_Exploring Islam in the Americas from Demographic and Ethnographic Perspectives

Research on Muslim communities in the Americas is on the rise. 1 There are now entire books and numerous journal articles, encyclopedia entries, and conference presentations on the topic (Khan 2015b; Chitwood 2014, Narbona, Pinto, and Karam 2015; Morales 2012). But why? Are the numbers appreciating? Or is the community a particularly ripe field for understanding currents in race, culture, religion, globalization, and other relevant topics in the social sciences?

Researchers can learn much about the way religion and culture act upon, and relate to, today’s globalized world from studying Muslims in the Americas. Furthermore, demographic data can prove an ad rem avenue into the field. This chapter discusses some population data concerning Muslims in the Americas and offers pathways for further research based on these statistics. These demographics invite a more thorough study of under-appreciated religious populations that present ample opportunities for research in cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, and specifically apropos to the ethnographic study of religion.