The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States

by Edward E. Curtis IV (Editor)

Since September 11, 2001, Muslims in the United States have become the subject of genuine curiosity and compassion as well as increased government surveillance and harassment. Who are these Muslims? What is their history, and where do they come from? Do they share a common culture? Do they vary in their beliefs?

Bringing together an unusually personal collection of essays and documents from an incredibly diverse group of Americans who call themselves Muslims, Edward E. Curtis "finds Islam" in the American experience from colonial times to the present. Sampling from speeches, interviews, editorials, stories, song lyrics, articles, autobiographies, blogs, and other sources, Curtis presents a patchwork narrative of Muslims from different ethnic and class backgrounds, religious orientations, and political affiliations. He begins with a history of Muslims in the United States, featuring the voices of an enslaved African Muslim, a Syrian Muslim sodbuster, and a South Asian mystic-musician, along with the words of such well-known Muslims as Malcolm X. Then he follows with an examination of such contemporary issues as Islam and gender, the involvement of Muslims in American politics, and emerging forms of Islamic spirituality.

In constructing his history, Curtis draws on the work of Muslim feminists, social conservatives, interfaith activists, missionaries, and politicians, as well as Muslim rappers and legal experts. He also includes records from the large-scale migrations of the 1880s; racial, ethnic, and religious trends of the 1960s; writings from second-generation and African American Muslims; and discussions of Islam in the public square. With this highly informed, real-life portrait, Curtis provides a crucial corrective to the rhetoric of suspicion and fear surrounding current discussions of Muslims in the United States and emphasizes Muslims' continuing impact on American society and culture.

Genres: Islam

472 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2007

About the author

professor

Reviews

[Noor Najjar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book served as an excellent encyclopedia style, narrative of many of the american muslims, i perceive as the heros of Islam in North America. from political activists to an HIV patient and lesbian muslim. I think the diverse individuals reflect the multidimensionality of the faith in practice and representation. I believe this cohesive book serves as a thorough, yet easy to understand, dense yet enjoyable account of what brings strength to the Muslims in the United states, in their faith and identity, and finally in their various contributions to the world, all in the name of Islam, a middle religion which allows its followers to maximally contribute to society in the face of a society undergoing slow death by moral decline and spiritual suicide. A must read.

[Ardene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this for a Muslim Journeys discussion. It started slow, but I am finding it a fascinating look at the breadth of experiences of Muslims in the US.

Standouts for me were the WPA interviews of immigrants from Syria who settled in North Dakota, discussion of Islam and Latino converts, a sociologist looking at the experience of Muslims in Toledo, Ohio who control the liquor industry there, an excerpt from Leila Ahmed's memoir A Border Passage and her encounter with feminists who were intolerant of her faith tradition, discussions of women's rights in Islam and reading the Qu'ran from a woman's perspective, & Omid Safi's article "Being Muslim, Being American After 9/11."

I was most disturbed by Laila Al-Marayati's article "American Muslim Charities: Easy Targets in the War on Terror."

[Kaitlin]

Very interesting!