Muslim Americans
American Muslims have a long history of valuable contrabution to our country, and in response to the Islamaphobia directed them, it would be helpful to see who these Muslims are.
A Brief History of Muslims in the United States
Over 400 years ago, 1/3 to 1/4 of slaves were Muslims. There were also Muslims that arrived in the Spanish colonization in U.S. In the 1920s, large
numbers of Arabs came to the U.S, with a sizable chunk of these Arabs being Muslims. African Americans rediscovered their Muslim roots in the
mid 19th century. The 1965 immigration law was passed, which encouraged many high skilled Muslims to come to the U.S.
Statistics from
Tolerance.org
Military
According to the Pentagon, in 2015, there were 5,896 self-identified Muslims currently serving in the military, both in active duty and reserves.
Muslim Americans Today
Pew Research Center Polls
The Pew Research Center estimates that 3.3 million Muslims are living in the U.S in 2015,
meaning that they make up 1% of the population. By 2050, this population is projected to grow to 2%, becoming
the second to Christianity as the largest religion in the U.S. This is due to Muslim-American having more children than Americans of different
religion and immigration.
It has also been found in a 2011 survey that 48% of Muslim Americans say their own religious leaders do not speak out against extremists.
In the U.S, 86% of Muslims say that suicide bombings are rarely or never justified.
52% of U.S Muslims say they have friends who are non-Muslims. 69% of Muslims say that religion is very important in their life and 48% consistently attend
religious services, putting them about on par with how religious U.S Christians are.
Pew Research Center
Other Facts About Muslim Americans Today
There is a diverse group of Muslims living the the U.S today. 1/3 are African American, 1/3 are South Asian, and 1/4 are Arab. About one half of
our Muslim population was born in the U.S. Today they are largely middle class, having the second highest level of education among
religious groups, and a greater proportion have college degrees than the general U.S population. In the U.S, 90% agree that women should be able to work
outside the home, and have more college or post graduate degrees than Muslim men. They regularly participate in American life, with them being a part of
groups like Boyscouts, Girlscouts, and members of volunteer groups.
Muslims tend to lean Democratic, but also are in Republican in Libertarian parties.
Wearing a Hijab is a matter of choice for most Muslim women, with some believing they are required to do so due to their faith and some believing they are not.
It is an expression of faith, the same as wearing a cross is for a Christian. In general, both men and women dress modestly.
From September 11th 2001 to the end of 2015, 109 Muslim Americans have plotted against targets in the U.S. In this time, 50 Americans
were killed from Muslim American terrorism, about 64 Americans killed if you factor in the San Bernadino attack as well. However, compare this number
the 13,426 deaths by gun violence in the U.S in 2015. In that same year, 330 people died in mass shootings. These numbers come from the
Gun Violence Archive. According to a Duke University study, in the last decade, 40% of domestic terrorism plots have been discovered or deterred with
assistance from Muslim Americans. The Muslim American community has turned in more terrorists than American law enforcement has been able to find.
Muslim American leaders have speaken out against extreamism, with the Fiqh Council of North America stating, "Islam stricly condemns
religious extreamism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extreamism and terrorism."
Tolerance.org
CNN.com