CHAPTER 1: Growing up Between Two Cultures: Issues and Problems of Muslim Children

Muslims have always lived in the West, but since mid-19th century there has been a steady growth in the numbers of Muslim immigrants to the West. These numbers have drastically increased in the past 2 decades, as many Muslims left their home countries for better lives, better education, or as war refugees and exiles to escape repressive regimes. Recent statistics show that the number of Muslims in Europe has grown from 2.6 million in 1990 to 44.1 million in 2010, and is projected to exceed 58 million by 2030. The number of Muslims living in the Americas has similarly increased, and in 2009, 4.6 million Muslims lived in America (Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, 2011).