This summer, a team of Islamic advocacy groups and statistical organizations will begin a nationwide census of American mosques. The initiative is one in which organizers hope will paint a more accurate picture of composition of Muslims in the US. Challenges of the plan include finding all venues in which Muslims pray – as man Islamic communities do not have organized mosques, but still meet for congregational prayers in homes, workplaces, universities, and other multi-purposes places. The release of the study is planned for early 2009. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a similar study in 2001, which found that South Asians comprised 33% of mosque attendance, African Americans 30%, and Arabs 25%. Groups sponsoring the 2008 census include the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim American Society, The Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Hartford Institute of Religion Research, and the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
