WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- A report released Wednesday indicates there has been a 74 percent increase in the number of American mosques since 2000.
The study, titled "The American Mosque 2011: Basic Characteristics of the American Mosque, Attitudes of Mosque Leaders," found the number of mosques in the United States increased from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2011. New York and California have the most mosques, with more mosques moving out of urban areas and into the suburbs, the study found.
Most mosque leaders advocate community involvement, with more than 98 percent believing Muslims should be involved in U.S. institutions and 91 said Muslims should engage in politics. Most leaders do not believe American society is hostile to Islam, the report said.
Most mosques include Muslims of diverse ethnicity -- South Asians, Arab-Americans and African-Americans are the dominant ethnic backgrounds, but significant numbers of Somalis, West Africans and Iraqis also worship across the nation, the report said.
The study, part of a larger U.S. mosque survey yet to be published, was conducted by Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, a multi-faith coalition. The survey has a 5 percentage point margin of error.
