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The History of Islam in the United States is divided into three periods: the pre-Columbian and colonization period, post World War I period, and the last few decades.

Early Muslims

There is evidence that Muslims from Spain and West Africa sailed to America. According to professor Mahmoud Ayoub, while this should not be discounted, it is far from being conclusive.It is considered very likely that, after the fall of Granada in 1492, the harsh Inquisition against Muslims and Jews, led many to flee to America soon after Columbus' voyage. There exist records that point to Muslim presence before 1550.

Estevanico of Azamor, a slave servant aboard the Spanish exlorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's expeditions to America in the 16th century was a Moor since Estevanico appears in Alvar Nunez's journal by the spanish world "negro alarabe" ( black arabe or uncivilized or brutal"). Cabeza de Vaca landed in Florida in 1527, where most of his party perished save for four , one of which was Estevanico . De Vaca and Estevanico were enslaved by Indians in 1530 for the next 6 years and finally escaped in 1936. In 1539, Estevanico was purchased by the explorer Mendoza and used as a guide during his explorations of Arizona and New Mexico.

Amadou Mahtar suggests that in 1587, a shipload of Moriscos landed and settled in the coastal towns of South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and along the western belt of North Carolina mountains.

Slaves

Records of the slave trade shed very little information as to the origins of slaves and the differences among them but some contemporary authors have suggested that a percentage of slaves that came to America must have at least had some knowledge of the existence of Islam. Estimates of the percentages of Muslim slaves purchased from Arab Slave traders as a total of the whole vary from 10-20%. Slaves first arrived in what is now the United States during the 1520's. Some of these came from Senegambia, a region which had some Muslims inhabitants . Two of the best known early Muslims are West Africa slaves: Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, who was brought to America in 1731 and returned to Africa in 1734, and Omar Ibn Said in the mid 19th century.

Slightly over 50 percent of Africans imported to North America came from areas in which Islam was at least a religion of the minority. Thus, no less than 200,000 of the 400,000-523,000 slaves imported came from areas influenced by Islam. Michael A. Gomez suggests that many non-Muslim slaves were acquainted with some portion of the tenets of Islam, due to Muslim trading and proselytizing activities.

There exists evidence that Muslim slaves, despite living in a society hostile to slaves, assembled communal prayers. In some cases Muslim slaves were provided a private praying area by their owner. Bilali, a notorious Muslim slave, is known to have fasted, worn a fez and kaftan and observe the Muslim feasts in addition to his prayers. Many Muslim slaves conversed in the Arabic language. Some even wrote literature (such as an autobiographies) and chapters from the Quran.

There exists evidence that Muslim slaves, despite living in a society hostile to slaves, assembled communal prayers. In some cases Muslim slaves were provided a private praying area bby their owner. Bilali, a notorious Muslim slave, is known to have fasted, wear a fez and kaftan and observe the Muslim feasts in addition to his prayers. Many Muslim slaves conversed in the Arabic language. Some even wrote literature (such as an autobiographies) and chapters from the Quran.

There were, however, many impediments to this observation of religious rituals. For example, a white boy threw dirt at Ayub Sulayman's face after he caught him praying. Sulayman, however, was eventualy provided with a private place to pray by his master.

Modern

In 1790, the South Carolina legislative body granted a special statute to a community of Moroccans, as the Sultan of Morocco had recognized the United States in 1777. Morocco was the first nation to recognize the United States of America. In 1796, then president John Adams signed a treaty declaring the United States had no "character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen".

In 1888, Alexander Russell Webb is considered by historians to be the earliest prominent Anglo-American convert to Islam. In 1893, he was the only person representing Islam at the first Parliament for the World's Religions.

