Metropolitan Orlando's Muslim population grew dramatically in the past decade, gaining more than 25,000 worshippers since 2000, according to a new census of religions released Tuesday. Muslims were second only to Roman Catholics, whose numbers increased by nearly 64,000, the census found.
Muslims now outnumber Presbyterians, Lutherans and Episcopalians in the Orlando area of Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Imam Tariq Rasheed, director of the Islamic Center of Orlando, said the growth comes from Muslims moving to Central Florida from other American cities and from abroad.
"Because of the good weather, they are moving here in big numbers. They choose Florida because of the climate, and housing is cheaper," he said.
Central Florida roughly followed the national trend, in which Muslims and Mormons experienced the greatest increase from 2000 to 2010, said Rich Houseal, who worked on the survey for the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
"The Muslims were the second-fastest-growing group across the nation. The number of congregations almost doubled from 1,200 to 2,106," Houseal said. "Mormons were No. 1 [in numerical growth] with almost 2 million."
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