ORIGINS OF ISLAM IN THE UNITED STATES
Muslim Americans march in the American Muslim Day Parade
Muslims have been an integral part of American history, beginning in the Pre-Columbus times of the 14th century. Although it is difficult to determine the exact time that they arrived, these Muslims were known as Moors, who were expelled from Spain, came from Africa, and thought to accompany and aid Spanish invaders in their conquest of the New World. Following this time, more and more Muslims arrived, as around 15% of African slaves brought to America were slaves. A story of one of the most well-documented African slaves during this time is that of "Omar Ibn Said (also "Sayyid," ca. 1770-1864), who was born in Western Africa in the Muslim state of Futa Toro (on the south bank of the Senegal River in present-day Senegal). He was a Muslim scholar and trader who, for reasons historians have not uncovered, found himself captive and enslaved. After a six-week voyage, Omar arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, in about 1807. About four years later, he was sold to James Owen of North Carolina's Cape Fear region." [5].
These Muslim immigrants did not form settlements with other Muslims, and were instead forcibly assimilated into American society. Many of them followed their masters in practicing Christianity, and even the few that kept their Islam values were still influenced by Christianity. They were able to retain much of their Islamic identity and practices, but after being forced to convert to Christianity, it was difficult to preserve all of these, although for the most part Muslims were able to retain a distinctive foundation of Islam identity on which they could build on later. For example, Omar Ibn Said converted to Christianity in 1820 but he still wrote Islamic texts on the margins of his Bible [2].
In the period between 1878 and 1924, there was a large wave of Muslim immigration from the Middle East, with many Muslims settling in Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa. This wave mainly consisted of Muslims from parts of the Middle East such as Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine who were seeking better economic opportunities [1][2][3]. These Muslims were mainly unskilled and illiterate, so they could only find manual labor jobs that Americans wouldn’t do because of tough working conditions, such as Ford factory jobs [4]. Many of these immigrants faced hardships in their quest for economic opportunities so they returned home, and the ones that stayed faced discrimination and general intolerance/negativity, which caused them to naturally cluster into communities with people that they were familiar with. In the 1930s and 1940s, Muslim immigrants started to establish their own communities and build mosques, even though America had an extremely anti-immigrant stance during this period. In 1933, Nation of Islam (NOI) was founded by Fard Muhammad, and would eventually convert many African Americans to Muslims. Finally, in the 1950s, America became more accepting to Muslims, and by this time there were over 1,000 mosques in North America. An influx of educated Muslim professionals and scholars began to arrive during this time from a variety of places, including Egypt, Asia, Iraq, Africa, and Latin America, vastly changing the composition of the Muslim communities in America. Muslims began to form organizations such as the Muslim Students Association of the United States, and through these organizations were able to discover their roots and further practice their religion [3].
Slowly, Islam was increasing its influence on America. Today, Islam is the fastest growing faith in America, Mosques and Islamic centers are extremely abundant, and the voices and values of Muslim are now a part of America. [1].
These Muslim immigrants did not form settlements with other Muslims, and were instead forcibly assimilated into American society. Many of them followed their masters in practicing Christianity, and even the few that kept their Islam values were still influenced by Christianity. They were able to retain much of their Islamic identity and practices, but after being forced to convert to Christianity, it was difficult to preserve all of these, although for the most part Muslims were able to retain a distinctive foundation of Islam identity on which they could build on later. For example, Omar Ibn Said converted to Christianity in 1820 but he still wrote Islamic texts on the margins of his Bible [2].
In the period between 1878 and 1924, there was a large wave of Muslim immigration from the Middle East, with many Muslims settling in Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa. This wave mainly consisted of Muslims from parts of the Middle East such as Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine who were seeking better economic opportunities [1][2][3]. These Muslims were mainly unskilled and illiterate, so they could only find manual labor jobs that Americans wouldn’t do because of tough working conditions, such as Ford factory jobs [4]. Many of these immigrants faced hardships in their quest for economic opportunities so they returned home, and the ones that stayed faced discrimination and general intolerance/negativity, which caused them to naturally cluster into communities with people that they were familiar with. In the 1930s and 1940s, Muslim immigrants started to establish their own communities and build mosques, even though America had an extremely anti-immigrant stance during this period. In 1933, Nation of Islam (NOI) was founded by Fard Muhammad, and would eventually convert many African Americans to Muslims. Finally, in the 1950s, America became more accepting to Muslims, and by this time there were over 1,000 mosques in North America. An influx of educated Muslim professionals and scholars began to arrive during this time from a variety of places, including Egypt, Asia, Iraq, Africa, and Latin America, vastly changing the composition of the Muslim communities in America. Muslims began to form organizations such as the Muslim Students Association of the United States, and through these organizations were able to discover their roots and further practice their religion [3].
