Islam in Georgia (country)

Islam in Europe
by percentage of country population[1]
  90–100%
  70–90%
  50–70%
Bosnia and Herzegovina
  30–40%
North Macedonia
  10–20%
  5–10%
  4–5%
  2–4%
  1–2%
  < 1%
Central Mosque in Tbilisi

Islam in Georgia (Georgian: ისლამი საქართველოში, romanized: islami sakartveloshi) was introduced in 654 when an army sent by the Third Caliph of Islam, Uthman, conquered Eastern Georgia and established Muslim rule in Tbilisi. Currently, Muslims constitute approximately 9.9%[2] of the Georgian population. According to other sources, Muslims constitute 10-11% of Georgia's population.[3]

In July 2011, Parliament of Georgia passed new law allowing religious minority groups with "historic ties to Georgia" to register. The draft of the law specifically mentions Islam and four other religious communities.[3]

Mosques in Georgia operate under the supervision of the Georgian Muslim Department, established in May 2011. Until then the affairs of Georgia's Muslims had been governed from abroad by the Baku-based Caucasus Muslims Department.[4]

In 2010, Turkey and Georgia signed an agreement by which Turkey will provide funding and expertise to rehabilitate three mosques and to rebuild a fourth one in Georgia, while Georgia will rehabilitate four Georgian monasteries in Turkey.[5] The Georgia-Turkey agreement will allow the reconstruction of the historical Azize mosque in Batumi, Ajaria demolished in the middle of the last century. Turkey will rehabilitate the mosques at Samtskhe-Javakheti and Akhaltsikhe regions, Kobuleti District, build the Azize mosque burned down in 1940 and restore the Turkish bathhouse in Batumi.

  1. ^ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". Pew Research Center. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  2. ^ Religion and education in Europe: developments, contexts and debates, By Robert Jackson, pg.67
  3. ^ a b Robia (8 July 2011). "Georgia Adopts Law on the Status of Religious Minorities". crrc-caucasus.blogspot.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  4. ^ Georgia Establishes New Muslim Affairs Department Independent of Azerbaijan Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine. IslamToday. 13 May 2011. Accessed February 11, 2012.
  5. ^ Georgia to fund restoration of historical monastery in eastern Turkey Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine