,914	3.44
Basque Country	62,466	2.83
Extremadura	19,858	1.86
Castile and León	41,275	1.72
Cantabria	5,526	0.95
Asturias	8,623	0.84
Galicia	19,971	0.74
Spain	2,091,656	4.45

Most Muslims in Spain are either Spanish citizens or from Morocco. Other groups come from Pakistan, Senegal, and Algeria.

Country of origin	Population
Spain	879,808
Morocco	812,412
Pakistan	88,783
Senegal	70,879
Others	63,286
Algeria	63,051
Nigeria	39,241
Mali	24,965
Gambia	20,354
Bangladesh	18,093
Guinea	10,784
Total population	2,091,656

"Others" includes people from Mauritania, Syria, Cameroon, Iran, Turkey, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Albania, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Burkina Faso, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Benin.

Islamic Organizations in Spain

Muslims in Spain have created Islamic communities and groups to work with public institutions. This helps them gain rights under Spanish law. Since 1992, when the Cooperation Agreement was signed, the number of these organizations has grown a lot.

These local communities can join the Islamic Commission of Spain directly. Or they can join through a larger group called a federation. In 2019, there were 49 Islamic federations and 1,704 communities registered with the government.

This map shows where Islamic religious groups are located in Spain in 2019.

Autonomous Communities	Islamic entities (IE) 2019	IE rate (per 10k Muslim inhab.)
Ceuta	67	18.20
Castile-La Mancha	116	16.59
Navarre	46	15.56
Extremadura	28	14.10
Aragon	80	13.37
La Rioja (Spain)	26	13.36
Castile and Leon	53	12.84
Asturias	11	12.76
Galicia	25	12.52
Basque Country	77	12.33
Region of Murcia	128	11.38
Valencian Community	235	10.62
Balearic Islands	62	10.43
Cantabria	5	9.05
Andalusia	265	7.77
Canary Islands	54	7.14
Catalonia	340	6.03
Community of Madrid	142	4.74
Melilla	14	3.11
Total	1.774	8.48
Source: Observatorio Andalusí

Islam and the Spanish Government

In Spain, Islam is considered a "deep-rooted" religion, like Judaism and the Evangelic Church. The Spanish government has special agreements with these religions. Only the Jewish, Evangelic, and Muslim communities have signed formal agreements with the state.

Muslims and the State in the 20th Century

Francisco Franco arriving in San Sebastián in 1939, with the Moorish Guard.

After the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), the leader Francisco Franco built the first modern mosque in Spain. This was the Al-Morabito Mosque in Córdoba. It was a reward for Moroccan troops who fought in his army.

However, during Franco's rule, Spain was officially a Catholic country. Other religions could not be openly practiced until 1967. After that, Muslim communities began to organize. In 1971, Riay Tatary Bakr helped create the Association of Muslims in Spain. This group built the Madrid Central Mosque using private funds.

Rules for Religious Diversity

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 says that all beliefs should be respected. The government should work with the Catholic Church and other religions. The Organic Law of Religious Liberty (1980) said the state should make agreements with religions that are "deep-rooted" in Spain. This means they have enough members, are well-organized, have historical roots, and do important social work.

A mosque in Melilla, a Spanish city in North Africa.

This law allowed the government to sign agreements with Jewish, Evangelic, and Muslim communities. In 1989, Islam was recognized as a "deep-rooted" religion.

Agreement with the Islamic Commission of Spain

The government wanted one group to represent all Muslims in Spain. So, in 1992, the Islamic Commission of Spain was created. It was formed by two main Muslim federations, FEERI and UCIDE. Its main goal was to negotiate and sign an agreement with the government.

The Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1992. This year was chosen because it was 500 years after the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of Jews from Spain. The agreement aimed to give Muslim communities similar rights to the Catholic Church. This included things like places of worship, religious education, and tax benefits.

