Minnesota Among Top Destinations for US Muslims, Survey Finds

December 11, 2006

Author: Abdi Aynte

Source: Minnesota Monitor

http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=918

A new survey finds that Minnesota is one the most popular destinations for U.S. Muslims. The state comes in at number 12 of the top dozen states that are home to more than 80 percent of U.S. Muslims.

Conducted by the California-based Genesis Research Associates in August, the survey was paid by the Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). It is the "first scientific survey of American Muslims," CAIR said.

No exact figure is available, but estimates of U.S. Muslims range from six to eight million.

The survey finds that California, Illinois, New York, Texas, New Jersey each has more Muslims than Michigan, which is generally thought to be home to the largest population of Arab Americans.

Other states that have more Muslims than Minnesota are: Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

According to the survey, Minnesota is home to 2.8 percent of U.S. Muslims. That number does not include "Muslims with non-common Muslim names or those with no Muslim-sounding names - especially converts," the survey reads.