Reader BL directed us to this report from Foreign Policy magazine and some interesting statistics on world religions. Although the report is two years old I think it is probably still useful, just figure the numbers are larger!
From Muslims in Europe to evangelical Christians in Africa, it is religious believers who are shaping the early 21st Century. Charismatic movements are sweeping throughout the Southern Hemisphere, while high birth rates among immigrants are provoking soul-seeking in the historically Christian West. For this List, FP looks at the fast-growing faiths that are upending the old world order.
This is what FP says about Muslims whose religion is growing at the fastest rate:
Areas to watch: The world’s largest Muslim populations are in fast-growing countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Egypt, and Iran. Islam also happens to be the fastest growing religion in Europe, where an influx of Muslim immigrants from North Africa, Turkey, and South Asia has sent shock waves into a mostly Christian and secular population whose birthrates have stagnated. The “Muslim question” has empowered anti-immigrant parties in France, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, while sparking a fierce debate over the place of women in Islam and symbols of faith like the Muslim head scarf.
When contemplating political strategies I think one of the greatest miscalculations Far Left secularists and atheists make is underestimating that political strategy and maneuvering (ala Alinsky/Obama) only go so far before running into the great wall of religious zeal. As we have reported many times on these pages, radical Leftists presently think they can incorporate Muslim demands in their list of chaos-producing open borders immigration platforms.
But, take for example these photos at Atlas Shrugs yesterday about the Muslim demonstration on Capitol Hill. See any women? They were reportedly there, just segregated. So, at what point will Leftists realize that Islamic religious and cultural teaching is not part of the American ideal of freedom for all? My answer is that not until it’s too late and our Muslim population is too large to stop. Update: See Robert Spencers account of the “prayer” demonstration on Capitol Hill, here.