Diverse Populations

Diverse Populations: Muslim Americans Muslim Americans are not a large part of the U.S. culture, but their numbers are growing. These are people who moved to America from Muslim countries and kept their religious and cultural beliefs, or people who were born in America and raised with or converted to that religion and set of cultural beliefs. If someone lives in America and considers himself or herself Muslim, he or she is a Muslim American.

In the United States, being Muslim is far in the minority, and it is believed that only one percent of the American people identify themselves as Muslim (GhaneaBassiri, 2010). In Georgia that number is even smaller, with estimates of one half of one percent or less (GhaneaBassiri, 2010). Michigan is the state with the highest percentage of Muslims, followed by New Jersey (Smith, 2009). Georgia does not appear anywhere in the list of top states with a Muslim population.

The poverty rate for Muslim Americans is similar to the poverty rate for other Americans, as are the statistics on lifespan. In other words, being Muslim in America does not discriminate between people who are rich or poor, or between people who live a long time or die young. Since it is a religion and not a racial or genetic issue, there is no correlation between being Muslim and a particular lifespan or financial demographic.

However, it is important to point out that the majority of people who are Muslim or who convert to the Muslim religion are African-American, followed by South Asian (Melton, 1992; Smith, 2009). Within the African-American demographic in America there is much poverty, but the majority of African-Americans who convert to the Muslim religion are either middle-class or wealthy (Curtis & Edward, 2007). This shows that the demographics that are normally seen for the African-American community may not be as applicable when it comes to those who are Muslim.

Alcohol and drug abuse statistics for Muslim Americans indicate that most Muslim people do not drink or use drugs (Haddad, Smith, & Moore, 2006). The majority of people who convert to or find a religion in prison, though, convert to being Muslim (GhaneaBassiri, 2010). That is worth pointing out, because it indicates that the prison culture may somehow draw people to the Muslim religion.

Determining why this is the case would be worth studying, since it could provide insight into both the prison population and the perceived value of the Muslim religion over other religious options. Americans do not have a favorable opinion of the Muslim religion, overall, mostly in light of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Even though years have passed, the opinions on Muslims have not drastically changed for the majority of the American people. The cultural values seen by Muslim Americans include hard work and love of family (Curtis & Edward, 2007; GhaneaBassiri, 2010).

When compared with the non-Muslim, more Muslim Americans would rate their neighborhoods as being great places to live, and would agree with the idea that one can get ahead in the United States through hard work and a good attitude (Smith, 2009). They appear to be committed workers, and also deeply committed to their family. The radical Muslims who make the news for terroristic attacks are not the same as the everyday Muslims who just want to practice their religion and live their lives.

Specific characteristics of the group need to be considered, as these can affect the implications for clinical practice when working with Muslim Americans. With a better understanding of the more common characteristics of the majority of Muslim Americans, a practitioner will be better able to provide help. Many of the struggles Muslim Americans encounter have to do with the way they are treated and.