The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States

by Curtis, Edward E., IV

• ISBN13: 9780231139564
• ISBN10: 023113956X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-01-04
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Since September 11, 2001, Muslims in the United States have become thesubject of genuine curiosity and compassion as well as increased governmentsurveillance and harassment. Who are these Muslims? What is their history, and wheredo they come from? Do they share a common culture? Do they vary in their beliefs?Bringing together an unusually personal collection of essaysand documents from an incredibly diverse group of Americans who call themselvesMuslims, Edward E. Curtis "finds Islam" in the American experience from colonialtimes to the present. Sampling from speeches, interviews, editorials, stories, songlyrics, articles, autobiographies, blogs, and other sources, Curtis presents apatchwork narrative of Muslims from different ethnic and class backgrounds,religious orientations, and political affiliations. He begins with a history ofMuslims in the United States, featuring the voices of an enslaved African Muslim, aSyrian Muslim sodbuster, and a South Asian mystic-musician, along with the words ofsuch well-known Muslims as Malcolm X. Then he follows with an examination of suchcontemporary issues as Islam and gender, the involvement of Muslims in Americanpolitics, and emerging forms of Islamic spirituality.Inconstructing his history, Curtis draws on the work of Muslim feminists, socialconservatives, interfaith activists, missionaries, and politicians, as well asMuslim rappers and legal experts. He also includes records from the large-scalemigrations of the 1880s; racial, ethnic, and religious trends of the 1960s; writingsfrom second-generation and African American Muslims; and discussions of Islam in thepublic square. With this highly informed, real-life portrait, Curtis provides acrucial corrective to the rhetoric of suspicion and fear surrounding currentdiscussions of Muslims in the United States and emphasizes Muslims' continuingimpact on American society and culture.

Table of Contents

Introduction to an American Muslim Panorama	p. XI
Whispers and Echoes: American Muslims Before World War I	p. 1
The Autobiography of Omar ibn Sayyid (1831)	p. 5
Islam in America (1893)	p. 9
"Islam in the Western Soudan" (1902)	p. 18
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (1903, revised 1916)	p. 22
WPA Interviews with Mary Juma and Mike Abdallah (1939)	p. 29
Contact and Divergence: Immigrant and African American Muslims from World War I to 1965	p. 40
"America: 1910-1912" (c. 1925)	p. 46
"I Am a Moslem" (1921), "True Salvation of the 'American Negroes': The Real Solution of the Negro Question" (1923), "Crescent or Cross: A Negro May Aspire to Any Position Under Islam Without Discrimination" (1923), and "Living Flora-And Dead" (1924)	p. 53
The Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple (1927)	p. 59
Al-Islam: The Religion of Humanity (1950)	p. 64
"Our Prophet, Muhammad" (1959)	p. 72
The Arab Moslems in the United States (1966)	p. 76
"God, Ain't You for Everybody?" from Down These Mean Streets (1967)	p. 85
"What the Muslims Want" and "What the Muslims Believe," from Message to the Blackman in America (1965)	p. 92
Interview with Al-Muslimoon (1965)	p. 96
American Islam After 1965: Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Diversities	p. 105
"The Inner Qur'an," from Islam and World Peace (1987)	p. 111
"Historic Atlanta Address" (1978)	p. 116
Nation of Gods and Earths, "What We Teach," "Allah," and "Supreme Mathematics" (1992)	p. 120
Prologue to Spiritual Discourse: Learning with an Islamic Master (1993)	p. 126
"Million Man March Address" (1995)	p. 130
Struggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam (1995)	p. 139
"Finding the Straight Path: A Conversation with Mohsen and Lila Amen About Faith, Life, and Family in Dearborn," in Arab Detroit: From Margin to Mainstream (2000)	p. 148
"Our Stories: A Leap of Faith," in Latina Magazine (2004)	p. 158
"Matrimonials" (2005)	p. 166
Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam (2005)	p. 169
Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American Islam	p. 179
"From Abu Dhabi to America," in A Border Passage: From Cairo to America-A Woman's Journey (2000)	p. 183
Daughters of Another Path: Experiences of American Women Choosing Islam (1996)	p. 188
Interview in American Jihad: Islam After Malcolm X (1993)	p. 198
American Muslims: The New Generation (2000)	p. 207
"An Introduction to Muslim Women's Rights," in Windows of Faith: Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America (2002)	p. 215
Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective (1999)	p. 223
"On the Edge of Belonging," in Living Islam Outloud: American Muslim Women Speak (2005)	p. 231
"An Examination of the Issue of Female Prayer Leadership" (2005)	p. 239
"Islamic Jurisprudence, 'Civil' Disobedience, and Woman-Led Prayer" (2005)	p. 246
"Can a Woman Be an Imam? Debating Form and Function in Muslim Women's Leadership" (2005)	p. 252
American Muslim Politics and Civic Engagement After 9/11	p. 264
Council of American-Islamic Relations, "The Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the United States" (2005)	p. 268
"American Muslim Charities: Easy Targets in the War on Terror," in Pace Law Review (2005)	p. 275
United States of America v. Earnest James Ujaama (2002)	p. 287
Fiqh Council of North America, "Fatwa Against Terrorism" (2005)	p. 293
"Being Muslim, Being American After 9/11," in Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith (2002)	p. 296
"Yaphett El-Amin for [Missouri] Senate District 4" (2006)	p. 303
"Islam and the Challenge of Democracy" (2003)	p. 306
"Islamic Movement in America-Why?" in Muslims and Islamization in North America: Problems and Prospects (1999)	p. 315
American Islamic Congress, "A New Guide to Muslim Interfaith Dialogue" (2006)	p. 322
"Challenges of Resettlement and Adaptation of Muslim Refugees," in Muslim Refugees in the United States: A Guide for Service Providers (2003)	p. 329
American Muslim Spirituality and Religious Life	p. 336
"Hajj in a Wheelchair," Azizah Magazine (2002)	p. 339
"Who Is God?" in Qur'an for Children (1995)	p. 346
Women Called to the Path of Rumi: The Way of the Whirling Dervish (2001)	p. 348
"The Daily Prayer (Du'a) of Shi'a Isma'ili Muslims" (2001)	p. 358
A Question of Faith for Muslim Inmates (1999)	p. 368
Online Advice About Muslim Youth (2004 and 2005)	p. 378
Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), "Islamic Medical Ethics: The IMANA Perspective" (2005)	p. 384
"Introduction to LARIBA Financing" (1998)	p. 395
"Culture of Terrorism," from Insomnia (2004)	p. 402
Introduction to Purification of the Heart (2004)	p. 405
Acknowledgments	p. 413
Glossary of Islamic Terms	p. 421
Further Reading	p. 433
Index	p. 437
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