The vast majority of the

Moldovan people Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians ( ro, moldoveni , Moldovan Cyrillic: молдовень), are a Romance-speaking ethnic group and the largest ethnic group of the Republic of Moldova (75.1% of the population as of 2014) and a sign ...

are

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

s, but there is a small community of

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

, numbering a few thousand. In 2005, the Spiritual Organisation of Muslims in Moldova headed by Talgat Masaev was denied registration despite the appeal of the Mission to Moldova of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

. In March 2011, the Islamic League of Moldova (''Liga Islamică din Moldova''), an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

representing Moldova's Muslims, was registered by the Moldovan Justice Ministry as the first legally recognized Muslim association in Moldova. It had applied for registration in 2008. The

Moldovan Orthodox Church Moldovan and Moldavian refer to something of, from, or related to Moldova or Moldavia. In particular, it may refer to: *Moldovans, the main ethnic group of the Republic of Moldova *''Moldavians'', the inhabitants of the historical territory of the ...

opposed the recognition of Islam and joined protests with conservative groups. As of 2011, officially there were just 2,000 Muslims in Moldova. But the Islamic League of Moldova head Sergiu Sochirca said the number was closer to 17,000, though not all of them were registered as Muslims due to suppression of Islam in the past.

Demographics

There are 2,009 Muslims living in Moldova according to the 2014 Moldovan census, an increase from the 1,667 Muslims that lived in Moldova according to the 2004 Moldovan census. Most of the

live in Chișinău (985 people), followed by Gagauzia (176 people),

Bălți Bălți (; russian: Бельцы, , uk, Бєльці, , yi, בעלץ ) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city is one of the five Moldovan municipalit ...

(76 people), Anenii Noi (68 people) and Cahul (54 people).

References

External links

Briefing: Moldova’s Unofficial MuslimsMoldova: Muslims Vow To Defy "Illegal" Worship BanReport on the Implementation of the Minorities Rights in Moldova

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