The first comprehensive survey of Muslims in the United States has revealed that the community has grown to more than six million, with 1,200 mosques across the country.
In a report due to be released on Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, found that mosques are increasingly less bound by ethnic and racial divisions than in the past, and are adapting to US culture.
Islam in America
1,209 mosques
6-7 million US Muslims
411,000 attend Friday prayers
87% of mosques founded since 1970
The survey excluded movements that mainstream Muslims do not consider as being truly Islamic, such as the black rights leader, Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.
The report found that many Muslims remain ambivalent about America, admiring its technological advances while disparaging its culture.
Researchers also discovered that women attended Friday prayers, and served on many governing boards of mosques - almost unheard of in many Muslim societies
First insight
The study - led by Professor Ihsan Bagby from the University of Raleigh in North Carolina - was designed to provide the first clear insight into Islam in the US.
"Our mosques are much more diverse than we think," said Professor Bagby. But he added that they fell short of Islam's multi-racial ideal.
The survey started by compiling a list of all known orthodox mosques. Of these 1,209, some 631 were randomly selected and leaders from 416 responded to phone interviews conducted last year.
Home 
