Millions of Muslims in USA

are there really 8 million muslims here in the u.s.?

Feb. 2007

The phantom statistical menace muslims

In today’s day and age of modern technology, could it be possible to overestimate millions of people – people whom could potentially form an influential voting block that could shape policy here in the U.S.? A recent editorial at InvestorsDaily.com questions the validity of an oft cited figure of growing Muslim numbers in the U.S.

Below is summary of its key points:

The size of the Muslim population in America jumps by an additional million every other year or so. The editorial goes on to explain that only a couple of years ago the consensus number bandied about in the media was seven million. Before 9/11 it was six million.

Politicians in Washington are intimidated by the figure. They believe it. Why shouldn’t they – it is the figure that is often bandied about in the media. This number is a wildly inflated estimate manufactured by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The mainstream media could easily refute this number if it so dared - simply by deconstructing CAIR's unscientific methodology. While the number of Muslims is growing thanks to higher birthrates and immigration, it's nowhere near CAIR's claim.

The most generous independent estimate puts it at half that size, or 4 million. Reliable data for Muslims in America is difficult to ascertain because the Census Bureau does not survey creed.

CAIR, which has an agenda to “Islamize America,” has overfilled the vacuum, the editorial claims.

CAIR conjured up its own population figure, by hiring a "respected scholar," Ihsan Bagby, to lead its "study."

Bagby lacks independence and is a CAIR board member

Bagby is not a trained demographer.

Bagby has admitted his figure is a "guesstimation."

The editorial claims that with help from CAIR researchers, Bagby called the nation's 1,209 mosques and interviewed people at 416. He asked them how many people were involved in their mosque in “any way.”

The average response was 1,625, which is probably high, given that two imams claimed 50,000 when the nation's largest mosque. Dar al-Hijrah, located in the D.C. suburbs, has only about 3,000. Bagby multiplied that fuzzy participation figure by the 1,209 mosques and came up with 2 million "mosqued Muslims."

The Mysterious (and non-scientific) multiplier of 3

Bagby multiplied that sum by a magical factor of three to capture Muslims who might not participate in mosque activities, and arrived, somehow, at the original six million “guesstimate” for the size of the Muslim population in America.

He claims his “factor of three” was an educated guess. Was it a wild exaggeration? Or perhaps it was a political calculation? After all, this figure conveniently matches the size (and potential political clout) of the Jewish population in the U.S.

CAIR took the liberty of bumping up the Muslim count to 7 million. Now - presto - it's at 8 million, and climbing.

Fuzzy Math Goes Mainstream

"Today, 8 to 10 million Muslims live in the United States," claims Navy Lt. Cmdr. Abuhena Mohammed Saifulislam, Muslim chaplain for the new Marine mosque at Quantico, Va.

The Pentagon, which recently promoted Saifulislam, does not question the number. Neither does the White House, Congress nor the media - no matter how fantastic the number gets.

The editorial claims that CAIR and other militant Muslim groups use this made up number to intimidate politicians, corporations and media to change policy.

Eight-million- strong Muslims make the threat of bloc voting and boycotts a lot scarier. And the bigger the number, the bigger the foothold Islamists gain in American society.

Get the full scoop

The 8-Million Muslim Lie on Investors.com.

Our Take

Don't buy it. The figure is a total exaggeration.

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