Global InformationIslam in the United States information
| Islam by country |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal |
Islam is the third largest religion in the United States (1%), behind Christianity (63%) and Judaism (2%), and equaling the shares of Buddhism and Hinduism.[1] A 2017 study estimated that 1.1% (or 3.45 million Americans) of the population of the United States are Muslim.[2] In 2017, twenty states, mostly in the South and Midwest, reported Islam to be the largest non-Christian religion. In 2020, the U.S. Religion Census found there to be 4.45 million Muslim Americans, or roughly 1.3% of the population.[3]
The first Muslims to arrive in America were enslaved people from West Africa (such as Omar ibn Said and Ayuba Suleiman Diallo). During the Atlantic slave trade, an estimated 10 to 20 percent[4][5] of the slaves brought to colonial America from West Africa were Muslims,[6][7] however Islam was suppressed on plantations.[4] Nearly all enslaved Muslims and their descendants converted to Christianity during the 18th and 19th centuries, though the Black power movement of the 20th century would later influence the revival of Islam among descendants of slaves. Prior to the late 19th century, the vast majority of documented Muslims in North America were merchants, travelers, and sailors.[6]
From the 1880s to 1914, several thousand Muslims immigrated to the United States from the former territories of the Ottoman Empire and British India.[8] The Muslim population of the U.S. increased dramatically in the second half of the 20th century due to the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which abolished previous immigration quotas.[9] About 72 percent of American Muslims are immigrants or "second generation".[10][11]
In 2005, more people from Muslim-majority countries became legal permanent United States residents—nearly 96,000—than there had been in any other year in the previous two decades.[12][13] In 2009, more than 115,000 Muslims became legal residents of the United States.[14]
American Muslims come from various backgrounds and, according to a 2009 Gallup poll, are one of the most racially diverse religious groups in the United States.[15] According to a 2017 study done by the Institute for Social Policy, "American Muslims are the only faith community surveyed with no majority race, with 26 percent white, 18 percent Asian, 18 percent Arab, 9 percent black, 7 percent mixed race, and 5 percent Hispanic".[16] The Pew Research Center estimates about 73% of American Muslims are Sunni and 16% are Shia; the remainder identify with neither group, and may include heretical movements such as the Nation of Islam, Ahmadiyya, or non-denominational Muslims.[a][17] Conversion to Islam in large cities[18] has also contributed to its growth over the years.
- ^ "Religious Landscape Study". Pew Research. April 2015. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "New estimates show U.S. Muslim population continues to grow". Pew Research Center. January 3, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Religion Census". U.S. Religion Census. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
dioufwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Tweed, Thomas A. "Islam in America: From African Slaves to Malcolm X". National Humanities Center. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Manseau, Peter (February 9, 2015). "The Muslims of Early America". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
An estimated 20 percent of enslaved Africans were Muslims, and many sought to recreate the communities they had known.
- ^ Curtis, Muslims in America, p. 119
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
curtiswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Muslim Immigration After 1965". Carleton College. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ "The Future of the Global Muslim Population". The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
- ^ Wilgoren, Jodi (October 22, 2001). "A Nation Challenged: American Muslims – Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ Elliott, Andrea (September 10, 2006). "Muslim immigration has bounced back". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ "Migration Information Source – The People Perceived as a Threat to Security: Arab Americans Since September 11". Migrationinformation.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ "The Global Muslim Population: Projections for 2010–2030 Archived July 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine" The Pew Research Center. January 27, 2011.
- ^ "Muslim Americans Exemplify Diversity, Potential". Gallup.com. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ "American Muslim Poll 2017: Key Findings | ISPU". Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. March 21, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ "Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world". www.pewresearch.org. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Wakin, Daniel J. (January 2, 2002). "Ranks of Latinos Turning to Islam Are Increasing; Many in City Were Catholics Seeking Old Muslim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).