page_title: Religion in Argentina
section_title: Islam
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Argentina / Islam
caption_attribution_description: Centro Cultural Rey Fahd, la mezquita más grande de Sudamérica, en Buenos Aires, Argentina.
context_page_description: Argentina, for much of its history and including the present day, has been an overwhelmingly Christian country. The largest Christian denomination in the country is Roman Catholicism. The historical background is very much due to the Spanish influence brought about through the newly conquered territories. However, immigration throughout the 20th century has brought other Catholics and denominations from various regions to Argentina.
  Overall, a 2008 survey found that 24% attended religious services regularly, and that 10.3% described themselves as unaffiliated.
  Only 35% of Argentines consider religion to be very important in their lives according to a 2015 Pew Research Center report.
  Argentina is also home to the largest Muslim community in Latin America, numbering at around 400,000 people or 1% of the total population.
  As of 2019, 74.3% of the population of Argentina is Christian, 63.3% belong to the Roman Catholic Church, 11.0% is Evangelical, 24.1% are unaffiliated and 2.1% belong to other religions.
  About 37% of Argentines say that religion is not too or not at all important in their lives, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center report.
context_section_description: Argentina has the largest Muslim minority in Latin America. Although the national census does not ask about religious affiliation, precluding accurate statistics, Argentina's Muslim community is estimated to number around 1% of the total population. Estimates in 2000 ranged around 400,000.
  The 20th century saw an influx of immigrants from the Ottoman Empire, mostly Arabs from Syria and Lebanon. They are generically called 'Turcos' (Turks) in Argentina, because when most arrived, Lebanon and Syria were territories of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that today there are about 3.5 million Argentines of Arab descent. The majority of these Arab immigrants were Arab Christians and some were Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews. Though accurate information is unavailable, it is likely that less than a quarter of Arab migrants were Muslim Arabs. The descendants of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are more likely to identify themselves as just Jews rather than Arab Jews today.
  The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center, the largest mosque in South America, was completed in 1996 with the help of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on a piece of land measuring 20,000 m². The total land area granted by the Argentine government measures 34,000 m², and was offered by President Carlos Menem following his visit to Saudi Arabia in 1992. The project cost around US$30 million, includes a mosque, library, two schools, and a park, and is located in the middle-class district of Palermo, Buenos Aires.
  The Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA), headquartered in Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic-affiliated endeavors. The IOLA holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America, as well as the propagation of Islam.
caption: King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center
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