Product Description

Muslims in American History: A Forgotten Legacy confronts the prevalent myth that Islam in America is a relatively recent phenomenon. In reality, there is a centuries long history of the Muslim presence in America, which is all too often overlooked or misidentified. Written documentation, linguistic evidence, and reports of early Spanish explorers of the New World suggest Muslim contact with the Americas prior to Columbus. Muslims and Moriscos sailed with Columbus and were part of many of the Spanish explorations of the New World. Muslims comprised a significant percentage of the enslaved Africans who were brought to the Americas, and many Islamic residuals have found their way into contemporary African-American life and culture. At least one Muslim fought for American independence during the Revolutionary War, and many other Muslims were prepared to fight to keep American independence during the War of 1812. Another prominent Muslim was part of the taming! of the Wild West. Beginning in the late 19th century, successive waves of Muslim immigrants enriched America, and the phenomenon of Americans converting to Islam became increasingly widespread. In reviewing this history, the author presents a series of brief biographies of individual Muslims to illustrate the Muslim presence at each stage in American history. These biographies provide valuable role models with which Muslim youth in America can identify as they search for their identities as both Americans and Muslims.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #387164 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

About the Author
Dr. Jerald F. Dirks holds A.B. and M.Div. degrees from Harvard University and an M.A. and Psy.D. from the University of Denver. He is the author of The Cross and the Crescent, Abraham—The Friend of God, Understanding Islam—A Guide for the Judaeo-Christian Reader, and The Abrahamic Faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Dr. Dirks has lectured widely throughout the United States and Canada on comparative religion and has been interviewed about Islam by several American newspapers and by American, Canadian, and Arabic television stations.

Customer Reviews

U.S. History Fascinating and Informative
Provides fascinating facts and historical references on Muslim contributions to America. A must-read for everyone.

Familiar History with a Muslim Twist
The history written about here is familiar to many of us but, I was not fully aware of the Muslim connection.

Mr. Dirks has organized the book in a chronological format starting with the first recorded voyage in 889 CE of Khashkhash ibn Saeed ibn Aswad, who sailed West from the same port that Columbus launched his 3 ships, to Muslims in modern day America. The topics covered are Muslims in the Americas in the pre-Columbian period, the European explorers, the slave trade, Muslims in Native American tribes, the Melungeons, Islamic residuals In the West and Muslims in 20th century North America. The first four chapters covering the pre Columbian period to the Slave trade were the most interesting and surprising.

I found the most interesting accounts were related to the Slave trade. Mr. Dirks writes about the approximately 20 million Muslims who were taken as slaves from Africa. The vast majority of these were highly educated individuals such as the Ulema (religious leaders) Hafiz-ul-Quran (those who memorized the Quran) and military and political leaders. As a result Muslims were responsible for many of the slave revolts that occurred in the European Colonies in the West, so much so that Spain passed a law forbidding slave traders from enslaving Muslims from Muslim parts of Africa.

Mr. Dirks also gives considerable attention to individual biographies of Muslims who were captured as slaves, and since I enjoy reading biographies, I felt the savage human cost of slavery in general and the impact to Muslim slaves in particular.

All in all this is a well written book that gives some very interesting insights about Muslims in the history of the Americas. Much of what is written here is familiar but it's the Muslim connection that gives this book an interesting twist.

Muslims in American History
A great book and a great history of Americam Muslims. I think This is the first scholarly work That I have read so far about this topics.