Immigration

Small scale migration to the U.S. of Muslims began in 1840, with the arrival of Yemenites and Turks, and lasted until World war I. Most of the immigrants, from Arab areas of the Ottoman Empire, came with the purpose of making money and returning to their homeland. The economic hardships of 19th century America, however, prevented them from prospering. As a result the immigrants permanently settled. These immigrants setteld primarily in dearborn (Michigan), Quincy (Massachussets) and Rose (North Dakota).

In 1915, what is most likely the first mosque, was founded by Albanian Muslims in Biddeford, Maine. However, it was not built from the ground up but was a room in a meeting house in a milltown. Construction of mosques sped up in the 1920s and 1930s, and by 1952, there were over 20 mosques.

• 1906 Bosnians in Chicago establish the Jamiat Harijje (The Benevolent Society). This is the first incorporated Islamic organization and predates the Polish Tartar Mosque in New York, the nation of Islam, the Moorish Science Temple, and the mosques in Michigan City, Indiana and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

• 1907 Immigrants from Poland, Russia, and Lithuania founded the first Muslim organization in New York City.

• 1934 The first building built specifically to be a mosque and is still in operation is established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. An earlier mosque was established in Ross, North Dakota but was torndown in 1978. A new mosque was built on the same site in 2006.

Although the first mosque was established in the U.S. in 1915, relatively few mosques were founded before the 1960s. Eighty-seven percent of mosques in the U.S. were founded within the last three decades according to the Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey. California has more mosques than any other state.

References

1. Koszegi (1992), pg. 3
2. Ayoub, Mahmoud M. (2004). Islam: Faith and History. Oxford: Oneworld. pp. 215–217.
3. Estevanico, Negro Discoverer of the Southwest: A Critical Reexamination Rayford W. Logan Phylon (1940-1956), Vol. 1, No. 4. (4th Qtr., 1940), pp. 305-314. Few writers, however, have gone as far as has Cleve Hallenbeck. This most recent writer states: "Several writers call Estevanico a Negro, for the reason that Nuiiez refers to him as a 'black'. Others call him a Moor or Arab, and Bandelier says that he was an 'Arab Moor'. Nufiez's plain statement that he was an Arab leaves no room for argument." In fact, however, Nuniez does not make a plain statement that Estevanico was an Arab but that he was a negro al6rabe. Mr. Hallenbeck then adds: "The Spanish word 'negro' means a black person; and in Nuiiez's time was applied to people of Hamitic and Malayan blood as well as to negroes.
4. ^ M'Bow, Amadou Mahtar (2001). Islam and Muslims in the American continent. Beirut: Center of historical, economical and social studies. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Pg. 109
5. Donnan Documents Illustrative of the History of the Slave Trade to America: Volume I: 1441-1700 Our records of the slave trade shed little light upon the manner of people enslaved, their origins and differences among them.Elizabeth
6. Elizabeth Donnan Documents Illustrative of the History of the Slave Trade to America: Volume I: 1441-1700 The center of this commerce was the island of Arguin , a settlement eight years old when Cadamosto visited it .Here he says, for wollen and linen cloth, silver tapestry and grain the Arabs gave slaves and gold.
7. ^ Koszegi, Michael; Melton, J. Gordon (1992). Islam in North America: A Sourcebook. New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 26–27.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. Gomez, Michael A. (Nov., 1994). "Muslims in Early America". The Journal of Southern History. 60 (4): 682. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. ^ Gomez, Michael A. (Nov., 1994). "Muslims in Early America". The Journal of Southern History. 60 (4): 692, 693, 695. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. Hughes, Karen. The Partnership Between the United States and Morocco
11. Treaty of Peace and Friendship Article 11. The Avalon Project. Yale Law School.
12. Queen, Edward L., Stephen Prothero and Gardiner H. Shattuck Jr. 1996. The Encyclopedia of American Religious History. New York: Facts on File.
13. Ghazali, Abdul Sattar, "The number of mosque attendants increasing rapidly in America", American Muslim perspective

See also

• Pre-Columbian Islamic contact theories

• Islam in the United States
• Religious history of the United States