Developing a Culturally Inviting Collection Reaching the Muslim Population

Order of Presentation  Brief History of Islam in America  Major Islamic Movements  Major Islamic Organizations  Major Publications  Collection Recommendations

Pre-Columbus  According to Chinese records, first Muslim explorers to North America arrived in 1178  Muslim explorers came to North America before Columbus Qadir Abdus- Sabur, Ph.D.

Pre-20th Century  In about 1863, Muslim immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan start arriving in North America  In 1915, Albanian Muslims build the first Masjid in North America in Connecticut

Contemporary History  In 1926, Polish speaking Tartars build a Masjid in New York  In 1930, African Americans build a Masjid in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.  Masjid in Ross, North Dakota was also built in 1930s with 100 Muslims attending.

BGG/!ISLAM/ U.S. Muslim Population Ethnic GroupingPopulation% of Total African-American2,100,00042 South Asian1,220, Arab620, African260, Iranian180, Turk120, South-East Asian100, American Whites80, East Europeans40, Other280, Total5,000,000100

Definition of Terms:  African Americans: Those persons of African Descent native to the United States  South Asians: Those of Indian/Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, or Afghan Descent now residing in the United States  Arabs: People from Arabic speaking countries of the Middle-East and North Africa who are permanent residents or citizens of the United States  African: People from the African continent who are permanent residents or citizens of the United States  Iranian: People of Persian descent, usually from Iran, who are permanent residents or citizens of the United States  Turk: People of Turkish descent who are permanent residents or citizens of the United States  South-East Asian: People of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indochina, or the Phillipines  White Americans: People of West European descent, who are native to the United States  East Europeans: People from various regions of Eastern Europe

Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA)  Timothy Drew (Noble Drew Ali) establishes the Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA) in Newark, NJ, in 1933  Drew Ali reportedly was commissioned by the Sultan of Morocco to teach Islam to Negroes in the United States.

Nation of Islam (NOI)  Established in 1933  One of the most significant organizations in American Muslim history  Responsible for converting a high percentage of African-Americans to Islam  It was also effective in highlighting American Christians' difficulties combating the effects of slavery and racism among African-Americans.

NOI History  The NOI's philosophy was introduced in the United States by Fard Muhammad (Wallace Ford), a Muslim mystic who disappeared in 1933  Elijah Mohammed succeeded Fard and built the organization into a strong ethnic movement advocating Islam as way of life  Two of the most famous African-Americans, Muhammad Ali and Al Hajj Malik al-Shabazz (Malcolm X), were early adherents of this movement. Both later embraced the broader multiethnic concepts of orthodox Islam.

achievementselijahmuh... Elijah Muhammad  Leader of the Nation of Islam  Died in 1975 and is succeeded by his son Warith Deen Mohammed

AI Hajj Malik al-Shabazz  1965 AI Hajj Malik al- Shabazz (Malcolm X) is assassinated in New York  One of the most outstanding Muslims in American history as well as a dedicated fighter for justice and equality for African-Americans and other oppressed people

Minister Louis Farrakhan  Leadership of Imam Warithuddin Mohammed) brought drastic changes to the Nation of Islam  After 3 years and a re- appraisal of the condition of Black people, Minister Farrakhan decided to return to the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and its proven ability to uplift and reform Blacks.

wdmuhammad.asp Warith Deen Mohammed  Son of Elijah Muhammad  Credited with moving the NOI toward the broader universal concepts of Islam. He is now regarded as one of the leading Muslim spokesmen in the United States.

Islamic Society of North America  1982 The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is established in Plainfield, IN. ISNA is now an umbrella organization for many active Islamic groups seeking to further the cause of Islam in the United States.

gallery% ISNA’s Head  Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, Secretary General of the Islamic Society of North America.

Muslim Students Association (MSA)  Established 1963 as an organization to aid foreign Muslim students attending schools in the United States  MSA now has more than 100 branches nationwide.  In the 1970's it gave birth to the Islamic Medical Association (IMA), the Association of Muslim Social Scientist (AMSS), and the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers (AMSE).

Professional Journals  Established in the 1970s, these associations publish professional journals  Islamic Medical Association (IMA)  Association of Muslim Social Scientist (AMSS)  Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers (AMSE).

Muhammad Speaks Newspaper  Established in 1962, it later becomes the largest minority weekly publication in the country and reached 800,000 readers at its peak  It has undergone several changes  Bilalian News  The A.M. Journal  The Muslim Journal.

Islamic Magazines  Islamic Magazine  Islamic Horizons  Al Jumuah Magazine  Azizah Magazine  The Guidance Magazine  The American Muslim Magazine

Islamic Magazines Cont.  Emel: The Muslim Lifestyle Magazine  The Message International Magazine  All are available from islamic-magazines.html

Additional Suggestions  English translation of Qur’an  Collection of Hadith by Shahid Bukarah  Collection of Hadith by Muslim  Forty Hadith by Nawawi 

der_Russell_Webb Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb ( )  appointed by President Cleveland to be Consular Representative to the Philippines  in 1888 declared himself a Muslim  the first Anglo-American convert to Islam  founded the American Islamic Press & one of the earliest mosques in New York City  His Muslim Mission in Manhattan (1893) was among the first Islamic Missions in the United States.