Islam in America
Islam in America African American Muslims are a major source of Islams growth and persistence in the United States. ... (n1) But an equally serious deficiency is the lack of attention devoted to African and African American Muslims in studies of Islam in America. The role of persons of African ancestry in the establishment and maintenance of Islam in the Americas has been long overlooked by scholars,(n2) and as a result of this practice inaccurate images of Muslims and of Islam in America are commonplace in the US. This study attempts to clarify public images of the phenomenon of Islam and African Americans by delineating its intellectual, cultural, and political milieu and by discussing the effects of anti-Muslim bigotry embedded in our language and culture. This delineation, it is hoped, will lay the foundation for a more accurate portrayal of the phenomenon of global Islam in the US. ... Consequently, the dominant image of Islam in America understates the diversity of Muslim perspectives in the US and allows the discourse on Islam in America to be reduced to a debate between supporters and opponents of Islam and/or Arab culture. ... (n3) This is tragic because Islam remains an integral part of the Judeo, Christian, Islamic tradition that shares a fundamental belief in monotheism, the hereafter, and the Abrahamic religious tradition. ... (n4) Muslims in America Islam has deep roots in the Americas. ... Given its roots, survival, and growth in the Americas, it is no surprise to note that Islam is poised to become the second largest religion in the United States after Christianity by the first decade of the twenty-first century.