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)
“During the first formative centuries of its existence, Christianity was separated from and indeed antagonistic to the state, with which it only later became involved. From the lifetime of its founder, Islam was the state, and the identity of religion and government is indelibly stamped on the memories and awareness of the faithful from their own sacred writings, history, and experience.”
—Bernard Lewis, U.S. Middle Eastern specialist. Islam and the West, ch. 8, Oxford University Press (1993)
“last time I saw you was the hospital
pale skull protruding under ashen skin
blue veined unconscious girl
in an oxygen tent
the war in Spain has ended long ago
Aunt Rose”
—Allen Ginsberg (b. 1926)