The Mercury News (California) website reports today (February 29, 2012) that the number of American mosques grew by 74 percent in the past decade -- with a large number being built in the suburbs -- according to a national survey of a coalition of Muslim groups.
The 2011 U.S. Mosque Survey counted 2,106 mosques in the United States, with 246 of them in California.
"The building boom is indicative of the growing financial resources of the Muslim community, as many Muslims have lived in the U.S. for many decades now, and their financial resources have improved," wrote study author Ihsan Bagby, an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky.
Although the Muslim population in America has increased in recent years, it remains a small fraction of the total population. Valid research indicates that there are about two million Muslims -- or about 0.5 percent of America's total population -- who live in the U.S.
