Who converted Spain to Islam?

Who converted Spain to Islam?

On April 30, 711, Muslim General Tariq ibn-Ziyad landed at Gibraltar and by the end of the campaign most of the Iberian Peninsula (except for small areas in the north-west such as Asturias and the Basque territory) were brought under Islamic rule.

Does Spain have any mosques?

The exact number of mosques in Spain vary according to different sources and estimates. According to a former 2010 estimate, there were 13 large mosques and more than 1000 smaller mosques and Islamic prayer rooms scattered across the country serving an estimated Muslim population of 1.5 million.

How should Basques view the spread of Islam in Spain?

The Islamic Council of the Basque Country says Basques should view the spread of Islam in their region “not as a problem, but as an opportunity. Diversity is good.”. To those who remain skeptical about Islam, the group recommends that they “change their chip.”.

What happened to the Muslims after the Reconquista?

However, after the Reconquista ended many people converted back to Christianity due to the Inquisition. The Expulsion of the Moors in the early 17th century expelled the final Christian descendants of the Arab colonists who remained in Spain, effectively eliminating all traces of Islam in Spain

When did the Spanish start converting Muslims to Islam?

Forced conversion varied in timeline by ruling body: it was enacted by the Crown of Castile in 1500–1502, in Navarre in 1515–1516, and by the Crown of Aragon in 1523–1526. Initial efforts at forcing the conversions of Spanish Muslims were started by Cardinal Cisneros, the archbishop of Toledo, who arrived in Granada in the autumn of 1499.

How did Islam spread in the Iberian Peninsula?

The Muslim rulers of the emirates actively promoted Islam, and a special tax, the Jizya, was levied on non-Muslims. This eventually led a large number of Christians, who lived in Iberia before the Conquest, to convert to Islam, they were known as muladies and made up the majority of the Muslim population after the 10th century.