Profile OF MUSLIMS In Canada
Muslims in Canada today number more than 750,000 According to the 2001 census the Canadian population consisted of 579, 600 Muslims, representing (3.2%) of the Canadian population
If Muslim maintained the same growth rate as the last decade since the census, today Muslims in Canada number 753,480. (From 2001 to 2003, according to statistics from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, an estimated 132,600 Muslims immigrated to Canada. That?s a rise of 23 percent) Ontario contains 61% of the entire Muslim population 5% of all Toronto population is Muslims, making Toronto the highest concentration of Muslims in any city in the US or Canada.
There are 21 Federal ridings with 7% to 14% Muslim population which can emerge as a major electoral force
There are 21 Federal ridings with 7% to 14% Muslim population which can emerge as a major electoral force Considering that most Canadians still favor immigration and considering immigrants becoming politically significant, it is likely that open immigration will continue Since the September 11 terrorist attacks many Muslims have begun to look to Canada as an alternative to the United States, where they fear bias and harassment
This is especially true with international students who have come to Canada in much larger numbers since 9/11 while 35% less have chosen to go to the US
A BIT OF HISTORY
The first recorded Islamic presence in Canada was the 1871 census which found 13 Muslims among the population. The first Canadian Mosque was constructed in Edmonton in 1938, when there were only about 700 Muslims in the country. The famous translator of the Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali inaugurated the masjid during his tour of Canada while he was working on his translation The years after World War II saw a swift increase in the Muslim population, in the 1981 census the population was still below a hundred thousand
MUSLIMS ARE YOUNGER
Muslims represent the youngest generation in Canada with a median age of 28.1 years. Compared to the Jewish and Roman Catholic populations whose median age is 41.5 and 37.8 years old, respectively. The median age