American Muslims are the world’s most diverse community and one of the most successfully integrated minorities in the United States, a US sociologist said on Saturday, June 21.
“US Muslims are a diverse, well-informed group,” Jen’nan Ghazal Read, Associate professor at Duke University, wrote in the Detroit Free Press.
“In fact, they are the most ethnically diverse Muslim population in the world.”
Read, who studies American Muslim political assimilation for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, said the diversity of the US Muslims is unmatched.
“They come from more than 80 countries on four continents. Most are not Arab. Not all are immigrants.
“One-fifth are US-born black Muslims (mainly reverts), and a few are US-born Anglo and Hispanic reverts.”
Read, who compiled and published a large number of studies about US Muslims, said most Muslim immigrants have lived in the US for ten or more years.
“They resemble the general US population in their socioeconomic status. Most are employed, a quarter have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and a quarter earn $75,000 a year or more.”
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country’s 300 million population.
Integrated
The US sociologist said American Muslims are well-integrated into the society and are politically active.
“(They) have a lot in common with mainstream America,” Read said.
Read said most American Muslims – 63 percent – are registered voters, compared to the national average of 76 percent.
“But Muslims are slightly more likely than most citizens to have contacted a politician and, like other racial and ethnic minorities, are a bit more likely to be Democrats.”
Yahya Hendi, the Muslim Chaplin at Georgetown University, has said that US Muslims are making impressive political strides despite a ferocious media campaign and a powerful Christian extremist lobby.
Read said the US Muslims share the same view with the general public on the US foreign policy.
“A much smaller percentage of Muslims thinks the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan were the right decision.”
Most US Muslims, like most Americans, oppose gay marriage and disapprove the performance of US President George W. Bush.
“On procreation and gender issues… 75% of U.S. Muslims oppose abortion and 59% want the government to do more to protect morality in society,” said Read.
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