Ecuador
It is believed that the first Muslims in Ecuador, which has not had a widespread and mass relationship with Islam throughout history, were Arabs who migrated from the Ottoman geography, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon during the First World War. It is assumed that these first Muslims largely integrated with the indigenous population in the following years and hybridized. In the 1940s, an ethnically based organization called "Lecla" was formed, which was later renamed the "Arab Club". On the other hand, especially since the 90s, many Muslims from countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, Liberia, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria have used Ecuador as a transit point to the United States. Today, it is estimated that around 5 thousand Muslims are living in Ecuador. Half of them are native Ecuadorians and the other half are other Muslims who immigrated to the country.
Studies on Islam in the country are largely carried out by the Islamic Center of Ecuador, which was launched in 1994. Yahya Juan Suquillo, who heads the center, is an Ecuadorian who converted to Islam in the 80s. In 2009, Suquillo was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world. Under his leadership, the Islamic Center of Ecuador offers services in many aspects such as establishing places of worship, maintaining religious education activities, translating religious materials, organizing conferences and seminars, and conducting studies on halal food. Thanks to these efforts, the number of Muslims in the country has increased dramatically, especially in recent years. Independent civil society organizations in Turkey also make important contributions to this process with their projects.