Havana's only mosque is a haven for Cuba's small Muslim community

The Habana Vieja neighbourhood, located in Cuba's capital city, serves as the heart of the country's thriving tourist industry. This area is adorned with colourful colonial buildings that house hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, and boutiques. Nestled in a quiet side street, opposite the city's Arab history museum, lies the Abdallah Mosque.

This mosque caters to Havana's small Muslim community, as shared by Imam Aqil Alexis Sanchez Tamayo. Foreign Muslim visitors, who once frequently visited Cuba, were often amazed to find a mosque within the country during the peak tourism period.

Opened in 2015, the mosque initially resided in a former classic car museum, with a design team from Saudi Arabia working alongside local Cubans to create its interior. With a capacity to accommodate around 2,000 people, the mosque became the neurological center for Cuba's Islamic community since its inception in Ramadan 2015. Despite Cuba being a communist country that discourages public displays of religion, a significant landmark agreement between Havana and Saudi Arabia in 2022 facilitated the mosque's construction.

Notably, Saudi Arabia was the first Arab nation to establish formal diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1956.

Prior to the inauguration of the Abdallah Mosque, there was only a small mosque available to diplomats and other foreign visitors staying in Havana, housed within the Arab history museum. The new mosque extends its services to Cuba's entire Muslim population, welcoming visitors from abroad. Cuba's Muslim community numbers approximately 8,000, comprising a mix of Cuban converts and resident foreigners.

Imam Tamayo himself converted to Islam over 20 years ago and pursued further studies in Turkey, serving as a leader within the Islamic League of Cuba and becoming one of the mosque's imams.

The mosque is led by three imams, including Mr. Sanchez Tamayo, who take turns conducting Friday prayers. Another, larger mosque is reportedly planned in the area, with support from Riyadh. This future mosque will be situated near the power plant, an area once considered significant in Havana. Although the Saudi embassy in Havana did not respond to a request for comment, Imam Tamayo highlights the resiliency of the Cuban people amidst mounting challenges.

The tourism industry, once the island's economic backbone, has faced significant setbacks due to the Covid pandemic and stringent US sanctions. Scarcity of essential resources has made life "stressful" for Cubans, but their faith in Islam provides them with the strength to overcome these trying times.