Islam in Spain has had a fundamental presence in the culture and history of the nation. The religion was present in modern Spanish soil from 711 until 1492 under the rule of the Arabs and Moors of Al-Andalus. For key historical dates, see Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula. As of 2007, it is estimated that over 1 million Muslims live in Spain, most of them recent immigrants from North Africa, Middle East, and South Asia; although there are also some Spanish converts, estimated at between 20,000 and 50,000.
Read more about Islam In Spain: Recent Immigration and Conversion
Famous quotes containing the words islam in, islam and/or spain:
“The exact objectives of Islam Inc. are obscure. Needless to say everyone involved has a different angle, and they all intend to cross each other up somewhere along the line.”
—William Burroughs (b. 1914)
“Sooner or later we must absorb Islam if our own culture is not to die of anemia.”
—Basil Bunting (1900–1985)
“England and France, Spain and Portugal, Gold Coast and Slave Coast, all front on this private sea; but no bark from them has ventured out of sight of land, though it is without doubt the direct way to India.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)