Dharavi slum hosts a large Muslim community. The first Muslims settled in Dharavi slums about 1887, when the British colonial government expelled tanneries from peninsular Bombay to the-then outskirts of the city. Today, estimates place 35% to 45% of the slum population is Muslim (compared to about a 14% average for Muslim population for all of India, Census 2011); the rest are predominantly Hindus from different parts of India, as well as some Christians many of whom second generation of people who settled here during the British colonial era.

The 450+ acre slum features many mosques for Islamic faithfuls. The picture shows shanty dwellings of the slum and a mosque in the distance.