Islam is the third largest religion in Sri Lanka with about 9.7 percent of the total population. The main muslim concentrations occur in Eastern Province. Other areas with significant population, such as western, north western, north central, central and sabaragamuwa areas of, srilanka. Muslims form a large segment of urban population and mostly concentrated in major cities and large towns in srilanka. The Muslims usually speak Tamil language in Sri Lanka. Islam in Sri Lanka trace its origin back to Middle Eastern merchants of the Indian Ocean. In the 16th century, descendants of Middle Eastern traders' were the main traders in spice, with networks extending to the Middle East, are now called the Sri Lankan Moors. About 1.9 million Sri Lankans adhere to Islam as per the Sri Lanka census of 2012. History With the arrival of Arab traders in the 7th century A.D., Islam began to flourish in Sri Lanka. The first people to profess the Islamic faith were Arab merchants and their native wives, whom they married after having them converted to Islam. By the 8th century A.D., Arab traders had taken control of much of the trade on the Indian Ocean, including that of Sri Lanka. Many of them settled down on the island in large numbers, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived during the 16th century, many of these Arab traders' descendants - now called the Sri Lankan Moors - were the main traders in spice, with networks extending to the Middle East. The Portuguese colonists attacked, persecuted, and destroyed the Sri Lankan Moor settlements, warehouses, and trading networks. Many defeated Moors sought refuge from persecution by escaping to the interior of Sri Lanka. The population of Sri Lankan Moors declined significantly during the Portuguese colonial rule due to the pogroms against the Moors. The Sinhalese ruler King Senarat of Kandy gave refuge to some of the Muslims in the central highlands and Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Javanese and Malaysian Muslims brought over by the Dutch and British rulers contributed to the growing Muslim population in Sri Lanka. Their descendants, now the Sri Lankan Malays, adopted several Sri Lankan Moor Islamic traditions while also contributing their unique cultural Islamic practices to other Muslim groups on the Island. The arrival of Muslims from India during the 19th and 20th centuries has also contributed to the growth of