With an estimated 474,000 mosque-affiliated adherents and 127 recognized congregations counted in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, Illinois holds the highest Muslim population share of any U.S. state at approximately 3.7%.
The history of Muslims in Illinois stretches back more than a century. From early Syrian and Lebanese traders arriving around the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, to the establishment of the Mosque Foundation in 1954 and the founding of the Muslim Community Center (MCC) in 1969, Illinois has continually served as a cradle of Islamic civic and educational life in the Midwest.
Today, that presence is visible not only in majestic landmark mosques and accredited PreK-12 schools, but in bustling commercial corridors like Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview and Devon Avenue on Chicago’s North Side, as well as flourishing university communities downstate in Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, and Springfield.
The Illinois Halal Guide Journal is an open editorial initiative dedicated to useful, transparent, sourced reporting.