The Muslims of Cuba

With estimates of their numbers as high as 10,000, Cuban Muslims have grown from a tiny group of followers to a vibrant cultural community, particularly in Havana. An atheist state under communism, Cuba has begun to relax prohibitions on religion over the years, providing a small space for Muslims amidst the country’s predominantly Catholic population. Cuba itself experiences little immigration, but a growing number of converts have expanded the presence of Islam in the Caribbean nation.

As funding from Turkey supports the construction of a mosque in Old Havana and Saudi Arabia sends religious garments, observant Muslims, increasingly visible, are now faced with educating their broader communities about a religion few have had much interaction with outside of negative television reports. For Ramadan, several media outlets have taken a look at the community of Cuban Muslims looking to practice a faith of restraint some Cubans see as foreign to their culture.

Read:
“Cuban Muslims celebrate Ramadan despite the obstacles” (Al Jazeera)
“Islam thrives in communist Cuba” (USA TODAY)
“Practicing Islam in Catholic Cuba” (CNN, April 2016)

(Image Credit: Kamilia Lahrichi/USA TODAY)