HST 109 - United States to 1865
A HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF ISLAM IN AMERICA
Chapter 1
Tuesday, February 2th 2024
Daniel Richard
Week 1
Introduction
Americans are basically a religious society, and Islam is one of the most coexisting
religions alongside Christianity and Judaism. In recent years, this religion has come to the
surface rapidly and has become the most interesting phenomenon to observe, especially
many people are surprised by the facts that show that Islam can develop well in America
(Shihab, 2005; 37). America is one of the countries that has a fairly attractive Islamic
community alongside Christians and Jews. In the last few decades, Islam has come to the
forefront rapidly and has become the most interesting phenomenon to observe. This is also
supported by the development of Islam which is quite good in Uncle Sam's country. Data on
the presence of Muslims with immigration flows in America 77.6%, while 22.4% are
descendants born on the American mainland (Smith, 2004;ix).
The life of Muslims themselves in America is said to be quite acceptable, because
basically the majority of American society from the beginning cannot be separated from
religion and upholds the religious values they profess. The presence of religion in the
Americas deserves a closer look. Before the arrival of the three religions of God in America,
the "religion" of the Native Indians was a non-monotheism that emphasized ceremonial
rites. The religious traditions of these Native Americans resembled the "animist" belief in
natural objects.
Islam's presence in American society is certainly inseparable from the various aspects
that influence it. Until it occupies a position as one of the strongest religions, Islam
continues to spread its wings so that it can continue to play a role as a religion instruments in
life and society and the state. Various efforts are also made so that they can continue to
develop to coexist with other religions in America. Based on the above background, the
author tries to describe how the state of the Islamic community
Methodology.
In this study, the authors used the type of library research, namely a series of activities
related to library data collection methods. According to Abdul Rahman Sholeh, library
research is research that uses ways to obtain information data by placing facilities in the
library, such as books, magazines, documents, records of historical stories. Or pure library
research related to the object of research.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
Discussion
History of Islam in America
The development of Islam and its power experienced rapid growth, due to two factors.
Firstly, the Persian empire in the last period was constantly torn apart. The arrival of Islamic
rule did not interfere in the least with the religious beliefs of the population and never forced
Islam to be adopted. Secondly, the Roman empire acted to impose the official sect of
Christianity on unofficial sects. (Sou'yb, 1996;437). According to Harun Yahya, the number
of Muslims in the world has increased significantly. The 1973 statistics show that the number
was only about 500 million; 20 years later it had reached 1.5 billion.( Harun Yahya, Islam;
The Fastest Growing Religion in Europe, Article Edition accessed from the Internet on May
18, 2017). The Story of Islam in America beginning before the conquest of the continent by
the European Christian powers discovered by Christopher Columbus. There is strong
evidence that Andalusian Muslims visited the Americas long before Columbus, as reported
by Al-Syarif Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.
M. Furthermore, there is reliable evidence of visits to the Caribbean from West African
kingdoms.Finally, a more well-known fact states that the Portuguese and Spanish
discoverers were led by Andalusian Muslim sailors who had better knowledge of the open
sea. The discoverers themselves were Morisco, Muslims from Spain. There are other facts
that Andalusian Muslim migrants from Al-Ribat and Sala in Morocco led the battles against
Spayol and Portuguese ships in the Atlantic up to the Caribbean coast.(Kettani, 2005;277)
Christopher Columbus called America 'The New World' when he first set foot on the
continent on October 21, 1492. However, for Muslims in the golden era, America was not a
'New World'. Because, 603 years before the Spanish explorer discovered the continent,
Muslim explorers from West Africa had built civilizations in the Americas.(Amin, 2012;73-
84)
The arrival of Islam in America is still speculative as there is no firm theory that Islam
came to America. Some historians argue that Muslim sailors were the first to cross the
Atlantic Ocean and arrive on American shores. Others suggest that Christopher Columbus
was guided to land in the Americas by Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim navigators and
helpers whose services were paid for by Columbus.(Mulyana, 1988;13)
Another reference mentions that the origins of Islam in America are historical slave
trade in the United States. Among the slaves counted in the American Ethnological Society
were educated Muslim slaves, including Ayyunb Ibn Sulaiman Diallo, Prince of Bundu from
Africa who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1730. After three years, he was freed in
gratitude for his intelligence and honesty as well as his sympathy for the white
man.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
This opinion could be true, given the fact that the Muslim community, which is a
minority group, is spread across the coast of North and South America, including Suriname.
The second fact that is difficult to refute is that the followers of Islam in this region are black
Muslims and immigrants from Islamic countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and
so on. It is recorded in American history that black people (Africans) entered America as
slaves or as lowly workers. This historical fact has greatly influenced the attitude of white
people towards black people (Negroes) and at the same time towards Islam as a belief
system.(Mulyana, 1988;14)
Between 1619 and 1663, there were several African slaves who came to the Americas,
among them Yarrow Mahmaut and Muhammad Bah. Earlier in 1539 a Muslim from
Morocco joined the crown prince of New Spain on an expedition to Arezona and New
Mexico. Even in the 1500s Nazaruddin, a man from Egypt had settled in Cats Kaills, New
York who was later burned alive for killing an Indian woman. (Supriyadi, 2008;316)
One source states that the first Arabs to set foot in America were descendants of Wahab
who settled in Ocracode Island and Northern California in the 18th century. They were noted
as slaves who did not eat pork and believed in Allah and Muhammad. In the mid-19th
century, the United States cavalry forces hired an Arab named Haji AM in order to conduct
camel farming experiments in Arizona which was later called Hi Jolly. It was he who
inspired a number of Afro-Americans to embrace Islam which later became known as black
moslems.(Supriyadi, 2008;316)
The 16th to 18th centuries saw the arrival of slaves to work on sugar cane plantations in
the Caribbean, which were in need of more human labor. The slaves, mostly from Africa
(Sinegal, Guinea, Gambia and Mauritania), were already Muslims. (Esposito, 1995;277-
279). Very little is known about the religious life of these Africans.
Along with the abolition of slavery and the existence of contact between the Islamic
world and America, the history of Islam in the United States entered a new phase. Initially,
as already stated, the evidence of the existence of Muslims was not well documented and the
existence of Muslims was unclear, by the end of the 19th century the history of Muslim
immigrants was well documented and the existence of Muslims was visible and continued to
develop. Historians generally agree on the arrival of Muslim immigrants at this stage. They
say there were at least five waves of Muslim immigrants coming to America, especially the
United States.(Thohir, 2009;320-321)
The first wave took place from 1875 to 1912. Those who immigrated in this wave were
generally uneducated and unskilled rural youths. They came from the countries that are now
known as Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, which were still under Ottoman Turkish
rule at the time. They immigrated because they were motivated by the unfavorable economic
conditions of their countries, and hoped to find economic change in the United States. Due
to their lack of education and poor English language skills, most of them worked in
beverage factories and shops. They live near industrial centers and have difficulty
integrating into American society, so they form exclusive ties with their Muslim brothers
and sisters.
The second wave came at the end of World War I after the collapse of the Ottoman
Turkish Caliphate that had ruled most of the Muslim-populated Middle East. This also
coincided with Western colonial rule in the Middle East. Many who came to the United
States at that time followed relatives of Muslims who had immigrated earlier and made a
decent living in this country. The United States Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924 set up a
quota system for certain nationalities, greatly reducing the number of Muslims allowed to
enter the country.
The third wave occurred between 1930 and 1938 and was coordinated, due to the US
immigration policy that gave priority to those whose families had settled in the US first.
In the fourth period, lasting from 1947 to 1960, there was a large increase in the number
of immigrants. The 1957 citizenship law gave each country an annual quota of immigrants.
Since the quota was based on the percentage of the population in the United States, most
immigrants allowed into the country were from Europe. However, Muslim immigrants
continued to came, and not only from the Middle East but also from various parts of the
world including India and Pakistan, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Most of these
immigrants settled in big cities like Chicago and New York. Unlike their earlier counterparts,
most of these immigrants are from urban backgrounds and are highly educated.
The fifth wave began in 1967 and continues to this day. This last wave is linked to
internal decisions of the United States and events in parts of the Islamic world. In 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed an immigration law that canceled quotas based on the
ethnic diversity of the US population. For the first time since the early 20th century one's
right to enter the country was not specifically dependent on one's ethnic origin.
The first recorded American to embrace Islam was Reverend Norman, a missionary of
the Metho- disty church in Turkey who embraced Islam in 1970, the next decade an Afro-
American. Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb who converted to Islam when he served as
the United States Consul General in the Philippines in 1887. He was a pioneer who first
established an Islamic organization in the country in 1893 and published The Moslem World
as a means of preaching. He also founded about 6 branches of the Moslem Brotherhood and
American Islamic Propaganda in various regions of America, then followed by other
figures, such as Nobble Drew Ali founded the Morish American Sciece Temple in 1913, so
that Islam began to rise as a religious phenomenon among Americans. (Kettani, 2005;282)
Thus it is known that the history of the entry of Islam into the Americas, not from an
expedition that politically They were deliberately sent for the purpose of expansion or
structural development of Islam, and were not brought by Muslim merchants who spread
Islam culturally, but through the commodity of slaves who were firmly committed to their
religion.
