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A Quarter of World Is Muslim

Asia, not Middle East, is center of the world of Islam

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 8, 2009 5:31 AM CDT

(Newser) – A quarter of the world's population is Muslim, and nearly two-thirds of the religion's adherents live in Asia, according to an extensive new study mapping the world of Islam. Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation, and India, a majority-Hindu country, has the world's third-largest population of Muslims—more than twice as many as in Egypt, the most populous Middle Eastern nation.There are 1.57 billion Muslims worldwide, compared with 2.25 billion Christians.

"Increasingly, the people of the Middle East are making up a smaller and smaller percentage of the worldwide Muslim community," one Iranian-American scholar told CNN. "If the goal is to create better understanding between the US and the Muslim world, our focus should be on south and southeast Asia, not the Middle East."

Muslim women mark the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August.
Muslim women mark the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August.   (AP Photo/Irwin Fedriansyah)
Muslim women attend an evening prayer, the night before the holy month of Ramadan begins, at Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, last year. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.
Muslim women attend an evening prayer, the night before the holy month of Ramadan begins, at Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, last year. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.   (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A Muslim woman walks past by Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia.
A Muslim woman walks past by Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia.   (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 46 comments
LovinLife
Oct 10, 2009 11:30 AM CDT
All intolerance is hypocritical - unless you want to be held in the same contempt for your beliefs. Again, your outrage at barbarous actions is understandable; it is your condemnation of 25% of the world's population and your refusal to embrace cultural difference that is bothering me. Your utter rejection and demonization of 1 out of every 4 human beings – based on nothing more than sensationalistic news of the practices of minority extremists does nothing to help women who are oppressed. One more time, how do you help these women? By stripping their burqa? Seriously?
Shannonals
Oct 9, 2009 12:17 PM CDT
Exactly why do you have this impression in your mind that all people who are practicing Islam worship the same way Aelius28? Hate to break it to you, but not all Muslim countries mutilate the genitals of their women. Women in Eupore and America were exchanged for doweries to marry men twice their age, without their consent. Women are beaten and forced into sex here in our country. Decades ago women in our country weren't allow to vote. Native Americans were raped and murdered by men clinging to the, "good" book, and these same men justified slavery by this same book. How exactly is Islam worse?
Shannonals
Oct 9, 2009 12:11 PM CDT
Aelius28, I find it amusing how you clap your hand and stomp your feet for Christianity, and down play Islam as a gutter religion. Christian have an even worse record than Muslim in the treatment of people. Yes, there is quite a bit of Islam that is seen as morally wrong, but if you think for one second that Christianity is a far better religion your smoking crack.

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