December 9th, 2010
Representatives of the Islamic communities of Álava, Vizcaya y Guipúzcoa – mostly Moroccans and Algerians, but also of Senegalese origin – gathered in Vitoria, summoned by Spanish converts to Islam, to establish The Basque Muslim Council, and advisory organization created with the aim of becoming the main interlocutor for the Muslim population in the Basque region. Vitoria alone is home to more than 5.000 people that profess the Islamic faith. To date, Muslims organize around their mosques and cultural associations, so that institutional relations are limited to the municipalities, or provincial administration. The Muslim Council intends to be a body of communication and coordination between the different Muslim communities settled in the País Vasco, and of representation respect to the Basque government.
