Religions of Immigrants from India and Pakistan: New Threads in the American Tapestry

Landmark changes in the immigration law of 1965 admitted to the United States large numbers of immigrants from India and Pakistan. The religious groups formed by these new immigrants have exerted and will continue to exert significant influence upon the fabric of American religion and culture. This book is the first comprehensive study of the religious groups formed in the United States by Asian-Indian and Pakistani immigrants and of their patterns of adaptation and organization. Professor Williams provides an overview of the variety of religions practiced by these new immigrants, examining Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Zoroastrian, and Jewish communities, and the size and character of the various groups formed. Through analysis of demographic statistics as well as information gathered in extensive interviews with religious group participants, Professor Williams examines the trajectories of adaptation charted by these groups through the involvement in a wide range of ecumenical, ethnic, sectarian, and national organizations. Detailed descriptions of Swaminarayan Hindus and Nizari Ismili Muslims, two diverse religious communities, illustrate the national growth of immigrant religious groups and the formative power of their adaptive strategies, while religious profiles of Asian-Indian and Pakistani religious groups in Chicago and Houston illustrate varying patterns of development of these groups, Professor Williams assesses the current problems and prospects of Asian-Indian and Pakistani religious organizations and the influence of these groups on the shape of religion in America.