Shakia Epps
Rev. Bolt
Rel- 303
October 2, 2014
STQ Module 6
Questions: Many scholars now claim that Islam is the world's fastest growing religion, rivaling the growth of Christianity. What might be some reasons to account for this trend?
“Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. In 1990, 935 million people were Muslims and this figure had escalated to around 1.2 billion by 2000, meaning that around one in five people follow Islam. Although the religion began in Arabia, by 2002 80% of all believers in Islam lived outside the Arab world. In the period 1990-2000, approximately 12.5 million more people converted to Islam than to Christianity” (Guinness World Records 2003, pg. 102). According to Reader’s digest Almanac year book Islam grew by 235% in 50 years between 1934 and 1984. According to CNN, in the United States, for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years. According to the BBC, a wide-ranging American study concluded in 2009 the number stood at approximately 23% of the world population with 60% of Muslims living in Asia. From 1990 to 2010, the global Muslim population increased at an average annual rate of 2.2%. On the other hand, in 2010 the Pew Forum stated: "Statistical data on conversion to and from Islam are scarce. What little information is available suggests that there is no substantial net gain or loss in the number of Muslims through conversion globally; the number of people who become Muslims through conversion seems roughly equal to the number of Muslims who leave the faith. The growth of Islam from 2010 to