Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs » Central Virginia Muslims

Central Virginia Muslims

Demographics
The Muslim community in the Greater Richmond Area (GRA) is similar to other Muslim communities across the Nation.  The American Muslim community is a mosaic of cultures, its members having come from all of the five major continents. In fact, recent polls show that most Muslims are immigrants from the Middle East and South  Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) or are African Americans.  Other ethnicities such as European Americans, Latinos, Africans and many others are also represented.  The majority of Muslims in the GRA are Sunnis with a minority of Shi’a.

In general, American Muslims are well educated and working as doctors, lawyers, business owners and engineers.  However, new immigrants especially from war-torn countries tend to occupy jobs such as taxi drivers, grocery store clerks, and factory workers.

While there are no official population figures for religious affiliation in the United States, an estimate of American Muslims in the GRA ranges from 12,000 to 15,000.

History
Although the earliest group of Muslims to arrive in the area came from West Africa from 1530 to 1851, because of the slave trade, the first report of a Muslim community in Richmond dates back to 1952 when Masjid Bilal was built in the historic Churchill area.

Facts
There are 7 mosques in the GRA (including the Central Virginia region), four Islamic day schools   as well as Sunday and weekend schools. Numerous Muslim services, civic and charity organizations also exist.  A half-way house is also operated by American Muslims in Richmond.

Below are links to some of the Mosques and Muslim organizations in the GRA

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