7 Million Muslims
In today’s Kuwait Times is an Independance Day message from the American Ambassador, Richard LeBaron, in which he states:
Numbering some seven million, there are more Muslims in America than in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE combined. In our more than 1,200 mosques that stand peacefully alongside churches and synagogues, you will find congregations as diverse as America itself. . .
I had no idea. I know in the Seattle area there are many mosques, many Moslems; Seattle is a city built on the energy and hope of new immigrants. But I had no idea we had seven million Moslems in the USA.
If you want to read the full text of the message you will have to buy the paper – it’s not on the website.
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Here There and Everywhere 
Happy fourth of july!!!
photoshop a pic of qattari cat with a flag and sparklers 😛 that would be sooo funny 😛
I understand that official estimates range from 5 to 8 million, or roughly 2% of the US population. Islam is also the fastest growing religion in our country – partly due to immigration, but also greatly due to conversion.
In the US, declaring one’s religion on censuses is voluntary; I have mixed feelings about this, just as I do about countries like France, where there is no state acknowledgment of citizens’ religions.
In Lebanon of course everyone’s religion is known. The “new” (post-civil war) ID cards don’t list religion, but my friends with “unclear” names tell me that this means little. If a soldier at a checkpoint or employer at an interview can’t determine their religion from their names, they simply ask for it.
Happy fourth of July 😀 Too bad you’re missing the fireworks!
I heard something like that figure he mentioned before. Note that this is not only Arabs either since there are plenty of Southeast Asian Muslims in America as well as African American Muslims. I think the largest percentage of Muslims though are not in Seattle but rather in California & NY 😀
One more thing, the level of tolerance I felt as a Muslim in the States was incredible. In both universities I attended they had a place where Muslims can pray. Not only that, but in my last university, the place where grad students studied was a bit far from the main campus so when I wanted to pray in between classes sometimes one of the higher level university officials would leave her office so I can pray in there which saved me from having to walk to where the prayer area was on the main campus.
Skunk – I don’t have Photoshop! Steal my photo of QC and do it!
Little Diamond – Soon i can call you Doctor Diamond?
Zin – Thank you! You are probably right, New York or Los Angeles, but also maybe in the Detroit area. . . and those are just the more recent immigrants, we also have 3rd, 4th, 5th generation Arab – Americans. And many of the Moslems in Seattle are African – from Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, the Sudan . . ., too. Makes for some GREAT restaurants.
wow, i didn’t know that either.. amazing 😀
Pretty cool.
there was an underlying message of religious freedom and tolerance.. interesting how he mentioned that those initially moving to America were escaping religious persecution in Europe..
By Ziyad – it’s one of the principals we hold dear. At Thanksgiving, young children in the schools do plays of the Pilgrims arriving in the new land to be able to worship freely. You know, those guys who ended up burning all the witches? (!)
And I am guessing that the Ambassador was also indirectly complimenting Kuwait, with it’s long history of religious tolerance, and allowing churches where non-Moslems might worship as they believe. I know I personally am thankful for that right, here in Kuwait.