Muslim Population in Castile and León Grows, Majority Moroccan-Origin

The Muslim community in Castile and León represents 1.9% of the population of the Community, according to the demographic study of the Muslim population carried out by the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain (UCIDE) and the Andalusian Observatory. Of the 45,780 Muslims in Castile and León, 16,125 are Spanish (35.2%) and the rest, 29,655, are foreigners, more than half of whom are of Moroccan origin (23,156), reports ABC.

The Muslim community in Castile and León is also made up of Algerians (1,402), Senegalese (1,056), Pakistanis (1,045), Malians (593), Nigerians (330), Gambians (228), Guineans (198) and nationals of Bangladesh (183). By province, Burgos is in the lead with 8,800 Muslims, followed by Valladolid with 7,587, León (6,991), Segovia (5,554), Ávila (5,153), Salamanca (4,319), Soria (3,367), Palencia (2,693) and Zamora (1,316).

The other reason for the increase in the Muslim population, after the significant influx of migrants from Morocco and Algeria, is the birth of children of migrants residing in Spain. But the integration of Muslims remains a whole issue, says Mohamed El Mizeb, the president of the Federation of Muslim Communities of Castile and León, who has been campaigning for years for the construction of a Muslim cemetery in the Community.

Another problem facing Muslims in Castile and León is the creation and maintenance of mosques, the entire costs of which are currently covered by private contributions. In the same vein, Mohamed Chograni, secretary of the Attaqwa Islamic community in Burgos, calls for public funding of mosques to make them less dependent on foreign funds. He also calls for the promotion of Islamic education in schools.