Muslims are people who follow the religion of Islam, which, like Judaism and Christianity, believes in one God. In West Virginia, only a few Muslim families lived in the state before the 1960s, mostly from the Middle East. They worked as merchants and practiced their faith quietly.

A larger number of Muslim professionals—like doctors, engineers, chemists, and teachers—came to West Virginia in the 1960s and 1970s, when the U.S. invited skilled workers and foreign students.

Today, a small but growing Muslim community lives in cities like Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, Beckley, and Princeton. The first Islamic Center opened in South Charleston in 1988, and other mosques were built soon after in different cities. Most are run by volunteers, but Charleston has a full-time Imam, who leads prayers and teaches about Islam.