Islam continues to grow in the United States (US). Since it was first introduced by immigrants in the 14th century, Islam is now the third largest religion after Christianity and Judaism.
The development of Islam in the US was conveyed by the Ministry of Religious researcher Moh Yamin Darsyah. Darsyah presented his research on the Muslim community and halal food culture in the US.
“Islam entered the Americas in the early 14th century through the migration of the Muslim population from western North Africa,” Darsyah said at the beginning of his presentation.
The Muslim immigrants who arrived in the U.S. at that time were Moors of Arab descent and Berbers from the northwestern region of Africa. The majority of them are from Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, and Morocco.
Darsyah tells that the Moors crossed the western Mediterranean Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar to the Iberian Peninsula — now Spain and Portugal. After nearly 800 years of Islamic rule, the Moors were finally expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492. They sailed to the Caribbean Islands and finally headed to the Gulf of Mexico to America.
Muslims in the Americas also grew. This is accompanied by the increase in mosques as places of worship for Muslims.
Based on Darsyah’s findings, the number of mosques in the US in 1970 was around 100 mosques. This number has increased as immigration and oral spread have grown. As of 2020, there were about 2,769 mosques in the U.S.
“We can see that in 1970 there were only 100 mosques, then in 2000 there were 1,209 mosques, in 2010 there were 2,106, and there were 2,769 mosques in 2020,” said Darsyah while showing a graph of mosque growth in the US.
The majority of these mosques are spread across California and Boston. Tolerance in the US, said Darsyah, has also increased over time. The northern area is said to be more tolerant than the south, especially Michigan where there are many Muslim communities.
Prediction of the Number of Muslims to Double in the Next 10 Years
In the approximately 45-minute discussion, detikHikmah asked how the projection of Muslims in the US is projected in the next 10-20 years. Darsyah predicts that Muslims in the US will grow twice as many as they do now.
It is known that Muslims in the US currently reach 4 million people. This includes the immigrants who live there.
The arrival of these Muslim immigrants not only introduced Islam, but also brought the tradition of halal food. “Halal food in the U.S. is growing rapidly,” said Darsyah.
Halal food consumers also penetrated into non-Muslim communities. According to Darsyah’s research, millennials and young people in the US make halal food as an alternative to healthy food.
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