A mosque is the building in which Muslims worship God. Throughout Islamic history, the mosque was the centre of the community and towns formed around this pivotal building.
Nowadays, especially in Muslim countries mosques are found on nearly every street corner, making it a simple matter for Muslims to attend the five daily prayers.
In the West mosques are integral parts of Islamic centers that also contain teaching and community facilities.
Mosques come in all shapes and sizes. They differ from region to region based on the density of the Muslim population in a certain area.
Muslims in the past and even today have made use of local artisans and architects to create beautiful, magnificent mosques.
There are however, certain features that are common to all mosques. Every mosque has a mihrab, a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, the direction towards which Muslims pray.
Most mosques have a minbar from which an Islamic scholar is able to deliver a sermon or speech.
In this article, I will be sharing with you 7 countries in the world without any mosques:
1. Slovakia
Slovakia is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Europe. It is positioned both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.
Slovakia is bordered by Poland in the north, Hungary in the south, Ukraine in the east, Austria in the southwest, and Czech Republic in the west.
Slovakia is one of the few European countries with the stringest laws against Islamic religion.
The country has a lawful enactment that left Islam not to be accepted as one of the official religions of the country.
The country always carefully choose which religion to be recognized in its territory.
Currently, Slovakia is the only European Union member state without any mosques.
A few numbers of Muslims in the country only pray in rented houses or temporary prayers houses.
2. Estonia
Estonia is a country located in northeastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Russia.
Estonia shares boundaries with the Baltic Sea on the north, Russia on the east, and Latvia on the south.
Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, is located in the northern part of the coast.
Estonia is one of the European countries with the smallest population of Muslims.
There is no official mosque currently in the country. The underpopulated Muslims in the country usually have their prayers at the Turath Islamic Cultural Center located at the Estonian capital city, Tallinn.
3. San Marino
San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world, surrounded by Italy, and is said to be the world’s oldest surviving republic.
San Marino was founded by Dalmatian Masons who fled from the Roman Empire in an attempt to evade religious persecution by Emperor Diocletian.
In San Marino, the population of Muslims are less. There is no mosque in the country.
Muslims often trudge to Forli and Ravenna mosques situated in the neighboring country, Italy.
4. Monaco
Monaco is the world’s second smallest country, preceded by only the Vatican.
Ruled by the infamous Grimaldi family, it is a picturesque coastal European nation, attracting many visitors to its shores throughout the year.
Monaco is currently one of the countries in the world without any mosques.
Muslim worshippers only lead the way out of the country to find a worship center in France, a nearby country.
5. Vatican City
The Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, is located in the very heart of Rome. It is the pulse of Catholic life.
It attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world, who come every year to gather in prayer and seek the blessing of the Pope.
Presently, in Vatican City, there is no mosque and synagogue. There is no social centers either. Those facilities can only be accessed in the neighboring country, Italy.
6. Uruguay
Uruguay is the smallest Spanish country located in southeastern South America. Uruguay is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Argentina to the west, and Brazil to the north.
There are few numbers of Muslims in Uruguay. There are no Mosques in the country. The Egyptian embassy in the capital city of the country, Montevideo, serves a room for Jumat prayers.
7. São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe is a Portuguese-speaking island country in the Atlantic Ocean off the western equatorial coast of Africa.
It is a very small country. The capital of the country, which became independent on 12 July 1975 from Portugal, is São Tomé.
More than 95% of the population of the São Tomé and Principe are christians.
Roman Catholic is the most predominant christian religion in the country.
However, there is no single mosque in São Tomé and Principe at the moment, making it the only African nation without a single mosque.