Mosques in America - Essay Example

Religion plays an extremely important role in society which can be traced back up to the very dawn of it. However, as the world evolved religions were no limited by local communities and spread their influence on other territories. As a result, nowadays there are social environments that include different religions, one of which is often dominant while the other is regarded as foreign. Mosques in the United States of America feature a considerable number of peculiarities which can be explained by the relationship between this country and the Arab world.

In order to develop a better understanding of the problem one should take a look at the statistical dimension of Islam in the United States. Thus, the actual population of Muslims is two times larger than the estimated one. In addition to that, the number of mosques increased greatly in the first decade of 2000. Moreover, the majority of mosques are relatively young: built less than 40 years ago.

What is more important is that mosques in America feature a considerable amount of diversity. To begin with, it is not only Arabs but various ethnic groups are represented in almost every mosque. Secondly, Shiite mosques which represent a second branch of Islam are also quite numerous in the United States. Thirdly, mosques can be found both in metropolitan areas and suburbs. As for the places which are used for a mosque, one should note that they include purchased, built, or rented facilities.

The position of a mosque in American society has had an influence on its practices. It was found that mosques in the US preach flexible interpretation of the Quran which is suitable for modern circumstances. The local spiritual leader feels a general atmosphere of acceptable by the community. They also encourage Muslims to take an active part in American society. Finally, the rate of conversion to Islam in America reflects a general interest in this religion.

All in all, one might come to the following conclusions. First of all, the presence of Muslims in the American population may be more than it is estimated. Secondly, mosques were able to integrate successfully into American society. Finally, mosques reflect the diversity of the American social environment.