Urban Enclaves, Muslim Identity and the Urban Mosque in America

From the 1970s to the 1990s, the number of mosques established in America increased considerably, partly due to conversion for which the dominant number of converts are African-Americans, but also due to the influence of settlement patterns resulting from immigration. There are now more than 1500 mosques, compared to 600 in 1980, 230 in 1960 and 19 in 1930. In addition, there are 400 Islamic schools (108 full-time), over 400 associations, an estimated 200,000 businesses, and over 80 publications, journals and weekly newspapers. At present the number of mosques located in city neighborhoods are 43%; downtown neighborhood mosques 21%; rural mosques 21%; suburban mosques 16%. 1 Newark, NJ, Brooklyn, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Washington, DC and Boston, MA are a few examples of the urban areas where urban mosque community organizations were founded during the period of the 1970s to the 1990s.