| Islamic Organization of Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| Native Name: | Organización Islámica Para América Latina y el Caribe |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Abbreviation: | OIPALC, IOLA, OIPAL |
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| Vat Id: | (for European organizations) --> |
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| Headquarters: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Location Country: | Argentina |
| Area Served: | or |
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| Website: | http://www.islamerica.org.ar |
| Formerly: | Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA), Organización Islámica Para América Latina (OIPAL) |
The Islamic Organization of Latin America and the Caribbean (OIPALC Spanish; Castilian: Organización Islámica Para América Latina y el Caribe, previously known as the Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA/OIPAL)), headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is considered the most active organization in promoting the affairs of Latin American Muslims and Caribbean Muslims in the region.[1] [2]
OIPALC, headquartered in Buenos Aires, owes its prominence partially to The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center, one of the largest mosques in all of Latin America .[3] OIPALC holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the general propagation of Islam throughout the Americas.[4]
The organization has been active since 1992.[5] [6] In 2003, OIPALC sponsored 13 Muslim youths from multiple countries (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Curacao, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Ecuador) to Hajj. At a meeting, on July 19, 2005, the heads of the Islamic cultural centers assigned the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) to prepare comprehensive studies and reports on the Islamic cultural work in Latin America as well as recommend practical proposals and field projects. The head of then-IOLA, Muhammad Yousef Hajer, was assigned to prepare a directory for the Muslim cadres in the region in coordination with the heads of the Islamic cultural centers and the Islamic societies in Latin America.[7]