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Fastest Growing Religion in the World
“In the period 1990-2000, approximately 12.5 million more people converted to Islam than to Christianity” (Guinness World Records 2003, pg 102)"
"Islam is the fastest-growing
religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..."
HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3
Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing
religion. ABCNEWS,
Abcnews.com
"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989,
p.4
"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." NEW YORK TIMES,
Feb 21, 1989, p.1
Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." USA TODAY, The
populationreferance bureau, Feb. 17,
1989, p.4A
"There are more Muslims in
North America then Jews Now." Dan Rathers, CBSNEWS
"Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America." TIMES MAGAZINE
"Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!" CNN, December
15, 1995
"The religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world."
MIKE WALLACE, 60
MINUTES
"Five to 6 million strong, Muslims in America already outnumber Presbyterians,
Episcopalians, and Mormons,
and they are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists,
Mennonites, Jehovah's
Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, combined. Many demographers say Islam has
overtaken Judaism as the
country's second-most commonly practiced religion; others say it is in the
passing lane." JOHAN BLANK,
USNEWS (7/20/98)
"In fact, religion experts say Islam is the second-largest religion in the
United States... Islam has 5 million to 6
million members, followed by Judaism, with approximately 4.5 million..... And
Islam is believed to be
fastest-growing religion in the country, with half its expansion coming from new
immigrants and the other half
from conversions." By ELSA C. ARNETT
Knight-Ridder News Service
The nation's claim to be a Christian country is about to meet its first challenge: the number of practicing Muslims is set to overtake Anglican Christians... There has also been a number of high-profile conversions to Islam form Christianity. These include Mike Tyson, the former world champion boxer; Chris Eubank, the British middleweight boxing champion, who has changed his name to Hamdan; and Cat Stevens, the pop musician, who calls himself Yousef Islam... Prince Charles courted controversy earlier this year when he reaffirmed his claim that when he succeeds the throne, he does not wish to be the defender of only the Christian faith
-Rajeev Syal and Christopher Morgan Sunday Times (London, U.K.)
"A growing number of
Muslims in America, more than 40 percent are African-American," Charles
Bierbauer,
from the Senior Washington Correspondent
From Islmicweb.com
Country Name
Total Population
Muslims Percentage
Number of Muslims
Afghanistan
28,513,677
99
28,228,540
Albania
3,544,808
70
2,481,366
Algeria
32,129,324
99
31,808,031
Angola
10,978,552
25
2,744,638
Argentina
39,144,753
2
782,895
Australia
19,913,144
2.09
416,185
Azerbaijan
7,868,385
93.4
7,349,072
Bahrain
677,886
100
677,886
Bangladesh
141,340,476
83
117,312,595
Benin
7,250,033
20
1,450,007
Bhutan
2,185,569
5
109,278
Bosnia and Herzegovina
4,007,608
40
1,603,043
Botswana
1,561,973
5
78,099
Brazil
184,101,109
0.6
1,104,607
Brunei
365,251
63
230,108
Bulgaria
7,517,973
12.2
917,193
Burkina Faso
13,574,820
50
6,787,410
Burma
42,720,196
4
1,708,808
Burundi
6,231,221
10
623,122
Cambodia
13,363,421
1
133,634
Cameroon
16,063,678
20
3,212,736
Canada
32,507,874
1.48
481,117
Central African Republic
3,742,482
15
561,372
Chad
9,538,544
51
4,864,657
China
1,298,847,624
2
25,976,952
Comoros
651,901
98
638,863
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
58,317,930
10
5,831,793
Cote d'Ivoire
17,327,724
40
6,931,090
Croatia
4,496,869
1.3
58,459
Cyprus
775,927
33
256,056
Djibouti
466,900
94
438,886
Egypt
76,117,421
94
71,550,376
Equatorial Guinea
523,051
25
130,763
Eritrea
4,447,307
80
3,557,846
Ethiopia
67,851,281
50
33,925,641
Fiji
782,381
11
86,062
France
60,424,213
7.5
4,531,816
Gabon
1,172,798
1
11,728
Gambia
1,546,848
90
1,392,163
Gaza Strip
1,324,991
98.7
1,307,766
Georgia
4,693,892
11
516,328
Germany
82,424,609
3.7
3,049,711
Ghana
20,757,032
16
3,321,125
Gibraltar
28,765
8
2,301
Greece
10,647,529
1.3
138,418
Guinea
9,246,462
