2002 Press Releases

Islam in America

October 19, 2002

The United States of America is a country of many religions.  American Muslims are a dynamic element in the complex mosaic of American religious life today.  The first words of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution read: "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."   This tradition of religious freedom runs deep in America.  Many of the United States' early settlers were members of religious communities fleeing persecution in Europe.  These refugees from religious persecution sought a place where they could practice their own religion far from the state-sanctioned religions of their native countries.  Modern-day Muslims, then, like other religious groups, are one of many bright strands that form the intricate quilt of American religious and civic life.  As President Bush put it, "America counts millions of Muslims among our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country.  Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads.  And they need to be treated with respect."

Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States today.  More than sixty percent of the 1,209 mosques in America were founded in the last twenty years.  Two million Americans worship at America's mosques.  Speaking about the peaceful nature of Islam, President George Bush stated, "When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world; a billion people finding comfort and solace and peace, making brothers and sisters out of every race."

Demographic Facts

• Mosques in the United States: 1,209
• American Muslims associated with a mosque: 2 million
• Increase in number of mosques since 1994: 25 percent
• Proportion of mosques founded since 1980: 62 percent
• Average number of Muslims associated with each mosque in the United States: 1,625
• U.S. mosque participants who are converts: 30 percent
• American Muslims who "strongly agree" that they should participate in American institutions and the political process: 70 percent
• U.S. mosques attended by a single ethnic group: 7 percent
• U.S. mosques that have some Asian, African-American, and Arab members: nearly 90 percent
• Ethnic origins of regular participants in U.S. mosques:

South Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Afghani) = 33 percent
African-America = 30 percent
Arab = 25 percent
Sub-Saharan African = 3.4 percent
European (Bosnian, Tartar, Kosovar, etc.) = 2.1 percent
White American = 1.6 percent
Southeast Asian ( Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino) = 1.3 percent
Caribbean = 1.2 percent
Turkish = 1.1 percent
Iranian = 0.7 percent
Hispanic/Latino = 0.6 percent

• U.S. mosques that feel they strictly follow the Koran and Sunnah: more than 90 percent
• U.S. mosques that feel the Koran should be interpreted with consideration of its purposes and modern circumstances: 71 percent
• U.S. mosques that provide some assistance to the needy: nearly 70 percent
• U.S. mosques with a full-time school: more than 20 percent