Latin America keen on Islam: Argentinian Muslim scholar

By Muhammed Emin Canik

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - There is a growing interest in Islam in Latin America, Anibal Bachir Bakir, head of the Islamic Center of the Republic of Argentina (CIRA), said Friday.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Bakir explained that CIRA was established in 1926 with the aim of promoting Muslim culture and the teachings of Islam.

According to Bakir, CIRA also provides services to local Muslim communities, including courses in Arabic language and history, lectures on the Muslim faith, and Islamic marriages and funerals.

Some 400 students are currently enrolled in the Omar bin Khattab School in Buenos Aires, which was originally founded by CIRA, Bakir said.

He went on to point out that CIRA frequently works in tandem with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

- Coexistence

“Muslims first arrived in Latin America after fleeing the [Spanish] inquisition,” Bakir told Anadolu Agency.

“About 400,000 Muslims now living in Argentina arrived from Syria and Lebanon in the mass migrations of the 1900s,” he added.

“Throughout Argentina’s history,” Bakir said, “Christians, Muslims and Jews have always coexisted.”

He added: “Argentina is a place where all these different religious communities -- along with non-believers -- can live together in peace.”

*Writing by Dilara Hamit from Ankara