"There has never been an America without Muslims"—so begins Amir Hussain, one of the most important scholars and teachers of Islam in America. Hussain, who is himself an American Muslim, contends that Muslims played an essential role in the creation and cultivation of the United States.
Memories of 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism fuel concerns about American Muslims. The fear of American Muslims in part stems from the stereotype that all followers of Islam are violent extremists who want to overturn the American way of life. Inherent to this stereotype is the popular misconception that Islam is a new religion to America.
In Muslims and the Making of America Hussain directly addresses both of these stereotypes. Far from undermining America, Islam and American Muslims have been, and continue to be, important threads in the fabric of American life. Hussain chronicles the history of Islam in America to underscore the valuable cultural influence of Muslims on American life. He then rivets attention on music, sports, and culture as key areas in which Muslims have shaped and transformed American identity. America, Hussain concludes, would not exist as it does today without the essential contributions made by its Muslim citizens.
Amir Hussain is Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The American Ideal and Islam 1. Islam in America: A Short History 2. Blues for Allah: Music 3. The Greatest: Sports 4. American Mosques: Culture Conclusion: The Poetry of Ordinary American Muslim Lives
What People are Saying About This
A sparkling text. Amir Hussain arrives early to tell a story that has long needed telling.
Jane McAuliffe
Muslims and the Making of America is an accessible and engaging book that tells the story of Muslim contributions to American history and creativity. From early medieval intimations of an ‘unknown land’ across the Atlantic, through west African plantation slaves, to the contemporary accomplishments of athletes, musicians, and artists, Islam has been a force in the United States and Muslims have played a vital role in making America great.
Jack Miles
A sparkling text. Amir Hussain arrives early to tell a story that has long needed telling.
Ebrahim Moosa
Informing the world about Islam’s place in America, this book could not come at a more opportune moment. Lucid, erudite and provocative, only Amir Hussain can make us see the multiple dimensions of the world’s second largest faith in America’s cultural icons, musical stars, political history, cultural values, and public life at large in his unique masterful style. A must-read for anyone wishing to observe Islam beyond sensational headlines in order to grasp the complex lives of Muslim Americans.
