AMMONNEWS - By: R. B. Sinclair -The news of an Argentinian-Arab traveling with Pope Francis to the Holy Land was seen as another example of the inclusive nature of His Holiness. It also highlighted how little we know about South America’s Muslims. Research remain sketchy and census numbers vary widely. Ammon tried, repeatedly, to reach, by phone, the Islamic Center of Argentina ( CIRA) to learn more about Imam Abboud's work, but had no luck in reaching anyone. We talked to Abdel Raouf, from the King Fahd Center, who told Ammon that the Center had no knowledge of Imam Abboud traveling with the Pope.

The History of Muslims in Argentina goes back over a century ago to 1850. The first immigrants were mostly from Syria/Lebanon who sought to escape the Ottoman rule . They were registered as Turks due to the fact they had Turkish travel documents at that time. The first official registration of Syrians as Arabs was in 1899. By mid 20th century, it was estimated that over 100,000 ethnic arabs lived in Argentina. The high rate of intermarriage and the desire to integrate lead the new immigrants to adopt Catholicism as their new religion. As a result, numbers of second generation Argentinian Arabs who define themselves as Muslims dropped by %60. And, the Arabic language mostly disappeared from Argentinian-Arab households, by the time the third generation was born.

Muslims in Argentina represent several sects including Sunni, Alawites, Shia, Druze and few Sufi communities. Muslim leaders estimate community members numbers to be about a million Muslim, while others argue the count is much lower. Most Muslims live around Buenos Aires and only the town of La Angelita has a Muslim majority.

The Islamic Center of Argentina ( CIRA ) was founded in 1931, eighty years after the first arrival of Muslims. The Mosque is a religious, cultural and educational non-profit society. In 1981, CIRA boasts that it built the first masjid with Islamic architecture style in Argentina. CIRA is composed of three bodies: The Al Ahmad Mosque, the Arab-Argenitian collage, Omar Bin Khttab, and the social and administrative headquarters. According to the Center's leadership, they represent the majority of Argentinian Muslims. All Muslim sects are welcomed to worship there.

Imam Omar Abboud served as an officer in CIRA’s Culture center. It is not clear if he has any present connections with the Center. While in office, he worked to affirm CIRA's role to nurture the community's "Islamic identity with Argentine characteristics." He was quoted: CIRA is the "mother institution of all Muslims" and the one that represents the community to the State. In December, 2013, CIRA board members met with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to discuss ways to help
the Syrian refugees in Argentina.

According to Abboud, "the first generation came to make money, the second generation dedicated themselves to spending it, and the third generation, profoundly Argentine, decided to return to Islam." Professor Ricaardo Shamsudin attributes the "return to Islam by the third generation to the impact caused by the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979."

Other smaller mosques serve the Shia community and the Alawites (second largest Muslim community in Argentina). In 1996, the King Fahd Islamic Culture Center, the largest mosque in Latin America, opened its doors. The government of Argentina granted the land to build the mosque following a visit by President Carlos Menem to Saudi Arabia.

Historically, Muslims in Argentina shied away from politics and publicity. Two factors helped to change their position; the 1989 inspiring election of Carlos Menem, of Syrian ancestry, as President of Argentina, and the 1992 attack targeting the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center that sparked "wholesale" accusations and investigations against members of the community and the Islam.

Today, Muslims in Argentina have no umbrella organization dedicated to unify them.
The headquarters of the Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA) is located in Buenos Aires. IOLA's mission is to promote unity among Muslims living in Latin America.