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
Qadir Abdus-
Sabur, Ph.D.

Pre-Columbus
According to Chinese records, first
Muslim explorers to North America
arrived in 1178
Muslim explorers came to North
America before Columbus
 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.
 U.S. Muslim Population
Ethnic Grouping Population % of Total
African-American 2,100,000 42
South Asian 1,220,000 24.4
Arab 620,000 12.4
African 260,000 5.2
Iranian 180,000 3.6
Turk 120,000 2.4
South-East Asian 100,000 2.0
American Whites 80,000 1.6
East Europeans 40,000 0.8
Other 280,000 5.6

Total 5,000,000 100

http://edf3.gallaudet.edu/diversity/BGG/!ISLAM/
 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.
Elijah Muhammad
 Leader of the Nation
of Islam
 Died in 1975 and is
succeeded by his son
Warith Deen
Mohammed

www.nathanielturner.com/ achievementselijahmuh...
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

www.montana.edu/tlecain/
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.
www.noi.org/mlfbio.htm
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.

www.atlantamasjid.com/ wdmuhammad.asp
 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.
ISNA’s Head
 Dr. Sayyid
Muhammad Syeed,
Secretary General of
the Islamic Society
of North America.

www.walktheroadtopeace.org/ gallery%2012-03-20...
 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
http://islamicbookstore.com/gifts-
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
http://www.halalco.com/books.html
 Muhammad Alexander
Russell Webb (1846-1916)
 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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Russell_Webb