85
7,859,493
Guinea-Bissau
1,388,363
45
624,763
Guyana
705,803
10
70,580
Hong Kong
6,855,125
1
68,551
India
1,065,070,607
12
127,808,473
Indonesia
238,452,952
88
209,838,598
Iran
69,018,924
98
67,638,546
Iraq
25,374,691
97
24,613,450
Israel
6,199,008
14.6
905,055
Italy
58,057,477
1
580,575
Japan
127,333,002
1
1,273,330
Jordan
5,611,202
94
5,274,530
Kazakstan
15,143,704
48
7,268,978
Kenya
32,021,856
29.5
9,446,448
Kuwait
2,257,549
85
1,918,917
Kyrgyzstan
5,081,429
75
3,811,072
Lebanon
3,777,218
70
2,644,053
Liberia
3,390,635
20
678,127
Libya
5,631,585
97
5,462,637
Lesotho
1,865,040
10
186,504
Macedonia
2,071,210
29
600,651
Madagascar
17,501,871
7
1,225,131
Malawi
11,906,855
20
2,381,371
Malaysia
23,522,482
52
12,231,691
Maldives
339,330
100
339,330
Mali
11,956,788
90
10,761,109
Malta
375,576
14
52,581
Mauritania
2,998,563
100
2,998,563
Mauritius
1,220,481
16.6
202,600
Mayotte
186,026
97
180,445
Mongolia
2,496,617
4
99,865
Morocco
32,209,101
98.7
31,790,383
Mozambique
18,811,731
20
3,762,346
Namibia
1,677,243
5
83,862
Nepal
27,070,666
4
1,082,827
Netherlands
15,568,034
3
467,041
Niger
11,360,538
80
9,088,430
Nigeria
137,253,133
75
102,939,850
Norway
4,438,547
1.5
66,578
Oman
2,903,165
100
2,903,165
Pakistan
159,196,336
97
154,420,446
Panama
2,655,094
4
106,204
Philippines
74,480,848
14
10,427,319
Qatar
840,290
95
798,276
Reunion
679,198
20
135,840
Romania
22,355,551
1
223,556
Russia
143,782,338
18
25,880,821
Rwanda
6,853,359
1
68,534
Saudi Arabia
25,795,938
100
25,795,938
Senegal
10,852,147
94
10,201,018
Serbia and Montenegro
10,825,900
19
2,056,921
Sierra Leone
5,883,889
60
3,530,333
Singapore
4,353,893
17
740,162
Slovenia
1,951,443
1
19,514
Somalia
8,304,601
100
8,304,601
South Africa
42,718,530
2
854,371
Sri Lanka
19,905,165
9
1,791,465
Sudan
39,148,162
70
27,403,713
Suriname
436,418
25
109,105
Swaziland
1,169,241
10
116,924
Sweden
8,986,400
3.6
323,510
Syria
18,016,874
90
16,215,187
Tajikistan
7,011,556
87
6,100,054
Tanzania
36,588,225
65
23,782,346
Thailand
58,851,357
14
8,239,190
Togo
5,556,812
55
3,056,247
Trinidad and Tobago
1,096,585
12
131,590
Tunisia
9,974,722
98
9,775,228
Turkey
68,893,918
99.8
68,756,130
Turkmenistan
4,863,169
89
4,328,220
Uganda
26,404,543
16
4,224,727
United Arab Emirates
2,523,915
96
2,422,958
United Kingdom
60,270,708
2.7
1,627,309
United States
293,027,571
3
8,790,827
Uzbekistan
26,410,416
88
23,241,166
West Bank
2,311,204
92
2,126,308
Western Sahara
267,405
100
267,405
Yemen
20,024,867
99
19,824,618
Zaire
46,498,539
10
4,649,854
Zambia
10,462,436
15
1,569,365
Zimbabwe
12,671,860
15
1,900,779
Total
5,653,721,762
1,524,889,114
The above table does not includes many other countries that have Muslims, but no available numbers, which should make the above total number of Muslims higher than 1,524,889,114. Islam annual growth rate (1994-1995) from U.N. is 6.40%.. This should make the total number of Muslims on Earth over 2.2 Billion by 2010.
This table below shows the growth of Islam:
North America (1989-1998) 25% Africa 2.15% Asia 12.57% Europe 142.35% Latin America -4.73% Australia 257.01%
The number of the total population has been taken from The CIA World's Facts Book which can be found at: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook
The CIA World's Facts Book was used it to verify the total number of population in every country. But since it lacks the percentage of Muslims in each country, we used another statistic located at: http://www.flash.net/~royal/country.html
In 1986, the Muslim Education Trust organization (MET) located in the United Kingdom and directed by Ghulam Sarwar, obtained the 1971 census and information given by Embassies of the respective countries in London. The 1971 census showed the Independent Muslim countries population was around 784.5 Million and the Muslim Minorities countries had around 308 Million Muslim.
As for the U.N., the Briticana Encyclopidia for 1994 and for 1995 was used to get the growth rates. Briticana took those statistics from the U.N.
The final numbers were obtained by plugging in the percentage of Muslims (taken from MET) and the number of people (taken from CIA) in each country using Microsoft Excel.
Growth rates taken between
World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1935
and Readers Digest Almanac and Yearbook 1983
In the last half century...
