Islam in Luxembourg

Muslims in Luxembourg are a super-minority together with: Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Jews. Since 2015, Islam is legally recognized in the country.[1]

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A mosque in Luxembourg

Migration

Up until the 1970s, Luxembourg's Muslim population was small. In the mid-1970s, the Muslim population consisted of around 300 people, rising to over 3,000 by the mid-1990s. Since then, the population has doubled due to asylum-seekers from former Yugoslavia, mostly Bosniaks. The refugees came in waves and, aside from the Bosniaks, these were constituted by Muslims from Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro. Most asylum seekers were initially expected to stay less than a few years.[2][3] Aside from the refugees, the Muslim population was also increased by workers who migrated after the labour agreement between Luxembourg and Yugoslavia.[4] By 2013, Muslims in Luxembourg were constituted of Bosniaks (2,303), Moroccans (616), Albanians (502), Turks (487), Tunisians (374), Algerians (331), and Iranians (322).[5]

Population

The bulk of the Muslim population lives in urban areas with 70 percent residing in Luxembourg and four other cities.[5] According to the Assembly of the Muslim Community in Luxembourg, it is estimated that about 10,000 to 15,000 Muslims presently reside in the Grand-Duchy.[6] However, it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs and practices.[7] Furthermore, it is unclear how many are citizens of the Grand-Duchy.

There are currently six mosques in Luxembourg:[8] Mamer (which is also home to the Islamic Cultural Centre), Esch-sur-Alzette, Wiltz, Diekirch and Luxembourg City. About 1,000 adults attend Friday prayers regularly in these places of worship.[5] There is also an increasing number of converts and this is reflected in the sermons in the mosques, which are delivered in Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, French, and English.[4]

References
  1. "Finally good news from Europe, Islam recognized in Luxembourg".
  2. "Anti-Islamic reactions in the EU: Luxemburg" (PDF). European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  3. "Immigration in Luxembourg: New Challenges for an Old Country". Migration Information Source. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  4. Scharbrodt, Oliver; Akgonul, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Nielsen, Jorgen; Racius, Egdunas (2015). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 7. Leiden: BRILL. p. 378. ISBN 9789004298897.
  5. Nielsen, Jorgen; Akgonul, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Racius, Egdunas (2014). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 6. Leiden: BRILL. p. 388. ISBN 9789004277540.
  6. Assemblée de la Communauté Musulmane du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg - Rapport d'activités de la shoura pour l'année 2012/2013 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, page 4
  7. "Mémorial A, 1979, No. 29" (PDF) (in French). Service central de législation. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  8. "Assemblée de la Communauté Musulmane du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg".


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