There are no official statistics on the number of Muslims in the United States. According to «Pew Research Center» to the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, almost 3.5 million Muslims lived in the United States (more than 1% of the total population of the country). Most Muslims are adults from 16 years old and immigrants, which born not in the United States. The Muslim population is expected to reach 8 million by 2050. This would make them the second largest religious group. The number of Muslim Americans continues to grow at a rate of approximately 100,000 per year.
The main growing is due to relatively high birth rates in Muslim families. Another reason is the immigration of Muslim adherents to the United States. Muslim immigration remains an issue of concern both to political circles in the United States and to the population itself, which is still mistrustful of the Muslim community. But Americans are also converting to Islam. Most of the neophytes are former Christians. A change of beliefs doesn't have a big impact, because the number of people who converted to Islam and the number of people who left this religion are approximately the same.
The Muslim population of the United States is getting younger. Young people born after September 11, 2001 differ in their attitudes towards religion and secular lifestyle. Some Muslims consider the necessity of concept of a “democratic caliphate” - when followers of Islam, without conflicting with the laws and interests of secular society, adhere to the requirements of faith. A Muslim remains a law-abiding citizen and calls America his homeland, in meaning that doesn't contradict his religious beliefs. But the conflict of interests of the state and religion in this case persists, giving rise to new problems.
The unification of some American Muslims under the banner of a “democratic caliphate” didn't pass the public’s attention. The theme of “creeping Sharia” has been heard in American far-right circles for several years. It reflects the fear of the spread of Islamic law throughout the United States. It comes to exaggeration: the “ultra-right” fears that the Muslim idea of hidden Sharia may become dominant. During the presidency of Donald Trump, there was a slight increase in Islamophobic sentiment. The atmosphere of public mistrust has created new challenges for Muslims in America.
Here the “center of responsibility” shifts from “traditional Muslims,” whose influence is based on knowledge of religious sources, to a new group of “socially oriented ones”. They are leading more secular lifestyles, more deeply integrated into American society, and trying to explain the essence of Islam to the masses in accessible language. At the same time, Shiites and Sunnis coexist in the diverse Muslim community; women who don't wear the hijab, but are believers; representatives of non-traditional sexual orientations and many others. The clash between dogma and reality is not hidden, but is taken for granted.
The conservative part of the Muslim population of the United States is concerned about “modernist” processes, fearing a departure from traditional principles. But the surprising fact is that for the most part they continue to support the Democratic Party. Despite this, US Muslims don’t rush to declare serious liberalization of the Islamic community. Its representatives today are to some extent political nomads who seek attention in order to exercise the rights to a political voice. Recently, they have found understanding and “sympathy” among American Democrats.
For example, former presidential contender Bernie Sanders in 2020 has won high support among Muslim Americans for his strong stance on Palestinian rights to their historic territories. The political search also brings disagreements to the Muslim community itself. The American Muslim voter doesn’t always find common ground with his brothers in faith. Often the reason for this, it’s the position or behavior of the United States in various countries of the Middle East and the Arab world at all. Be it the coup d’état in Egypt in 2013, in Turkey in 2016, or the civil war in Syria.
The conditional alliance of the Muslim community and the democratic camp is seen as a forced partnership in the context of the strengthening of so-called “white” conservatism and the pressure of its representatives on various minorities. But there is also some tension between the social conservatism of some Muslims and the increasingly secular spirit of Democrats. However, the Muslim community in the United States continues to develop. Groups of Muslim activists form cozy alliances with other communities, which allows them to participate in determining social or cultural policies, starting from a small area - their own district.
Groups such as The Pluralism Project, support and train Muslim candidates seeking elected office. In the Minnesota House of Representatives, there is a Somali-American woman wearing a hijab and actively advocating for the constituents of her district. Muslims run for governor and sit in the US Federal Congress. Such activity doesn’t always evoke a positive reaction from the local political establishment. Some call Islam a dangerous political ideology or a “politicized” religion.
Modern Muslims in the United States are trying to convey to American society that religious freedom doesn't protect beliefs. She protects people who hold these beliefs. Followers of Islam understand that by its nature the American political system is oriented toward protecting minorities, including religious minorities. In this part, they have many opportunities to protect their rights through institutions of public control. The traditions of American culture provide an opportunity for religious communities not only to conduct a dialogue with the authorities, but also to directly participate in politics.
Immigration to the United States, choosing this country as a new homeland is everyone’s personal choice, and if Muslims want to live in the same country with Protestants, Latin Americans, Republicans, and representatives of sexual minorities, they will have to getting along with this varied community. In the same way, the non-Muslim American population will have to reckon with the adherents of Islam and not be surprised when a Muslim defends the rights of his brothers in faith in the US Supreme Court or in Congress. The point is to fit into American society harmoniously, without violating the integrity of the “common canvas”.
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