·           The earliest group of Muslims to arrive were slaves from West Africa  comprising 14% to 20% of the slaves in America.  Their arrival was between the years of 1530 to 1851.  

·           The next sizable number of Muslims were immigrants to the United States. They came from Syria, Lebanon and other countries across the Ottoman Empire in the early 20^th century.

·            The third substantial wave of immigrants occurred during the 1960s and '70s. They came from all parts of the Muslim world, and a large number of them came to study at American universities.

·           Approximately two-fifths of American Muslims live on the

     East Coast                                                39%

     Central/Great Lakes Region                       27%

     The South                                                21%

     The West                                                 13%

·           The American Muslim community is comprised of many cultures  from all of the five major continents. A recent survey shows that most Muslims are:
       

            immigrants -- 64%                   U.S. born -- 36%

·           The following demonstrates the diversity of the Muslim community in the United States.

 

            South Asia                                                   32%

            Arab                                                             26%

            African American                                         20%

            African                                                           7%

            Other                                                            15%