Islam in the Americas

Islam in the Americas

Islam is a small but growing religion in the Americas. Only about 1% of people in North America and 0.1% of those in Latin America and the Caribbean follow Islam.

Suriname has the highest percentage of Muslims, with about 13.9% of its people being Muslim. The United States has the largest number of Muslims, with around 3.45 million people, making up about 1.1% of the U.S. population.

Most Muslims in the Caribbean came from the Indian subcontinent as workers after slavery ended. In Suriname, some Muslims also came from what is now Indonesia. In the United States, many Muslims have roots in Arabs from the Middle East. In South America, many Muslims are from families who moved from places like Lebanon and Syria.

Population by Country

The number of Muslims changes from country to country in the Americas. In 2010, a Pew Research Center estimate showed how many Muslims lived in each American country.

Immigrant Muslims in America

When Spain and Portugal ruled the Americas, only Catholic Christianity was allowed. Islam and other religions were not permitted. Some of the first Muslims in America were Wolof slaves from Senegal who arrived in Hispaniola in 1522. Later, rules stopped more Muslims from coming because they were seen as Moors. But some African slaves still brought Islamic traditions and beliefs with them.

More Muslims came to America over time. First, African Muslims arrived as slaves. Later, when laws made it easier for people from many countries to move to the United States, more Muslims came too. Recently, new immigrants and many African Americans choosing Islam have helped grow the Muslim community in America. Today, there are close to four million Muslims in the United States. Most are immigrants or the children of immigrants. In 1991, over 100,000 people came to the United States from places like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and India, many of whom were Muslim.

Islamic worship traditions

Shias in the Americas

Main article: Shia Islam in the Americas

Shia Muslims are one group of Muslims in the Americas. They come from many places, such as South Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and East Africa.

The Shia Muslim community in America has created several groups. The first Shia Muslims moved to the United States a long time ago, settling in cities such as Detroit, Michigan, Ross in California, and North Dakota.

Other traditions

Main articles: Ahmadiyya in the United States and Ahmadiyya in Canada