The agreement has 14 articles covering topics like:

• Legal affairs: How Islamic communities are officially recognized.
• Worship places: Mosques and cemeteries.
• Imams: How religious leaders are certified and supported.
• Marriage and festivities: Recognizing Islamic marriages and allowing time off for Friday prayers and Ramadan.
• Religious assistance: Providing religious support for Muslims in the army, hospitals, and prisons.
• Religious education: Allowing Islamic religious classes in public schools.
• Tax benefits: Giving tax exemptions to Islamic organizations.
• Cultural heritage: Protecting Islamic historical sites.
• Halal products: Creating a system to certify food and products as halal.

Putting the Agreement into Practice

Putting the Cooperation Agreement into practice has been a long process. The agreement didn't immediately set out how everything would be done or how it would be paid for. Also, different parts of the Spanish government (national, regional, and local) are responsible for different parts of the agreement.

Places of Worship

The agreement recognizes mosques and cemeteries as Islamic places of worship. Spain has 13 large mosques in cities like Madrid, Valencia, and Córdoba. However, most Muslim places of worship are smaller prayer rooms in rented buildings like shops or garages.

This chart shows social opposition to mosques in Spain from 1985 to 2013.

In some areas, like Catalonia, there has been public opposition to building new mosques.

Autonomous Communities	Worship places in 2019	Cemeteries in 2019
Catalonia	324	5
Andalusia	271	11
Valencian Community	227	4
Community of Madrid	131	1
Region of Murcia	121	1
Castile-La Mancha	109	0
Basque Country	78	1
Aragon	75	1
Ceuta	63	1
Balearic Islands	57	1
Canary Islands	53	3
Castile and León	51	3
Navarre	45	1
Extremadura	28	0
La Rioja (Spain)	25	1
Galicia	23	0
Melilla	14	1
Asturias	10	1
Cantabria	5	0
Spain	1710	36
Source: Observatorio del Pluralismo Religioso en España

Religious Assistance

Religious assistance means providing spiritual support. This is available for Muslims in prisons, hospitals, and special centers for immigrants. In 2019, there were 20 imams (Islamic religious leaders) working in prisons across Spain. Seven imams worked in immigrant centers. However, there is no information about imams working in hospitals. Religious assistance for Muslims in the Armed Forces has not yet been put into practice.

Religious Education

The agreement allows Muslims to ask for Islamic religious teaching in public schools. This includes preschool, primary, and secondary education. The Islamic Commission of Spain helps appoint these teachers.

The Madrid Central Mosque.

In 2000, 24 teachers were assigned to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. By 2019, a total of 80 Islamic religious teachers were reported across Spain. Some regions, like Navarre and Galicia, have opened the possibility for the subject to be taught. However, the Region of Murcia has not yet responded to requests for Islamic religious teaching. Catalonia started a trial program for this in the 2020–2021 school year.

Autonomous Communities	Year of implementation	Islamic religious teachers in 2019
Ceuta	2000	14
Melilla	2000	10
Andalusia	2005	23
Basque Country	2005	5
Aragon	2005	5
Canary Islands	2005	1
Cantabria	2005	0
Castile and León	2016	6
Community of Madrid	2016	3
La Rioja (Spain)	2018	5
Valencian Community	2018	3
Extremadura	2018	3
Castile-La Mancha	2018	2
Balearic Islands	2020	0
Navarre	opened	0
Galicia	opened	0
Asturias	opened	0
Catalonia	2020	0
Region of Murcia	denial	0
Spain		80

Support for Integration Programs

The agreement gave tax benefits to Islamic groups. After the 2004 Madrid train bombings in 2004, the Spanish government created the Foundation for Pluralism and Coexistence. This foundation helps fund programs that support the cultural, educational, and social integration of "deep-rooted" religions, including Islam.

Halal Products

The agreement said the Islamic Commission of Spain would be in charge of certifying halal products. Halal means products are made according to Islamic law. In 2003, the Islamic Committee of Spain created a Halal Institute to do this. However, there are now many other groups that also certify halal products in Spain.

Attitudes Towards Muslims

A survey in 2019 by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of people in Spain had a positive view of Muslims. 42% had a negative view.

See also

In Spanish: Islam en España para niños

• Islam in Europe
• Turks in Spain
• List of mosques in Spain
• Islamic Federation of the Canary Islands
• Ahmadiyya in Spain
• List of former mosques in Spain