Islam in Gibraltar#History
{{Short description|Religion in Gibraltar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{islam by country}}
According to the World Religion Database (2024), Muslims constitute approximately 4.88% of Gibraltar's population, with around 1,600 individuals out of a total population of 32,000.{{Citation |title=Country Factsheet |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/gibraltar/factsheets/#:~:text=Religions.%20Roman%20Catholic%2072.1%25,,(2012%20est.)&text=of%20England%207.7%25,%20other,(2012%20est.)&text=Muslim%203.6%25,%20Jewish%202.4%25,,(2012%20est.)&text=other%201.1%25,%20none%207.1%25,,(2012%20est.) |access-date=2025-02-06 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}} The Muslim community is predominantly Sunni (4.80%), with a smaller Shia minority (0.08%).{{Cite web |title=National Profiles {{!}} World Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=92c#:~:text=Muslims%204.88%25%207.48%25%2024.20%25 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA) |language=en-gb}} The proportion of Muslims in Gibraltar has gradually increased over the years, from 3.6% in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Gibraltar Religions - Demographics |url=https://www.indexmundi.com/gibraltar/religions.html#google_vignette |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.indexmundi.com |language=en}}
History
The Rock of Gibraltar was first occupied by Muslim forces in 711 AD, when Berber troops from North Africa, led by Tariq ibn Ziyad, landed at its foot.{{Cite web |last=NewStatesman |date=2015-01-05 |title=The Rock of many faiths: Part III, Muslim and Baha'i |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/newstatesman-gibraltar/2015/01/rock-many-faiths-part-iii-muslim-and-baha-i |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}} This event is known as the beginning of the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.{{Cite web |title=BBC - Religions - Islam: Muslim Spain (711-1492) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}} The name "Gibraltar" is derived from the Arabic name "Jebel Tariq," meaning "Tariq's Mountain." Muslim rule in Gibraltar lasted from 711 to 1462, with the exception of a brief period from 1309 to 1333.{{Cite web |title=A Brief History Of Gibraltar |url=https://www.gibmuseum.gi/our-history/brief-history-of-gibraltar#:~:text=Apart%20from%20a%20brief,the%20eighth&text=the%20Muslims%20occupied%20Gibraltar,the%20eighth&text=750%20years,%20until%20finally,the%20eighth&text=the%20Catholic%20Monarchs%20in,the%20eighth |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Gibraltar National Museum |language=en}} In 1462, the Catholic Monarchs reconquered Gibraltar during the Eighth Siege, as part of the Reconquista. Several structures from the Islamic period still stand, including parts of the Line Wall and the Moorish Castle.