Canada
The first known record of Muslims in Canada is from the census of 1871 when only 12 Muslims were reported to be living in the country. Although this number increased slightly until the second half of the 20th century, the number of Muslims in the country did not exceed 1,000 until the 1950s. However, in the second half of the century, and especially from the 1960s onwards, the Muslim community in the country grew rapidly as Canada began to consider education rather than ethnicity as a basis for immigration. The number of Muslims grew from around 5,000 in the early 1960s to 30,000 in the 1970s, 100,000 in the 1980s, 250,000 in the 1990s, and 500,000 in the early 2000s. By 2022, Muslims are the second largest religious community in the country after Christians, totaling around 1.3 million. This makes up about 3.5% of the overall population. More than half of the Muslims in the country are Arabs. After Arabs, South Asians are the most populous group. The number of Turks in the country is approximately 40,000. Muslims mostly settle in big cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa.
Muslims, who contribute significantly to Canada's productivity and development with their high level of education, inspire confidence throughout the country and find a place for themselves in many business sectors. The number of Muslims working as instructors, academics, lawyers, accountants, doctors, and engineers is quite high. However, due to the educational and language standards imposed on immigrants, many prefer to work in less qualified sectors that are incompatible with their education, thinking that they will have difficulty meeting these expectations. In addition, discriminatory attitudes towards both Muslims and other immigrants in the country put some groups (Arabs and people of African descent) in a more disadvantaged position in the employment process. Many Muslim entrepreneurs have tried to overcome these difficult processes by engaging in trade. Turks and Lebanese are particularly active in the catering sector.
The foundations, associations, and educational activities of Canadian Muslims in the country are quite common and strong. The first association established by Muslims in the country started its activities in 1920, and the first mosque, the Reşid Mosque, was opened for worship in 1938. Founded in 1972, The Council of Muslim Communities of Canada (CMCC) is an umbrella organization for all Muslims in the country. There are many foundations, associations, educational institutions, and places of worship belonging to Muslims in Canada.
Canadian Muslims have significant advantages compared to most countries where the Muslims are immigrants, both in terms of their number, which exceeds 1 million, and in terms of their education and welfare levels. However, the most important problem that Canadian Muslims are currently and will be facing in the near future is the preservation of their religious and national identity as well as keeping their faith values alive.