UnChurched, UnSynagogued And UnMosqued- Why Are They Leaving Religion?

Why are Muslims leaving the Mosques?

Muslims may not have exactly the same problems as Catholics, but they face similar issues nonetheless. There is a growing body of believers who call themselves ‘Unmosqued’.

It is important to point out that being ‘unmosqued’ does not mean they are becoming ‘nones’ necessarily. In fact a Pew survey showed that Muslim Millennials are as likely as older Muslim adults to say religion is “very important” in their lives and that they attend religious services at least weekly. This differs from the generational dynamic in some larger U.S. religious groups. Among Catholics, mainline Protestants and members of the historically black Protestant tradition, for example, Millennials are significantly less likely than their respective elders to say religion is very important to them, or that they attend religious services weekly. [2]

The question is: why are they then leaving the mosques?

Some people leave because they simply get disconnected and/or disenchanted, not just from the mosques but also from the religion in general.

Then there is this large group that is yearning for spiritual growth but don’t feel there spiritual needs are addressed or fulfilled at the mosques. They don’t feel connected to the Imams and the Friday sermons. They feel a disconnect between what is talked about inside the mosques and the world outside the mosque. They feel the Imams address things that are superficial in nature and lack intellectual conversations around our faith. It is usually “do what I said”, or “do it because Islam asks us to do so” rather than digging deeper into the ‘why’ question, not to question the beliefs but to develop a deeper understanding of our faith. If you question anything, you are seen as a lesser Muslim who is deviant and/or a rebel.

And good luck if you do not wear a Hijab or don’t have a beard.

We tend to forget what made the ‘golden age of Islam’ golden. During the many centuries of the golden age, critical thinking was not only welcome, it was the norm. That applied equally to the sciences and the religious discourse.

The critical thinking is seriously lacking in today’s Islamic world, including Muslim America. I realize there are exceptions to this gross generalization.

UnMosqued [3]is a documentary film that highlights the reasons why folks have become disenchanted with what they see in mosques. During the making of the documentary, they made several observations.

It is clear that many youth who are likely to be second or even third generation Americans have felt judged or unwelcome at a mosque.
One clear factor is the cultural divide that pervades the American Mosque landscape.
Millennials and GenXers are much less likely to be affiliated with their mosque after they graduate from college than their parents.
Young Muslims typically have vibrant, awesome MSA(Muslim Student Association) experiences in college, where they experience inclusion, acceptance regardless of religiosity level, etc. They are often shocked when they graduate and enter a mosque and get a very different, sour experience. At this point, many of them disengage from the mosque and find other creative outlets to express and grow their spirituality and closeness to God.