Islam in Morocco: history and Muslim population data

History of Islam in Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco has an area of 712,550 sq km, including Western Sahara (266,000 sq km), and its map is presented in Figure 3.1.7a. Morocco was occupied by Spain and France, while Tangier (583 sq km) was an international zone from 1912 to 1956. France occupied most of current Morocco proper or 398,521 sq km from 1912 to 1956. Spain occupied the following:

• Northern coast with area 19,617 sq km from 1912 to 1956, with the exception of some area that remains under Spanish control, mainly the enclaves of Ceuta 18 sq km and the uninhabited island of Perejil or Laila 0.15 sq km (both occupied since 1415, first by Portugal then Spain since 1580), Melilla 12 sq km (occupied since 1497), the Chafarinas Islands 0.5 sq km, three islands that are three km off the coast of Morocco (occupied since 1847), Isla de Alborán 0.07 sq km and fifty km off the coast of Morocco (occupied since 1540), Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera 0.02 sq km (a little peninsula occupied since 1564), three little islands off the shore of Alhucima occupied by Spain since 1559: Peñón de Alhucemas 0.02 sq km, Isla de Tierra 0.02 sq km and Isla de Mar 0.01 sq km. A total of 31 sq km area that Morocco considers occupied territory and demands its return to Moroccan sovereignty. See Figure 3.1.7b. for a map of this region
• Ifni, an enclave around and including the city of Sidi Ifni with area 1,367 sq km, about 150 km south of Agadir and was occupied from 1860 to 1969.
• Cabo Juby or Tarfaya Strip with 32,893 sq km occupied from 1916 to 1958. It stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Algerian border and north of Western Sahara to Draa River.
• Spanish Sahara, later known as Western Sahara, which consisted of two zones: Sekia el Hamra to the north with area 82,000 sq km and Rio de Oro in the south with area 184,000 sq km or about two-thirds of the territory. Western Sahara was occupied by Spain in 1884, which left in 1975 but did not formally return it to Morocco, which annexed much of the territory. However, an area of 70,300 sq km stretched along the Mauritanian border, comprising 26.4% of Western Sahara, remains under the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), but most of its population lives in the de facto capital of Tindouf, Algeria. SADR is recognized by about thirty countries.

Islam entered the northern parts in 62H/681AD during the time of the second Umayyad ruler Yazid bnu Muawiya (ruled 680-683). The Muslim troops were under the leadership of Oqba bnu Nafie who conquerd Agadir and Dara Valley. Islam entered the southern part (Western Sahara) during the eleventh century by Abdullah bnu Yassin and Abu Bakr bnu Omar, the founders of the Almoravid Dynasty.

The non-Muslim population was estimated in 1910 to be 150,000 Jews and 10,000 Christians, making the Muslim population 4.84 million or 96.8%. Based on census data and as shown in Table 3.1.7, the Muslim population increased from 5.1 million or 93.8% in 1926, to 6.6 million or 93.6% in 1935, to 8.6 million 91.9% in 1952, to 11.1 million or 95.2% in 1960, to 15.2 million or 99.1% in 1971. The post-independence increase in percentage is due to the migration of the Jewish population and European colonizers. According to Afro Barometer Survey (ABS), the percentage of Muslims was 99.58% in 2013. Thus, assuming that the percentage of Muslims will remain constant at 99.6%; then the Muslim population is expected to reach 46 million by 2050 and 45 million by 2100.

Historical Muslim population dataset for Morocco

The figures below are from the CoMPS historical dataset. Population values are expressed in thousands; 2100 is a modelled projection, not a present-day count.

For the full time series and visualisation, use the interactive map above.