Adherents of Islam in the United States (US) developed rapidly in recent years. Ustaz Ehab Abdel Maksoud Abdel Fattah Zeidan of the US Islamic Center called the number of Muslims in the United States today reach about 20 million people.
"The development of Islam is evenly distributed throughout the world, including in the United States," he said in a dialogue of Islamic developments in the United States at Masjid Al Hakim Sekip Baru, Sidorejo, Temanggung, Central Java, Monday night (28/5).
He said the development of Islam in the US began in Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver. He said thanks to the da'wah conducted by the US Islamic Center team, almost every day there are people converted to Islam in the US.
He said Islamic preaching is done precisely in places where the crime rate is high and in the location where people are naked on the beach in Miami Beach. According to him in Chicago which is the highest crime area, there are currently 1,200 mosques. Whereas to build a mosque in the US requires a high cost and quite difficult.
"The cost of building a mosque in the US requires at least Rp 14 billion and must gather Muslims in a new area to build a mosque," he said.
He said with the da'wah continues to do in Miami Beach, visiting one by one visitors on the beach and given an understanding of Islam they finally converted to Islam. He pointed out in his journey of preaching for 40 days from one city to another that can Islamize 140 people.
He said now mosques can be found everywhere in the US, including in Alaska, Honolulu, and Hawaii. "The difference between Islam in Europe and in the US, if in Europe the adherents of Islam are the immigrants, while in the US adherents of Islam are mostly Americans themselves," he said.
According to him the US people there is no hatred against Islam and the US Government does not discriminate its citizens, all treated equally. "One of the principles of the United States is to protect its citizens, regardless of their religion or skin," he said.