Not Exactly New Here
They say you don't know where you're going until you know where you've come from. In fact, a wise philosopher once said
"If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development." - Aristotle. Thus, I decided it would only be appropriate to
very briefly discuss the history of American Muslims before we begin to examine who we are now. Seeing as how I'm not a scholar in the subject, I will be quoting from a book used in University classrooms (cited below).
Muslims have been in the United States for longer than many of us would imagine. There is evidence of Muslims in America from as early as the 1530s. An African explorer named Estevanico was also known as "The
Moor". (Curtis, 5). A Moor is a name that was commonly used for Muslims of North Africa and Spain. By the end of the 16th century, names like "Omar, Amar, Ali and Ramadan commonly appear in Spanish Language colonial documents" (Curtis, 5).
Islam had already spread through West Africa by the time of the West African slave trade. Naturally, many of the first Muslim Americans were brought over as cargo on slave ships.
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Caption : "Captured in West Africa around 1730, Job Ben Solomon was brought to British North America as a slave traveled to Great Britain as a free man, and returned to his native Senegal in 1735." (Curtis, 66)
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| Caption: "In the 1820s Omar ibn Sayyid (c. 1770-1864) was celebrated by white Carolinians as an African convert to Christianity, though he may have secretly continued to practice Islam until his death." (Curtis, 66) |
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| Caption: "Omar Ibn Sayyid, an African American slave literate in Arabic, rendered Sura an-Nasr, the Chapter of Help, from Qur'an 110:1-3 c. 1857. These verses may be translated as follows: 'When the help of God comes and the victory/ and you see people joining the religion of God in crowds/ Recite the praise of your lord and pray for God's forgiveness/ He is always ready to forgive.'" (Curtis, 66) |
African slaves, however, were not the only early American-Muslims.
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| Caption: "Alexander Russell Webb, former U.S. consul to the Philippines and the first prominent white American Muslim convert, spoke on behalf of Islam at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893." (Curtis, 66) |
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Caption: "African American women have been converting to Islam since the 1920s. These women, who were members of the Ahmadiyya movement of Islam, donned both stylish hats and colorful veils to cover their hair" (Curtis IV, 66).
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| Caption: "Malcolm X, an iconic figure of the 1960s, was at the center of national debates about civil rights and black power. First a member of the Nation of Islam, he declared his allegiance to Sunni Islam in 1964" (Curtis, 66). |
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The 20th century saw an influx of Muslim immigrants from all over the world, including Arab and South Asian countries. It is easy to see the beginnings of the diverse Muslim American population in the picture of the Muslim Students Association of Southern Illinois University in 1966.
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| Caption: "Members of the Southern Illinois University chapter of the Muslim Students Association, pictured in the 1966 SIU yearbook, were from diverse racial, ethnic and national backgrounds. The chapter, which was led by Linda Clark, a white woman, conducted weekly Friday prayers, produced a monthly newsletter, and celebrated Ramadan on the Carbondale campus." (Curtis, 66). |
This entry does no justice to the fascinating history of Muslims in the United States. For more information, I would like to recommend the book
"Muslims in America" by Edward E. Curtis IV.
Curtis IV, Edward E. Muslims in America: A Short History.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
