Summary Of A History Of Islam In America

The historical events that determined how Islam came to be in America depict a very interesting take on the fast-growing religion. Being a Muslim myself, I never knew that Muslims’ from the Northern and Western parts of Africa brought Islam to America, along with their struggles and hard times of slavery. On the contrary I had thought they emigrated from the Middle East much later on just as many of our ancestors and European colonists did. I believe that it is very important for us to understand the hardships and notable circumstances that many people had to go through when it came to practicing Islam as a minority religion in America at the time. That being said, I would like to focus on the discussions that we had in class as well as most of chapter two from the book, A History of Islam in America by Kambiz Ghaneabassiri, about …show more content…
I believe idea of community building could have held a large significance in the lives of many enslaved Muslims and here is why; according to Ghaneabassiri, “The practice of Islam as a form of resistance under such conditions would necessitate the formation of a distinct Muslim community through which African Muslims would strive to maintain their own identities” (64). The fact that there was a group of enslaved Muslims that was able to come together and actively pursue their religion with attentiveness displays the faith that these people had in Islam. Although it has not been strictly said that communities were retained during this time, ancestral stories conclude that there was a formation of enslaved Muslims that practiced their Islamic beliefs together. Men and women lived as husband and wife on plantations together, even with the hardship of slavery. Together, through a communal sense Muslims were able unify and understand resistance and