Confucianism & Taoism decrease 13%
350,600,000
305,000,000
Judaism decrease 4%
15,630,000
15,000,000
Christianity increase 47%
682,400,000
1,000,000,000
Eastern Orthodox decrease 36%
144,000,000
092,000,000Protestant increase 57%
206,900,000
324,000,000Catholic increase 70%
331,500,000
565,000,000
Buddhism increase 63%
150,180,000
245,000,000
Hinduism increase 117%
230,150,000
500,000,000
Shintoism increase 152%
25,000,000
63,000,000
Islam increase 235%
209,020,000
700,000,000
Islam is the Fastest Growing Religion on Earth
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Sources: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook http://www.flash.net/~royal/country.html In 1986, the Muslim Education Trust organization (MET) located in the United Kingdom and directed by Ghulam Sarwar, obtained the 1971 census and information given by Embassies of the respective countries in London. The 1971 census showed the Independent Muslim countries population was around 784.5 Million and the Muslim Minorities countries had around 308 Million Muslim. |
From: DefendAmerica.mil (U.S. Government website)
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By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2001 -- Muslims, those who believe in Islam, are everywhere in the United States. They may be your doctor or drive your taxi. They may serve you in restaurants or advise you in law. And if you’re in the military, they increasingly may be in the same foxhole, manning the same position or working on the same aircraft as you. Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with more than 1.3 billion believers. In the United States, it is the fastest growing religion, a trend fueled mostly by immigration. There are 5 million to 7 million Muslims in the U.S., including between 10,000 and 20,000 members of the American military. One of them is Army Chaplain (Capt.) Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, a Muslim Imam stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. In his chaplaincy, he ministers to all faiths. Imam Muhammad said that all Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of the Faith. "The foundation of the faith, or Shahada, is the testimony in the belief in one God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God," he said. Another of the pillars is prayer. Muslims pray to Allah five times a day, at dawn, midday, afternoon, evening and night. Wherever they are, they bow in the direction of Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city where Muhammad was born, for their prayers. Charity is another pillar, Imam Muhammad said. "One gives a minimum of 2.5 percent of their wealth to the Islamic community yearly," he said. Another requirement is fasting during the month of Ramadan each year. Ramadan begins Nov. 18 this year. Finally, Muslims are expected, if possible, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime. This is the Hajj to the Grand Mosque. In addition to prayer, a requirement of Islam is to not eat pork and not consume alcohol. Muslims gather at mosques for religious services, called Jumah, on Fridays just after mid-noon. Like many other religions, men typically do not mix with women during worship. Muslim women wear the headscarf, or hijab, and all Muslims must dress modestly. Men may wear a head covering called a kufi, but it is not a requirement of the faith. The chaplain said one of the obstacles for Muslim women serving in the U.S. military is that commanders may authorize them to wear the hijab or not. "Some do, some don't," he said. Muslims accept vast portions of the Bible and accept many Judeo-Christian teachings. Although many Americans believe that all Muslims are Arabs and all Arabs are Muslims, in fact less than 20 percent of the Muslims in the world are Arab. Even the most Islamic Arab countries have citizens who believe in other religions. In Indonesia, for example, which has the world's largest Islamic population, 88 percent of its 280 million people are Muslims. Islam regards Jesus Christ as a very holy man, but not as the Son of God. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received the revealed word of God -- and that is Islam's holy book, the Koran. Like the Bible, the Koran is open to interpretation, up to a point. "Those terrorists must be reading a completely different Koran than the rest of us," said Marine Corps Capt. Aisha Bakkar-Poe. Bakkar-Poe is from Kentucky. Her father comes from Syria and her mother is American-born. She said her co-workers have been asking her about Islam since the attacks in New York and Washington. "The question I get most often is, 'Who is this Allah guy?'" she said. "And how could these fanatics make these attacks?” "I try to answer their questions and explain that Islam does not believe in killing innocent men, women and children." Army Capt. Arneshuia Balial, a nurse instructor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a Muslim, said the terrorists claiming to act in the name of Islam was "like a knife through my heart -- that people would practice Al-Islam, but do deeds like what they've done. It's not true faith. Some people twist religion to the way they think." Balial converted to Islam in 1987. She said the religion is more than just a set of beliefs, it is a way of life. Army Sgt. Jamal Abdel-Wahed is a medical supply specialist at Walter Reed. Born in Jordan, he moved to the United States in 1986 and is now a citizen. Abdel-Wahed said he has a good working relationship with his co-workers. "The people I work with are all professionals, and we deal with each other in a professional manner," he said. Like many other Muslims in America he worries about the effect the terrorist strike will have on his family. He said he hasn't experienced any discrimination, but has heard reports. "I am proud of what I am, who I am and what I believe in," he said. All of the Muslim service members said they would have no problem going to war against terrorism. "This isn't about Islam," Bakkar-Poe said. "It's about terrorism." President Bush has stressed that the United States is not against the religion of Islam--"Islam is peace," he declared--but against those who pervert the religion to support terrorism and mass murder. Chaplain Muhammad said service members must understand that their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who are Muslim are just like they are. "It's important for all of us to see ourselves as coming from the same origin," he said. "It's too easy for people to get off on what's different. "People have a way of just being people," he continued. "That nature God has already put into us. There's not one Polish nature or Italian nature or Muslim nature or Christian nature. It's just human nature. When people get to the essence of what makes us who we are, then that's what binds us together. "The Koran says that God created us different nations and tribes that we may come to know each other, not that we should hate or despise each other." |
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