20.000 Spaniards converted to Islam

Twenty thousand Spaniards converted to Islam, during the last two decades, most of them following mixed marriages, said sources close to Islamic associations based in Spain.

The President of the Islamic communities' Union based in Spain, Riaj Tatary, told MAP, it remains, however, difficult to have accurate figures of the converted Muslims, no matter how increasing their number is.

In the absence of official statistics, the figure "20,000" could be deemed as "acceptable," he said.

Other sources, quoted by newspaper El Periodico confirmed that 20,000 Spaniards converted to Islam, during the last 20 years.

Quoting the Spanish ministry of the Interior, El Periodico further said that 280,167 foreigners live in the Catalonia region, 121,345 of whom come from Muslim countries.