Muslims in America: Beyond Stereotypes

Other Recommended Sources
Robbins, Liz. “Do You Know Me? Do You Know My Heart?” New York Times. December 10,

2015.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/10/nyregion/muslims-in-new-york-react-to-donald-trump.html

Ramadan. Unity Productions Foundation, 2014.

https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/c242a960-8ebc-43c3-a155-b985b78a719d/ramadan/#.Wf_AY1ynF_U

Student Handout Lesson One: Muslim American Demographics
Question 1: Which religions has the most followers in the United States?

Rank the eight religions in order of which has the most followers in the U.S..

Then guess what percentage these followers represent of the total U.S. adult population.
The religious followers are:

Buddhists Muslims Protestants (Christians)

Catholics (Christians) Jews Religiously Unaffiliated

Hindus Mormons

Guess
Religion Percentage of total population
1. ___________________________ _____________
2. ___________________________ _____________
3. ___________________________ _____________
4. ___________________________ _____________
5. ___________________________ _____________
6. ___________________________ _____________
7. ___________________________ _____________

Fact
Religion Percentage of total population
1. ___________________________ _____________
2. ___________________________ _____________
3. ___________________________ _____________
4. ___________________________ _____________
5. ___________________________ _____________
6. ___________________________ _____________
7. ___________________________ _____________

Question 2: About how many Muslims currently live in America?
Guess Fact

_____________________________ _____________________________

What percentage of total Americans do Muslims represent?
Guess Fact

_____________________________ _____________________________

Tips: The current population in the US is about 326,000,000.

These numbers represent all ages (not just adults).

Question 3: Currently, what percentage of American Muslims fall into these categories?
Guess
Asian ______ Black ______ Hispanic/Latino ______ White ______

Fact
Asian ______ Black ______ Hispanic/Latino ______ White ______


Question 4: What percentage of Muslim Americans are:

Guess Facts
first-generation (not born in America) _______ _______
second-generation (having one parent not born in America) _______ _______
third-generation (both parents born in America) _______ _______

Question 5: What are the top nine countries that first-generation (foreign born) Muslim Americans have come from? Try to rank them in order.
Tip: Use you knowledge of Muslim majority countries and current events to answer this.

Guess
1. _____________________________ 6. _____________________________
2. _____________________________ 7. _____________________________
3. _____________________________ 8. _____________________________
4. _____________________________ 9. _____________________________
5. _____________________________

Fact
1. _____________________________ 6. _____________________________
2. _____________________________ 7. _____________________________
3. _____________________________ 8. _____________________________
4. _____________________________ 9. _____________________________
5. _____________________________


Question 6. When did most Muslim American immigrants arrive in the U.S.?
Rank when most came as 1, then 2, then 3.
Guess Fact
Before 1970 _________ _________
From 1970 to 1999 _________ _________
2000 or later _________ _________

Question 7: What might be some of the reasons Muslims left their countries and immigrated to America?
_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Question 8. Guess Fact
In how many states do Muslim Americans live? _________ _________
Name ten cities that have large Muslim American populations.
Guess Fact
1. ___________________________ 1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________ 2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________ 3. ___________________________
4. ___________________________ 4. ___________________________
5. ___________________________ 5. ___________________________
6. ___________________________ 6. ___________________________
7. ___________________________ 7. ___________________________
8. ___________________________ 8. ___________________________
9. ___________________________ 9. ___________________________
10. ___________________________ 10. ___________________________


Thinking question:

If the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, how might we know this?

(The answers for #8 are not from Pew.)
______________________________________________________________________

Question 9. What year did the first Muslim arrive in North America?
Guess __________________
Fact __________________
Student Handout Lesson One: Muslim American Demographics
Directions:
What else do you know about Muslim Americans?
Write down anything else that you think is important.
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Student Handout Lesson 1: Muslim American Demographics
Vocabulary List

convert (verb) to adopt a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious group to the exclusion of others
convert (noun) a person who adopts a set of beliefs identified with one particular

religious group to the exclusion of others

demographics statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it
From Greek meaning:

demos the people

grapho writing, description, or measurement

first generation a person born in another country

American
second generation a person born in the US and has at least one parent

American who was an immigrant

third+ generation a person whose parents were both born in the U.S.

American
religious affiliation people who say they belong to a specific religion


religiously unaffiliated people who do not identify with a particular religious belief system or group (atheist, agnostic, no particular group)
Important Note:

Although the US Census does not ask about religious affiliation, the source for the answers to these questions is the Pew Research Center, a reliable source for this information.

