Islam in Costa Rica

History

The first migrations of Arabs to Costa Rica date back to the beginning of the 20th|century and were mostly Lebanese. Some of these immigrants carried the family names Ayales, Salom, Yamuni and Beirute. Second and third generation members of these families who emigrated to Costa Rica have held important positions within the Public Administration in different governments as well as in companies that were founded during the second half of the 20th century. 20thcentury and are still part of the market. Some of these families come from eastern branches of Christianity (Maronite Church) and currently profess the Catholic religion. Later migrations of Arab settlers arose in the mid-20thcentury, in many cases by refugees fleeing various armed conflicts that afflicted the Middle East and North Africa mainly Lebanese and Palestinians. One of the first Muslim residents of the country was the Palestinian doctor Abdul Sasa who remembers that in 1976 there were only four Muslims in all of Costa Rica.

Costa Rican foreign policy has been particularly close to the interests of the State of Israel, with the Republic of Costa Rica being one of the nations that voted for that nation's acceptance as a member of the United Nations in 1947, and also witnessing a high immigration of Jews from Poland to the country during pre-war and post-war times. Until 2007, Costa Rica and El Salvador were the only countries that maintained their diplomatic headquarters in the city of Jerusalem. During the administration of Óscar Arias Sánchez, the Costa Rican embassy was relocated from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Subsequently, a diplomatic rapprochement was made with the State of Palestine, specifically with the representation of the Palestinian National Authority to the United Nations in New York City. Riyad Mansour was appointed ambassador plenipotentiary to Costa Rica, however, there is currently no embassy of the State of Palestine in Costa Rica and Riyad Mansour continues to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.