Getting to Know Five Countries Without a Mosque
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Jakarta – A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims around the world. This sacred space serve as hubs for religious activities, community gatherings, and spiritual reflection.
Muslims gather at mosques for the five daily prayers, the most significant of which is the Friday congregational prayer (Jumu'ah), during which a sermon is delivered.
Beyond prayer, mosque often serves as center for education, social services, and community engagement. It plays a significant role in preserving and promoting Islamic traditions and values while fostering a sense of unity and connection among the Muslim community.
But it turns out that there are five countries may not have a mosque. Read below to know about it more.
1. Monaco
The first country that does not have a mosque on its territory is Monaco. From the structure of the map, Monaco is the smallest country in the world. A sovereign city-state located on the Cte d’Azur in Western Europe.
In addition, the official religion of Monaco is Roman Catholicism, along with other religious freedoms guaranteed by the constitution.
The country has five Roman Catholic parish churches and a cathedral in Monaco, which is the seat of the Archbishop of Monaco. Christians constitute 83.2 percent of Monaco’s population.
Now it is too small in Monaco for the Muslims themselves. Those Muslims who want to offer prayers for that, they can do it only at their respective places.
Meanwhile, if they want to pray at the mosque, they must first leave Monaco and the nearest country is France.
2. Vatican
There is no mosque even in the smallest country of the world, know. Apart from the reason that the country’s area is so small, the majority of the Vatican community is Catholic.
It is located in the center of Rome, and is a lifeblood for Catholics. Every year millions of pilgrims come to this country to worship and seek the blessings of the Pope.
So till now no mosque has ever been built in Vatican country. Therefore, the Muslims who want to go to the mosque and offer prayers, they must first leave this country. The nearest neighboring country is Italy.
3. San Marino
San Marino is a small country located in Europe. It is landlocked by Italy and is popular for mountain cliffs, notable buildings and churches. There are almost 34,000 people here out of which 0.02% of the population are Muslims.
There is no mosque in this country due to really less population which is around 7 individuals only.
4. Slovakia
Slovakia is a landlocked country located in Europe. The country is popular for the mountains, castles, caves and churches found here. There were around 0.2% Muslims (more than 5,000 approximately) in the country in 2010. While, there is absolutely not even a single mosque in a country as it is forbidden by the Slovak Government. Moreover, there is injustice and discrimination faced by Muslims in this country.
5. Uruguay
Then there is Uruguay, a country that does not have a mosque in its territory. Even the smallest prayer hall will not be found here. The location is located in the southeast of South America, and the country does not have a Muslim population.
Uruguay borders Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River to the west, the mouth of the Rio de la Plata with Argentina to the southwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.
However, the Egyptian Embassy in Uruguay provides prayer places for Muslims who wish to worship. A type of musala which is located in the embassy itself.