Student Handout Lesson 1: Muslim American Demographics Reflection
Directions: Think for about five minutes about the answers to the questions. Then write for ten minutes. Spend about fifteen minutes total on this. Thanks.
Questions:

How has your thinking about Muslim Americans changed after learning about Muslim American demographics?
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Teacher Guide
Lesson 1: Muslim American Demographics
Teacher Directions
First 60-minute session
Teacher explains context to students:
Now that you know more about:

—the beliefs and practices of Islam

—how Islam started and spread

—how it relates to Judaism and Christianity

—the early Islamic Empires and Civilizations

—how many Muslims there are in the world and where they live

And now that you have:

—researched a Muslim majority country and its history

—researched a current issue in that country and presented your research to the class
We are shifting our focus to Muslims in America.

Directions: Write down answers for the following questions on a piece of paper. Don’t worry, if you don’t know the answer. It is fine to make an educated guess. Also complete the think write after question #9. When everyone is done guessing 1-9 and completing the think write, you will be able to talk to people in your group to discuss possible answers.
Discuss answers with the people in your group.
Teachers will lead a share-out. Students share out answers. This can be done in a fun “game show” style to create engagement. After a series of guesses, teacher should give “correct” answers. Students should record correct answers on their handout where it says FACT. Encourage students to ask questions. For example: Did the number of Syrian refugees increase because of the civil war? Or: Has the number of Muslims from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen decreased because of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on immigrants from those countries?
Note: Teachers should try to anticipate student questions and be prepared to answer.
Note on sources:

Although the US Census does not ask about religious affiliation, the source for the answers to all these questions except #8 is the Pew Research Center, a reliable source for this information.
Source:

Pew Research Center for Religion and Public Life

http://www.pewresearch.org/about/

Question 1: Answer

Religion Name Percentage of total population
1. Christian (non-Catholic) 50%
2. Religiously unaffiliated 23%
3. Roman Catholic 21%
4. Jewish 2%
5. Other Faiths 2%
6. Muslim 1%
7. Buddhist 1%



Source: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/14/if-the-u-s-had-100-people-charting-americans-religious-affiliations/

Question 2: Answer

There are: 3.45 million Muslims in America

Muslims equal: 1.1% of total US population


Source: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/03/new-estimates-show-u-s-muslim-population-continues-to-grow/


Question 3: Answer
White 41%

Asian 28%

Black 20%

Hispanic 8%

Source:

http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-01new-11/

Note: Historically, many African Americans converted to Islam, specifically to the Nation of Islam, in the 1960s, which is why the majority of African Americans Muslims are third generation+.
Note on other converts: Today, one-in-five American Muslim adults who were raised in a different religion converted to Islam. However one-in-five American Muslims who were raised Muslim no longer identify with Islam.
Source:

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/

Question 4: Answer
Almost six out of ten Muslim Americans, or 58%, were born in another country, or are first-generation American. Muslims who were born in the U.S., but have at least one parent who was an immigrant, second generation Americans, represent 18% of all Muslim Americans.
This means that almost one-quarter, or 24% of all American Muslims are U.S. natives whose parents were born in the U.S. These Muslims are called third generation Americans.


Source:

http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/

Question 5: Answer


1. Pakistan 15%
2. Iran 11%
3. India 7%



4. Afghanistan 6%
5. Bangladesh 6%
6. Iraq 5%
7. Kuwait 3%
8. Syria 3%
9. Egypt 3%


Source:

http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-01new-09/
Question 6: Answer

Source:

http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-01new-07/


Question 7: Answer

The answers for this question will vary. They could include: immigration law, revolutions, U.S. wars, civil wars, losing right to live on ancestral land, family reunification, employment opportunities etc.

Note: The passage of the 1965 Hart-Cellar Immigration Act lifted the quotas on immigration from most parts of South and West Asia that had been put in place in1924.


Question 8: Answer

Muslim Americans live in every state in the U. S..




Sources:

http://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/items/show/169#about

Bagby, Ihsan. "Population Penetration, Estimated Muslim Adherents in the United States, 2010" (map, p. 29), in The American Mosque 2011: Report Number 2 from the U.S. Mosque Study. Basic Characteristics of the American Mosque, Attitudes of Mosque Leaders, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2011, 

http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/The-American-Mosque-Report-2.pdf



Source:

https://www.ajc.com/news/national/muslims-america-the-numbers/tJI0VhrVWDYQ1wCplHjozK/

U.S. Cities with Large Muslim American populations

#1 Detroit, Michigan

#2 Washington, D.C.

