Profile of Muslims In Canada

Prepared by Abdul Malik Mujahid with assistance from Amerah Egab in 

POPULATION

• Muslims in Canada today number more than 750,000
• According to the 2001 census the Canadian population consisted of 579, 600 Muslims, representing 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 for the total Canadian population is 37 years old. 3

LESS THAN 10% MUSLIMS ARE BORN CANADIANS

411,520 of the total Muslim population is 15 years and older. Among these, 91% are 1st generation Canadians, 7.7% are 2nd generation Canadians, and approximately 0.9% of Muslims are 3rd generation and over. Roughly 68% of Muslims in Canada have Canadian Citizenship.

-- Typical immigrant agenda will remain dominant along with the culture and politics of the old country

-- Special consideration will be needed to find room for the second generation

DIVERSITY WITHIN

• The Muslim population consists of diverse visible minorities, where
• 37% is of South Asian decent,
• 21% of Arab decent,
• 14% is of West Indian decent, and the remaining
• 28% is made up of many other ethnicities such African, Chinese, etc.
• Half of Muslims in Canada speak a non-official language at home. Compared to 0.32% that speaks both official languages at home.4

-- Cultural diversity may hamper intra-Muslim communication

-- Unity may become easier on the non-threatening models of networking and confederations

MARITAL STATUS

• 32% of Muslims in Canada have never been married,
• 59% are legally married and living together,
• 2.9% are separated but still legally married,
• 3.5% are divorced, and
• 2.9% are widowed. Also, there are 7, 540 Muslim couples that live as common law partners.
• There are also 21,145 Muslims in Canada who are single parents.

MUSLIMS ARE HIGHLY EDUCATED

• Canadian Muslims have excelled in acquiring a Master?s degree with slightly over 6% when compared with the three largest religious sects such as: Roman Catholics where only 2% hold a Master?s degree, 3.5% of individuals who stated they have no religion and the third largest religious sect in Canada being the United Church has 2.4% of it?s population holding a Master?s degree, however; 8.8% of the Jewish population in Canada hold a Master?s degree
• 30% Muslims (123,725) Muslims were attending school in 2001.
• 6,310 Muslims have a PhD degree

-- There are 1.5% of the Canadian Muslim population that have earned doctorates comparatively, 0.3% of Roman Catholics and 2% of Jewish population in Canada have earned doctorates.

-- Probably more Muslim PhDs in Canada than many Muslim countries.

-- 3.5% (14,520) of the Canadian Muslim have their major field of study in Humanities and related fields

-- 5.3% (21,640) have majored in social sciences and related fields

JOB MARKET: HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT

• Muslims have the second highest unemployment rates in Canada with 14.4% of the population being unemployed, as compared to 7.4% national unemployment rate
• The largest profession found in the Canadian Muslim population is sales and services at 27%; the second largest occupational field comprised of Muslims in Canada is the business, finance, and administrative occupations which is 16% of the population. 7

-- Is it because of the wrong skill set for the market?

-- Is it due to discrimination?

-- How does it compare with other new immigrant data? Further Research regarding Muslims in Canada

-- Income data

-- Religiosity surveys

-- Muslim interaction with other faith

Photo Attribution: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mosques_in_Toronto#mediaviewer/File:Mosque_on_Victoria_Park_Toronto.jpg