A Profile of Muslims In Canada
by Abdul Malik Mujahid assisted by Amerah Egab
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
- Considering that most Canadians still favour 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
What Canadians Think of their Muslim Neighbours
A majority 55% believe that terrorists are in Canada and waiting
to attack civilians
48% say ethnic profiling is okay
74% say terrorist threats and attacks due to handful of radicals
against westerners values and Christianity-not representative of Muslims or
Arabs
EKOS Research Associates
IPSOS data: Sept. 9, 2002
Increased Negative opinion about Muslims
In Sept. 24, 2001
27% indicate they are “personally more suspicious” of people of
Arab decent or Muslims from the Middle East
In Sept. 5, 2002
35% of Canadians more suspicious of people who are of Arab descent or Muslims
- What is the cause of 8% increase in the negative opinion
within a year despite no further terrorist attacks?
- No data is available for 2003 and 2004. However, the numbers
are almost parallel to the US where it has worsened to 43% negative opinion
of Islam and Muslims.
IPSOS data
Soft Corner for Faith Communities and Interfaith Work
Majority (62%) of Canadians believe that religious communities
are a force for good in society.
Three-quarters (74%) of Canadians feel that interfaith dialogue
would have a positive impact on their community.
IPSOS data: April 20, 2004
***Insha’Allah we will have this information available
in print with all proper citations.
Your Comments
clarence mcmullen, richmond hill, ontario -
wrote on 7/25/2008 8:17:41 AM
Rating: 
Comment: A balanced and informative article. I enjoyed it. It would help to mention the organizations which are working to create a positive image of muslims in canada. Why do you think some people are able to create terror in the the name of islam and what are the muslim doing about it.
Salma, Calgary -
wrote on 9/15/2007 1:05:04 PM
Rating: 
Comment: I found the article most informative. However, there are no references to the statistics, so I'm a little unsure if the information provided is accurate.
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