Islam in the Netherlands Antilles


Islam is a minority religion in the Netherlands Antilles. There are about 2,500 Muslims in the Islands, 1000 of which are in the Caribbean Netherlands, or 0.31% of the population. Most Muslims are emigrants from Lebanon, Syria and Suriname.

History

Muslims began to reach the islands during colonial times as workers, from African countries then form the Indian subcontinent. Then there was a wave of Muslims coming from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq as well as some indigenous people who converted to Islam. In 1982 there were about 2000 Muslims.

Islamic centers

The majority of the Islam community is located on Curaçao where is the only mosque: Masjed Omar ben al Ghattab, with its imam Sheikh Yakubu Mohammed. There are other Islamic centers including: