Earlier, I blogged about some maps of the number of religious houses of worship by state – 702 Mandirs, 89 Jain temples, 236 Sikh gurdwaras, 2039 Buddhist temples, and 1855 Islamic masjids / mosques. In response readers asked for maps of the numbers of religious adherents as a percentage of the population. I thought this would be tough, so I told the monkeys in the basement of our bunker that they wouldn’t eat until they brought me such information. I was worried that I would have a bunch of starving monkeys on our hands, but lo and behold – they came through. Below the fold is a map of Muslims as a percentage of residents by county across the entire USAA map of Muslims as a percentage of residents by county across the entire USA. Click on it if you want a larger version.
There are only a handful of counties with between 2 and 10% muslims – Queens (obviously), but also one in Michigan, one in Ohio, one in Delaware, one in Virginia and a few in Georgia. Not at all where I expected them to be. None of them are in California at all, but both CA and upstate NY have a number of counties with between .8 – 2.1% muslim populations, as do Michigan, Jersey, Texas, and several other states. Heck, even Wyoming and Colorado meet that threshold in a few places!
Unfortunately, no such maps are readily available for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs or Buddhists, probably because they’re too small a section of the population, and too dispersed, to readily show up.
UPDATE:
There are many other such maps, all of which concern “mainstream” Abrahamic faiths. Here’s some background about them:
The U.S. Census Bureau, due to issues related to the separation of church and state, does not ask questions related to faith or religion on the decennial census. Accordingly, there are few sources of comprehensive data on church membership and religious affiliation for the United States. Perhaps the leading organization to address this gap is the Glenmary Research Center, which publishes Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States, 2000. The following series of county-level choropleth maps, which reveals the distribution of the larger and more regionally concentrated church bodies, draws on this resource
(Via Marginal Revolution)
I thought there would be more of a coastal concentration. I guess even if there are large populations of Muslims on the coasts, they’re embedded in even larger populations of non-Muslims, and so they get washed out on a percentage basis
three points
1) a lot of arab muslims go where arab christians have gone before, which includes midwestern cities with industrial bases
2) many muslims are african american, who are distributed throughout the south and urban areas in the north
3) if you limited the sample set to muslim south asians, i think you would bicoastality, but i doubt muslim south asians are more than 20-30% of american muslims (depending on how large you perceive the black muslim community to be).
Aizaz, I would specify further. It’s not that they are all stupid – it’s more likely that they are, as a majority (do not include the oil rich Arab tycoons) poor. The all encompassing poverty leaves little opportunity for education, thus I would say the majority of muslims around the world are not educated, not ‘not smart’. Otherwise, well said.
and yet we should note that salafist radicals tend neither to be poor nor ill-educated. there are multiple components to the issue here.
i wrote a short independant study paper back in college suggesting that “mosque” might have orginitated from the spanish inquisition much in the same conspiracy theorist-ish way one of the links in one of the posts above dismisses the thought, i think my prof found it was cute — but i think its totally possible. putting that aside, and think this is what aizaz is saying, “masjid” is the more correct word and i find it perfectly reasonable to ask that the more accurate word be used.
Aizaz Bhai,
When I read you comment, I laughed aloud because hardly Amreekans would know what a Masjid is.
People use Masjid and Mosque interchangebly all the time. Like, i would always call Jama masjid, a Jama masjid and not Jama mosque. However, while discussing Islam’s place of workship in general, I may use mosque so that most of the people understand me. Like Ramzan and Ramadan even though South Asians call it Ramzan.
I agree with you that in the world of google.com and dictionary.com, one should expect more awareness. Alas !!
In general SMers are equal opportunity basher – however, Mussalmans get much more share of it (far more than Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs contrary to what they may claim, lament and cry)- That is the way, it is right now and I understand your and others pain.
However, it is also a sign of healthy interaction without the fake niceties, and shoving problems under the rug. Man, argue back.
Khuda Hafeez,
Kush
PS: Sometimes, through SM, I click to your blog. You seem to be a real party kid – A true one as opposed to lot of wannabes.
only pakis say ramzan. bangladeshis are much smarter.
aizaz,
true indeed, son, true indeed. and you’re doing it well. as for the haters…
Glad to see you too, Ennis 🙂
You shouldn’t jump to assumptions and then need BeanieBoi or anybody else to correct you.
Fair enough. I am sufficiently chided 🙂
Why do you see the hand of the “man” in everything?
Well, I think that’s a bit unfair, since it seems like you’re caricaturing my overall worldview instead of just my behavior in this thread. But, generally speaking, when the topic of Islam is brought up nowadays, it’s usually done in a slanted light and without much fairness. That, of course, applies to a whole bunch of other things too besides Islam.
I don’t think everyone should jump down aizaz’s throat because he asked for equity between the term used for the Hindu religious institution and what he felt was the indigenous term for a Muslim religious institution (and yes that applies to jains and sikhs and christians and reform jews and hindus even razib the atheist). It’s not a crazy sentiment to express in the context of South Asians talking amongst themselves (esp when you have to deal with all the “terrorism” related conversations around here), even if you disagree with him about the specifics of what he’s saying.
But I’ve much more frequently heard mosques referred to as masjid (or really “mosjid” in bangla) than as “mosques,” so I don’t really disagree with his original point. i can also respect (though i’m guessing here) why he might have felt the need to adopt the tone he did even though, as I said, I don’t think you necessarily needed to be the target of it. And his intervention did get an improvement in the language, right? (which you should get credit for too).
what is with all the hating today?
Hi siddartha! I heard you met my friend 🙂
I think there’s so much hating because it’s a Monday. or a Tuesday. or a Wednesday…
. But, generally speaking, when the topic of Islam is brought up nowadays, it’s usually done in a slanted light and without much fairness.
s, there’s a reason for this. i think new age types are probably more silly than fundamentalist christians because at least the latter exclude a large proportion of silliness from their worldview, but new age types tend to have more innocuous public policy implications. similarly, i don’t think islam is more silly than other religions, and au contraire, but the most fundamentalist forms of islam seem less silly (due to a harder core of tawhid) but more dangerous and in need of speaking against.
it is true that gross generalizations probably are counter-productive, to defeat and enemy you need to characterize it appropriately and fit your tools to the task. that being said, the flip side here is that many people seem to react to broadsides against islam by making equivalence between islam and its relationship to non-islam and hinduism and its relationship to non-hinduism and christianity and its relationship to non-christianity. that equivalence is too broad and elides a great deal of variation between the religions and how big their balls are in the world currently.
every hatred and love has its context. confusions abound when the context is left out, but it doesn’t mean that hatred and love need to be put aside in favor of cool tolerance for all under god’s great sky.
Aijaz, Isn’t Masjid theplace where the Muslims train to become Jehadis/Terrormongers etc?
Current immigrants to the US are spreading out beyond the traditional bicoastal regions and have been for some time, which may account for the distribution. Did you know Chicago has one of the largest hispanic populations (mostly Mexican immigrants, I think) in the country? I heard that on NPR some time ago and it stuck with me. That’s why you can get such awesome horchata (?sp) in Berwyn!
Anyway, places like Iowa and Nebraska have had a lot of immigration, legal and otherwise. In Iowa, the meat-packing plants have become a draw. Oh, wait, we’re supposed to be talking about where the Muslims are. Sorry, got off track. Come on, it wouldn’t be an MD comment if I didn’t bore you with minor details about fly-over country, now would it?
Hey aizaz – it’s good to have as many different view points in the comment sections as possible. It’s why I enjoy SM. I want to hear from pearljamfan, saira, you, everybody! Yeah commenters.
PS: What is it with this ivy stuff? I hate to break it to the kids who are spending a fortune for the ivies, but, it’s not gonna automatically guarantee you success and it’s not such a big deal in all parts of the country. Couldn’t have cared less when I was growing up in fly-over country, and I grew up in a college town? Do you guys think there is more pressure on the coasts to go to ‘name’ schools? Anyway, I graduated from Iowa State and it hasn’t hurt my career on iota.
ooh! just figured out who you mean. initials are SR right? anyway, yeah, i’m gonna be lurking around your metropolis. things will never be the same again!
Anyway, I graduated from Iowa State and it hasn’t hurt my career on iota.
i have read that the best long term predictory is where you got accepted, not where you went.
Aizaz, you are my hero 😉
Agreed, my fact finding friend. Osama is not quite so poor himself. But the masses that become warped by the idealogies preached by him and his contemporaries (which tends to end with the unfortunate result of blowing oneself up) generally are, in addition to being uneducated. There are multiple components, mine was only one in addendum to Muslims being ‘non smart’.
MD – I agree that commenting could be the best part, but I read a lot and comment very little on this blog. The arguements dont tend to end in good conversation, rather they result in a battle of “im smarter than you because I intertwined 37 long words into my essay and broke down your arguement into an unnecessary number of components.” But I do, from behind my screen, appreciate learning from some of the genuine commenters with insightful opinions.
ooh! just figured out who you mean. initials are SR right? anyway, yeah, i’m gonna be lurking around your metropolis. things will never be the same again!
Seriously, dude. 🙂
every hatred and love has its context. confusions abound when the context is left out, but it doesn’t mean that hatred and love need to be put aside in favor of cool tolerance for all under god’s great sky.
What?
Anyway, to get back to the conversation, I think some of the reasons why “Islam” is frequently attacked are:
a) Muslim fundamentalist terrorism is better funded and better networked than any other kind of non-state political violence and therefore scare the shit out of Westerners and particularly Americans b) Christian and Jewish fundamentalists + Western business interests all have an interest in seeing that the Middle East is controlled and therefore somebody needs to come up with some random bullshit to justify that c) Just your standard racism / idiocy / misguided fear / anger channeled in this particular direction (see Mohd #59).
MD, not…a…Hawkeye? OMG. I don’t know if we’re even allowed to speak to each other. 🙂
Anyway, I graduated from Iowa State and it hasn’t hurt my career on iota.
You are lucky. Most graduates from state schools arnt that lucky.
To all You know, when I first read the post, I thought it was a cold turkey. However thanks to efforts by Bhai Aizaz, the thread had much fun.
Anyway inspired by the gentleman, I have decided that all Hindu terms are to be refererred in Language of Gods (i.e. Sanskrit), anyone violating this will be prosecuted for heresy.
Regards
they ARE???? GASP!
uumm…….athiest? 😛
any more love, and i’ll feel a hot poker where the sun don’t shine…
anyhoo…i learn so much from you guys, keep it up. ( minus the biting and clawing of course.)
Very funny. Anyway, in the interests of fairness and “respect”, I also hope that Aizaz Akram ji and his fellow supporters for always referring to mosques as “masjids” will henceforth refer to Amritsar’s Golden Temple by its true name of “Harmandir Sahib”, in any future on-line discussions here on SM or indeed during any conversations they may have in the “real world” where the topic comes up 😉
Muslims all over the world often refer to the mosque by its name in Arabic, masjid (pl. masajid)
I think anything “arabic” is considered genuine and is put on a higher pedestal.. You can consider this to be the expected behavior of the followers of an “arab imperialist” cult..
If you use the same perspective, I don’t think Tamil hindus who are anti-Hindi would like “mandir”.. “kovil/koyil” is the right word :-))
thank you, Pooniyin. hope Aijaz will take his meds now and calm down a tad.
Dear Gaurav,
I’m amazed by how refined your manners are. Do you also walk into social gatherings and loudly announce that “I was bored here until XYZ bhai showed up! Thank goodness he’s here to save this occasion from dreary dullness!”
I have an idea. To prevent you from ever being bored again, I can take all of the dull, pedestrian posts on issues like demographics, and edit them so that they’re really about terrorism, or kashmir, or the tamil tigers, or arranged marriage. Would that make you happier? As the intern, it is within my power. I can even assign a dedicated monkey to the task!
Best wishes,
SMI
Jai (69#)
I second you. It is beyond my comprehension how people can be so insensitive ;-).
SMI (72#)
Please do it 🙂 Unless I get to read emotionally charged threads on Sepia mutiny, the day doesn’t feel alright. You are wasting sarcasm on me. and yes I behave exactly in the way you described.
Regards
this was, indeed, enjoyable
Of all the stupid thread hijacks, this has got to be the goddamn stupidest. Mosque vs. Masjid? In Egypt, they’re Masgids, not Masjids. Some Muslims I know call them Imambaras. Fight Sunni-centrism! 🙂
Back on topic, the Chapati Mystery Blog has noted the names of the counties — Wood County Ohio, Wayne County, Michigan, Mongomery County, Maryland, and Spotsylvania County Virginia. But given the low population of some of these counties, places like Fort Bend County and Tarrant County TX are probably equally significant Muslim centres. (Excepting Wayne County, aka Detroit)
Ikram – can you provide a link? I didn’t see the story there …
Back to etymology (sorry Ennis!) — but just to clarify the shul / synagogue / temple thing among Jews, I found this FAQ to be useful. Shul is Yiddish, Synagogue is Greek, Temple is English, and they are all appropriate for different groups of Jews.
Sorry: FAQ is here: http://www.jewfaq.org/shul.htm
Ikram (75#),
Are you sure that Imambaras are Masjids ? I always thought Imambaras were places to commemorate followers of Hussain and a feature of Shia branch. Just clarifying.
Regards
The term Hindu is an idiotic Persian generalization. I demand that you call us by our actual belief names such as Vaishnavites, Shavites, Santana Dharmaics, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sansthakaris, etc rather than the word hindu which has no meaning as far as religious belief is concerned.
expressa?
Persians say “ramzan” as well, not just the pakistanis.
from a data analysis of muslim population it has become a hate war. vow . i love to hear such comments ;).
hey aizaz ( if you are listening ) instead of masjid/ mosque debate why not write about use of term “islamic terrorist ” . though i m a hindu , i think it is wrong to give name of a relegion to such activities.
Hey! How are you?