#3 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

#4 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#5 New York, New York

#6 Atlanta, Georgia

#7 Peoria, Illinois

#8 San Francisco, California

#9 Houston, Texas

#10 Chicago, Illinois

#11 Cleveland, Ohio

#12 Columbus, Georgia

#13 Toledo, Ohio

#14 Boston, Massachusetts

#15 Lansing, Michigan

#16 Los Angeles, CA

#17 Buffalo, New York

#18 New Orleans, Louisiana

#19 Albany, Georgia

#20 Columbia, Missouri

#21 Nashville, Tennessee

#22 Dallas, Texas

#23 South Bend, Indiana

#24 Grand Rapids, Michigan

#25 Hattiesburg, Mississippi

#26 St. Louis, Missouri

#27 Knoxville, Tennessee

#28 Shreveport, Louisiana

#29 Lincoln, Nebraska

#30 Anchorage, Alaska

Source:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/americas-muslim-capitals?ref=scroll

Note: Because the U.S. Census does not ask about religion, these two sources used a combination of research. The Daily Beast estimates are based on the number of mosques and halal restaurants.


Question 9: Answer
It depends who you are asking.
We do have evidence that in 1731 Job Ben Solomon, a Muslim, was captured and enslaved in what is now Senegal, in West Africa, and brought to Annapolis, Maryland where he was sold to a tobacco farmer.
Historical background information for teacher:

The following is an excerpt from the Pluralism Project at Harvard that highlights the difficulty of providing an easy answer.

The First American Muslims

“The historical roots of Islam in America are complex and contested. Some historians argue that Muslim explorers may have come to this continent long before Christopher Columbus, with the earliest estimates dating to the 12th century. Many contend that Muslims played a vital part in numerous European expeditions to the Americas, both as mapmakers and as guides: Estevancio of Azamor, a Moroccan guide who landed in Florida in 1539, is often cited as the first documented Muslim in America. By the late 1700s, historical records indicate the presence of “Moors” living in South Carolina, many of whom were expelled from their homeland under edict of the Spanish Crown.

The first significant migration of Muslims to America, however, is an indisputable fact: in three centuries of the slave trade, an estimated 10 to 50 percent of the ten million Africans brought to these shores against their will were Muslims. American slavery brutally denied the basic humanity of Africans, dissolving their families and suppressing their religious practices. Forced conversion to Christianity was commonplace; however, historical records indicate that many African Muslim slaves strove to preserve their religious and cultural heritage even after conversion. Much of this history remains to be recovered. Historical documents, including oral histories of the great-great grandchildren of slaves, as well as slave narratives and diaries, indicate that some of the earliest Muslims in America performed salat daily, observed the fast of Ramadan, and recited and read the Qur’an.

Oral traditions and historical records celebrate the life of Bilalia Fula, enslaved on the Sea Islands of Georgia. According to a scholar of these traditions, Dr. Allen Austen, Bilalia Fula was multilingual and a heroic fighter during the War of 1812. He was reported to have saved many lives during a hurricane in 1824. Bilalia lived as a Muslim and was buried with his prayer rug and Qur’an. He gave many of his children Muslim names, and ethnographic interviews with those who knew the family indicated that they performed daily prayers.

Another American Muslim slave, Al Haj Omar Ibn Said, wrote his autobiography in 1831. This document, which has been translated into English, describes the life of a trader, a soldier, and a faithful Muslim who performed the hajj and studied the Qur’an for twenty-five years before being sold into slavery. “Before I came to the Christian country, my religion was the religion of ‘Mohammed, the Apostle of God – may God have mercy upon him and give him peace.’ I walked to the mosque before daybreak, washed my face and head and hands and feet. I prayed at noon, prayed in the afternoon, prayed at sunset, prayed in the evening. I gave alms every year… I went on pilgrimage to Makkah, as all did who were able…when I left my country I was thirty-seven years old; I have been in the country of the Christians twenty-four years.” Today, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the Masjid Omar Ibn Sayyid on Southern Avenue stands as testament to the legacy of the first American Muslims, a legacy which continues to inform contemporary Islam in America.”

Source: “The First American Muslims.” The Pluralism Project. Harvard University.

http://pluralism.org/religions/islam/islam-in-america/the-first-american-muslims/ Accessed 26 July 2018.

There is also an excellent Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study that “provides information about religious affiliations, beliefs and practices, and social and political views” from people in all fifty states.