Islam in the Dominican Republic

Islam in the Dominican Republic is a minority religion. Accurate statistics of religious affiliation are difficult to calculate and there is a wide variation concerning the actual numerical amount. Although the majority of the population is Christian, Muslim community is leaded by the Círculo Islámico de República Dominicana (The Islamic Circle of Dominican Republic). Currently, the Círculo Islámico has an estimation that Muslims number in Dominican Republic is about 3,000 to 4,000, including of a good number of dominicans included.

The Círculo Islámico established the first mosque in the Dominican Republic in the center of Santo Domingo, about a five-minute walk from the Palacio de Policía Nacional and the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) where Muslims from around the city would have easy access to reach it. They made an agreement with the owner to purchase the land and the building for an amount of 2.85 million pesos. The mosque is open daily for the five prayers (salat) and offers classes on Islamic studies for ladies and children on weekends. They also provided free medical consultation along with a free pharmacy, Consultant Al-Foutory, which is located in a separate building at the back of the mosque. The community is vibrant and diverse economically speaking, due to it brings to the Dominican society a good amount of doctors, clinics in cities like Constanza and Jarabacoa, important business men, cellphones stores, restaurants, economic consultancy and many more. The Al-Noor Mosque is largely believed to be the only active mosque in the country and receives the bulk of the Muslim population for the two Eids, Ramadan, Salat al Jummah, and the five daily prayers. However, about 5 other mosques are spread all the way inside the country. For example, in Los Llanos neighborhood of San Pedro de Macorix, Dominican Republic. This mosque is led by a converted Dominican Imam. Los Llanos is roughly a 30 minutes drive from the Al-Noor Mosque. The Musalla Al-Hidayya provides Jummah services in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, and the Musalah Al-Nabawi( address: Av. Espana Plaza Estrella No. 411, Bavaro Punta Cana ) serves local and visiting Muslims in the tourist sector of Bávaro-Punta Cana in the East of the country.