By Victor Ochieng
Pew Research Center has released new estimates that state that the American Muslim population could double by 2050, making Islam the second largest religion in the U.S.
According to the research firm, the current Muslim population in the U.S. stands at 3.3 million, a figure expected to hit 8.1 million by 2050. With the current estimates, the Muslim population accounts for 1% of the U.S. general population.
One of the reasons pointed out by the research firm is immigration. From federal records, around 10% of all legal immigrants coming to the U.S. are Muslims. Another reason is the fact that Muslim families tend to have more children than the average American family, a case similar to what’s happening in European countries.
The growing number of Muslims through procreation and immigration will see the religion surpass others to become the second largest in the U.S. That kind of growth is way higher than that expected rate for Hindus and Jews.
Surprisingly, the number of Jews in the U.S. is expected to reduce from the current 1.8% to 1.4% over the same period till 2050. On the other hand, Hindus are expected to grow from the current 0.7% to 1.2% over the same period.
There is a growing fear in the U.S. over the growing number of Muslims, according to a poll recently conducted by Reuters/Ipsos. The poll, conducted in December after the California shootings perpetrated by Muslims, showed that it’s a mere 30% of Republicans that believe members of the Muslim community are the same as members of any other community, a great contrast compared to 60% of Democrats. Because of some acts that involve members of the Muslim community, up to 14.6% of American citizens are fearful of members of the Muslim community, a percentage that rose to 34.7% when the question was narrowed down to “a few groups and individuals” drawn from the Muslim community.
A whopping 64% of Republicans want authorities to closely monitor mosques, compared to 43% of Democrats. The fear among Americans towards members of the Muslim community has pushed most Americans to stand against allowing Muslim refugees in the country.
Surveys conducted in Europe indicate that up to 25% of members of the Muslim community believe that Islam can be used to justify violence vented against civilians.
The fear of Muslims has led some countries to apply strict rules against members of the religion.
In France, for example, the Muslim inmates account for 70% of the country’s prison population yet the general Muslim population in the country stands at only 8%.
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