Imam Shamsi Ali– The number of Muslims in the United States (US) is currently estimated to have reached 10 to 15 million. This actual figure far exceeds the official government figures, which only indicate around 5 to 7 million.
This statement was delivered by Shamsi Ali, MA, Ph.D., an American Islamic figure of Indonesian origin, when receiving an award at the Open Senate Awards Meeting for UMY Awards 2026 in Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Saturday (23/5).
“The current official data is still an undercount. The actual number is more than double the published figure,” said Shamsi Ali.
According to him, this data gap is not just a technical data collection problem, but rather a long-standing tendency to obscure the existence and contributions of the Muslim community in the US.
American Muslim Profile: Young, Educated, and Professional
Shamsi Ali presented data from the Pew Research Center that debunks negative stereotypes about Muslims in the US. The Muslim community there is actually dominated by young, highly educated individuals:
Young Majority: 58% of Muslims in the US are under 40 years old.
See also: Amid Islamophobia, Converts to Islam in America Increased Dramatically After 9/11
Higher Education: Approximately 44% of Muslim Americans have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This figure exceeds the national average of 33%.
Profession Domination: Many of them have careers and dominate the fields of medicine, information technology (IT), engineering, and law.
This growth is also evident in the surge in the number of places of worship. In the early 1960s, there were only about 200 mosques in the US. Today, that number has skyrocketed to over 4.500, with over 300 in New York City alone.
Wave of Converts from Various Ethnicities
Currently, approximately 20% to 25% of Muslims in the United States are converts. While initially predominantly African-American and Latino, the trend is now shifting.
“In a recent trend, the wave of conversions has also begun to come from a group previously rarely associated with Islam: white Americans,” said Shamsi Ali.
He believes this phenomenon occurs because Islam is seen as a rational, balanced religion, and is able to answer the spiritual emptiness currently experienced by some modern American societies.
Future Projections (Year 2050)
With a fertility rate of 2,7%, the influence of the Muslim community is projected to continue to strengthen.
By 2050, although Muslims are estimated to only make up 3% to 5% of the total US population, Shamsi Ali is optimistic that their influence in the national social, economic, and political sectors could reach 15% to 20%. (ID)
Author: Ihsan Darmawan
Photographer: Abdul Majid
Editor: Sakinatudh Dhuhuriyah
source https://www.umy.ac.id/en/imam-shamsi-ali-populasi-muslim-as-capai-15-juta-jiwa/
Categories: America, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATION, Interfaith America, Muslims, United States, USA