From Muslims in America to American Muslims

Abstract

In this essay the author gives an historical overview of Islam in America from its earliest beginnings in pre‐Columbia America until the present. Details on the origins, growth and spread of the three largest American Muslim groups – African American, Arab and South Asian – are explored as are the tensions and frictions between the three communities, which undermine the unity of these adherents and their potential influence on the United States’ domestic and foreign policies. Also explored are the ideological struggles some Muslims – perhaps a large percentage in the three groups – have regarding their position in the American mosaic. Are they “Muslims in America” or are they “American Muslims?” Some African Americans, many of whom have adopted Islam and the “new” identity it provides as an antidote to this group’s long history of ostracism and marginalization, are alienated from any wholesale embrace of their American heritage and identity. Among Arab and South Asian Muslims, some feel a loyalty to their...