Slowly, Islam was increasing its influence on America. Today, Islam is the fastest growing faith in America, Mosques and Islamic centers are extremely abundant, and the voices and values of Muslim are now a part of America. [1].
American Perspective on islam:
Anti-Muslim graffiti defaces a Shi'ite mosque at the Islamic Center of America
When it comes to Islam or Muslims in the United States, over 4 in 10 Americans feel prejudice towards them, a number that is much higher than it is for other religious groups such as Christians, Jews, or Buddhists. Islam is also the most negatively viewed religion, with around half of Americans having a non-favorable view on Muslims [9]. Although being a Muslim is associated with that person's religion and not their race or ethnicity, racism and religious discrimination are combined and Muslims are perceived as a single group that shares the same characteristics, but in reality Muslim Americans is a very diverse group of people.
These numbers are high due to the war in Iraq and also the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, although there was definitely discrimination prior to these events. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the FBI reported a 1,700% increase in hate crimes towards Muslims [6]. Even though the vast majority of Muslim Americans are normal kind-hearted citizens that are often said to be some of the nicest people, the media reports and political statements unfairly focus on the actions of Muslim extremists and terrorists, resulting in Muslims being seen as violent and unreasonable and thus there was strong anti-Muslim sentiments, prejudice, personal bias, and even violence towards Muslims. The media is the main reason for the escalating negative sentiments towards Muslims, and so far there hasn't been a significant step to change these negative views. This negative attitude is mirrored by the Muslim communities that were disrespected by the United States government and media, which has an overwhelming majority of people disapproving of the United States government [8].
The term "Islamophobia" in America is embodied by a small group started by several wealthy donors and their foundations, donating over $40 million over 10 years in a right-wing conspiracy to spread lies about Muslims and Islams in the form of blogs, websites, books, articles, and other forms of social media. This well-funded network of misinformation was able to reach and impact millions of Americans in 23 states due to the efforts of the five misinformation experts: Frank Gaffney, David Yerushalmi, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, and Steven Emerson. These misinformation experts travel the country and spread false facts that the media and political leaders use in order to create and maintain a false, extremely negative image of Islam and Sharia Law. This Islamophobia network and its false facts survives through influential U.S. politicians, making it very hard to change the public prejudice of Muslims [9]. The United States is built on the foundation of freedom and equality for all people of all religions and races, and yet this basic right is being contradicted by the majority of America.
These numbers are high due to the war in Iraq and also the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, although there was definitely discrimination prior to these events. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the FBI reported a 1,700% increase in hate crimes towards Muslims [6]. Even though the vast majority of Muslim Americans are normal kind-hearted citizens that are often said to be some of the nicest people, the media reports and political statements unfairly focus on the actions of Muslim extremists and terrorists, resulting in Muslims being seen as violent and unreasonable and thus there was strong anti-Muslim sentiments, prejudice, personal bias, and even violence towards Muslims. The media is the main reason for the escalating negative sentiments towards Muslims, and so far there hasn't been a significant step to change these negative views. This negative attitude is mirrored by the Muslim communities that were disrespected by the United States government and media, which has an overwhelming majority of people disapproving of the United States government [8].
The term "Islamophobia" in America is embodied by a small group started by several wealthy donors and their foundations, donating over $40 million over 10 years in a right-wing conspiracy to spread lies about Muslims and Islams in the form of blogs, websites, books, articles, and other forms of social media. This well-funded network of misinformation was able to reach and impact millions of Americans in 23 states due to the efforts of the five misinformation experts: Frank Gaffney, David Yerushalmi, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, and Steven Emerson. These misinformation experts travel the country and spread false facts that the media and political leaders use in order to create and maintain a false, extremely negative image of Islam and Sharia Law. This Islamophobia network and its false facts survives through influential U.S. politicians, making it very hard to change the public prejudice of Muslims [9]. The United States is built on the foundation of freedom and equality for all people of all religions and races, and yet this basic right is being contradicted by the majority of America.
Another debate is whether or not Americans believe that Muslims are trying to establish Sharia Law in the United States. The percentages of Americans who believe Muslims are trying to establish Sharia Law varies quite a lot, although it is generally somewhere near 50%. This shows that there is a misunderstanding by Americans of what Sharia Law really is, and most Americans actually think these values of Islam clash with the values of America [7].
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in the media:
What do Americans think of Muslims? |
This video really highlights the negative prejudice that typical Americans have towards Muslims. People from the show interview random Americans and ask if they think Muslims should carry I.D.s indicating that they are Muslims, and everyone interviewed says yes. This video is meant to be funny because of the ridiculous suggestions to tattoo ID numbers onto Muslims and incarcerate Muslims forever, but it is shocking how many people fear Muslims and are unable to give a legitimate reason for this fear. |
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