RE: [mukto-mona] Re: Number of U.S. mosques up 74% since 2000 & Proof of Religious Tolerance & Secularism in USA .....

                  This is an excellent case FOR secularism and should be used as a poke in the eyes of S A Hannan and other Jamaati liars, defamers and enemies of secularism in Bangladesh.  Secularism does not mean 'religionless' La Deen or dharmoheen.  From governance point of view, secularism is the most religion-friendly principle.

Secularism has a longer and more authentic history in Bangladesh than in the United States (whose beginnings were steeped in Puritanism until the founding of the USA).

              We must get rid of 'bismillah' from the Constitution of Bangladesh because it is a piece of blasphemy (resorting to willful and illegal denial of others' rights in the name of Allah).  All good Muslims should reject this blasphemous idea. It sullies the glorious egalitarian principle of Sunna and is against the tradition of Muslim history of Bengal.

            Only secularism can constitutionally guarantee freedom of religion to each citizen of Bangladesh.

                        Farida Majid

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To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
From: Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2012 00:58:07 -0400
Subject: [mukto-mona] Re: Number of U.S. mosques up 74% since 2000 & Proof of Religious Tolerance & Secularism in USA .....

 

Obviously, it has been possible, only because USA is a truly secular country, where the freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed ....

  

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...." 

 

America is Christian majority country: The majority of Americans (76% to 80%) identify themselves as Christians according to the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), According to the same survey, other religions (including, for example, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam,  and Hindu) collectively make up about 4% of the adult population, another 15% of the adult population claim no religious affiliation, and 5.2% said they did not know, or they refused to reply [ Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. Retrieved 2009-04-01].

The rise of US mosques since 2000, definitely proves the overall religious tolerance of American people, in-spite of adverse propaganda by certain ultra-reactionary groups.

 

The so-called Ground Zero mosque, where proponents of religious freedom clashed with conservative politicians and the families of few 9/11 victims for nearly two years, finally opened without controversy (September 21, 2011). A mosque at the edge of Ground Zero is  much more than a house of worship. It is the ultimate expression of the freedom of religion and secularism, that people enjoy in America. 

On Sat, Sep 8, 2012 at 9:47 PM, Mohiuddin Anwar <mohiuddin@netzero.net> wrote:

Very good and encouraging news indeed for American muslims.

 

Number of U.S. mosques up 74% since 2000

By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

 

Reprints & Permissions

WASHINGTON � The number of Islamic places of worship in the United States soared 74% in the past decade.

• 
  2002 photo by Joe Kohen, AP
  Imam Omar Abu Namous, right, leads a prayer service at the Islamic Center of New York. A new study finds New York has more mosques than any other state in the U.S.

Enlarge

2002 photo by Joe Kohen, AP

Imam Omar Abu Namous, right, leads a prayer service at the Islamic Center of New York. A new study finds New York has more mosques than any other state in the U.S.

While protests against new mosques in New York, Tennessee and California made headlines, the overall number of mosques quietly rose from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2010.

And most of their leaders say American society is not hostile to Islam, according to a comprehensive census ofU.S. mosques and survey of imams, mosque presidents and board members released Wednesday.

"This is a very healthy community," said lead researcher and study author Ihsan Bagby, an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky.

They're also very engaged: The study finds "98% of mosque leaders say Muslims should be involved in American institutions and 91% agree that Muslims should be involved in politics."

The study � The American Mosque 2011 � was sponsored by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research (Hartford Seminary), the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, as well as the nation's largest Islamic civic and religious groups, including the Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Muslims feared being "marginalized, demonized and isolated" after 9/11, said Safaa Zarzour, secretary general of the Islamic Society. But the new study shows they have "kept their eyes on the prize � becoming part of mainstream America."

Major findings include:

�States with the most mosques are New York (257), California (246) and Texas (166).

�Most mosques are in cities, but 28% were in suburban sites in 2010, up from 16% in 2000.

�Mosques are ethnically diverse. The major participants are South Asians, Arabs and African Americans, with growing numbers of new immigrants including Somalis, West Africans and Iraqis. The study did not include Nation of Islam mosques because it is a separate religion.

�Most mosque leaders (87%) say "radicalism and extremism" are not increasing among Muslim youth, "in their own experience." They say the greater challenge is "attracting and keeping them close to the mosque."

All religious groups should be worried about losing their youth, said David Roozen, who directs the Hartford Institute, which overseas an every-decade look at the growth and health of U.S. religious congregations, Faith Communities Today.

Islam will continue to grow, he said, and the old summation of American religion -- Protestant, Catholic, Jew � may soon be revised. But it won't be Protestant, Catholic Muslim, Roozen said.

"The fastest growing group of all is those with no religion," Roozen said.

Although the study does not claim to say how many Muslims are in the USA, Bagby estimates there are 2.6 million "mosque participants" � people who have attended prayers for Eid (a major holy day) or Friday prayers or were considered participants by the mosque leader survey.

Bagby says he reached the number by taking mosque attendance reported by the leadership and multiplying the average number of attendees by the number of mosques.

Bagby's report concludes, "If there are 2.6 million Muslims who pray the Eid prayer, then the total Muslim population should be closer to estimates (by Bagby) of up to 7 million."

No other survey projects even 3 million Muslims in the USA.

For example, a 2010 survey on global Muslim population by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found there were 2.6 million Muslims, including adults and children, in the country. And a 2011 survey by the same research group found 2.75 million Muslims, including 1.8 million adults.

Bagby disputes other studies, saying they underestimate because they are based on random phone interviews and many Muslims, particularly immigrants, will not discuss their religion with a stranger on the phone.

However, the Pew research, which included phone interviews in four languages, also synthesized data from the Census Bureau and immigration authorities. Pew used country-of-birth information with data from surveys on the percentage of people from each country, or group of countries, who belong to various faiths.

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