The Truth About America Muslims

Donald Trump sparked a firestorm of criticism from liberals,
conservatives and those in between when he called for a ban on Muslims
entering the United States.
But while such a ban is unlikely to be implemented in a country
founded by immigrants, the cheers that followed his announcement at a
South Carolina rally are telling.
"I think that we should definitely disallow any Muslims from coming
in. Any of them," supporter Charlie Marzka, 75, told CNN. "The reason
is simple: We can't identify what their attitude is."
Indeed, the truth about Muslims in America is perhaps surprising --
but not in the way Trump and his supporters might think.
A look at polls and studies conducted in the last few years shows that
Muslims have been crucial in helping law enforcement find terror
suspects in the United States. Many have served in the military
protecting the country against terrorists. And in many ways, they're
a lot like other everyday Americans.
Here's the reality of Muslims in America -- and how it smashes stereotypes:
They are a minuscule portion of the U.S. population
It's difficult to come by hard numbers because the U.S. Census doesn't
collect religious data. But the fear of Muslims taking over and
imposing Sharia law is unfounded. By some estimates, Muslims make up
less than 1% of the U.S. adult population. By 2050, their numbers
will grow -- to 2.1%. Of all the Muslims in America, 63% are exactly
the kind Trump wants banned -- immigrants.
They're better educated than most Americans
U.S. Muslims have the second-highest level of education among major
religious groupsin the country; Jews have the highest. And a greater
proportion of them have college degreesthan the general U.S.
population.
They have more gender equality
While in many parts of the Muslim world, women are confined to
second-class status, that's not the case among American Muslims.
Virtually all of them, 90%, agreethat women should be able to work
outside the home. American Muslim women hold more college or
postgraduate degreesthan Muslim men. And they are more likely to work
in professional fieldsthan women from most other U.S. religious
groups.
They've been here since the birth of the nation ...
Scholars estimate about a quarter to a third of the Africans brought
to the United States as slaves were Muslims. Most were then forced to
convert to Christianity.
... and they're not just clustered in big cities
American Muslims live in cities big and small all across the United
States. The first mosque built in America was in, of all places, Ross,
North Dakota, back in 1929.
They're as religious as Christians ...
The general perception of Muslims has one thing right: Most Muslims
are very religious. About half say they attend the weekly Friday
prayers. But that makes them similar to Christians: About 70% of
Christians say religion is important in their lives, and about 45% go
to a weekly service.
... but they're not as dogmatic as they are portrayed
Much has been made about fundamentalist Muslims and their strict
interpretation of the Quran. But most American Muslims are different.
A Pew religious landscape survey foundthat 57% of American Muslims
say there is more than one way to interpret Islam's teachings. A
similar number say many different religions can lead to eternal life.
Therehavebeen Muslims involved in terrorism ...
From September 11, 2001, until the end of 2014, 109 Muslim-Americans
plotted against targets in the United States. And terrorism by
Muslim-Americans killed 50 in the same time period. Contrast that with
the deaths from other mass shootings just last year: 136 -- more than
twice as many as all the deathsfrom 13 years of Muslim-American
terrorism.
... but they've also spoken out against it
After every terrorist attack at home and abroad, the refrain rises,
"Where is the Muslim condemnation?" American Muslims have spoken out
-- and done much more. A Duke University study found more terrorism
suspects and perpetrators were brought to the attention of law
enforcement by members of the Muslim-American communitythan were
discovered through U.S. government investigations. And a Pew survey
found that roughly half of U.S. Muslims say their religious leaders
aren't speaking out enough against Islamic extremism.