The development of Islam in America
America is one of the liberal democracies and at the same time secular, which adheres to
the principle of separation between religious space and state space or the puplic "separation
of church and state." At first Islam was considered a religion of Middle Eastern or Pakistani
immigrants who settled and resided in several cities in America (Usman, 2003; 57). Then it
continued to develop so that an Islamic force called "black moslem" emerged.
Black Moslem was founded by Elijah Mohammed in Chicago. As the name implies,
Black Moslem has many followers, especially from people who are black. Black Moslem
was supported by black people and fought for equal rights. Elijah Muhamad in his
organization takes the principles of Islamic teachings that do not distinguish skin color.
Muslims are a relatively new minority in the United States. Numbers continued to grow
rapidly around 1970-1980 as wars and strife erupted in Turkey, Afghanistan, the Levant, and
the Indian Subcontinent and large waves of immigrants arrived. More than half of American
Muslims (56%) are immigrants and some are long-time permanent residents.(Lebor,
1998;303-304) This minority does not make Islam in America foreign, because based on
history, many of the West African slaves brought to America were Muslims. Yarrow
Mahmaut who was a slave Africa who was freed in 1807. He later became one of the
shareholders in the second American finance bank, Columbia Bank. Half a century later the
United States Cavalry recruited a man of the same religion, Haji Ali, for a ranch in Arizona.
In 1865, at the end of the civil war, the librarian at the University of Alabama saved one
book from an attack by Yankee troops that would have destroyed the library. The book was a
translated copy of the Qur'an. (Lebor, 1998;303-304)
Despite the growth of Islam in the United States, American policymakers are hesitant to
take a definitive position on the rise of Islam in the United States. This hesitation stems from
Washington's inability to predict and measure the impact of foreign policy on Islamic
countries when they are in power. In its development, Islam in the Americas has faced
serious historical obstacles. The Americans knew Islam from the people they hired as slaves,
and these slaves always held firm to their faith and the religion of Islam they embraced, they
did not want to eat pork, and believed in Allah and Muhammad and were always honest and
trustworthy. These attitudes and behaviors of the slaves were seen as a new belief system for
them (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318).
Islam develops in line with the The development of Muslims in this region, as seen from
a number of worship places and centers of Islamic religious activities in several cities and
towns. For example, in Cicago, there is the American Islamic College, in Northern
California there is the American Muslem School, in addition to many universities that
organize Islamic Studies programs such as the University of Chicago, Columbia University,
Harvard University, University of Chicago, and the University of California. California in
Berckley, New York University in Banghamtem, University of Michigan, University of Texas
in Australia, University of Utah in Salthake City, Temple University in Philadelpia, and Mc.
Gill University in Monteral Canada. (Supriyadi, 2008;317-318)
With the existence of Islamic study centers, the understanding of the American people,
especially among intellectuals, towards Islam is getting better, compared to before which was
very negative.The development of science did not necessarily have a symmetrical effect on
the scientific development and intellectual progress of medieval Islam. This is what
influenced the culture afterward, both in the context of the Islamic world (East) and the West.
(Hak, 2010; Vol IX No 2). Around the end of the 13th century, all knowledge from Islam can
be said to have been transmitted to the West. (Suriana, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
The development of thought and civilization Islam was supported by the caliphs who
loved science with maximum facilities and funds, established political and economic
stability. This is in line with the high enthusiasm of Muslim scholars and intellectuals in
carrying out the development of religious, humanities and exact sciences through the
research movement, translation and writing of scientific works in various scientific fields.
(Hasssanuddin, 2014; Vol XV No 2). The entry of Islam in the West to mix, bringing the
results of civilization and way of life, directly, or indirectly affect Western society in terms of
science. This influence is seen in almost all aspects of the life of Islamic societies in the
West. (Mugiyono, 2013; Vol 1 No 1)
Furthermore, the 9th and 10th centuries were when the Islamic center in Spain was at the
height of its brilliance. The intellectual centers in the West were only fortresses inhabited by
nobles who prided themselves on their inability to read. (Ubadah, 2008; Vol 5 No 2). After a
long history of transformation and absorption of Islamic Civilization into Western Culture,
Western Scientists, under the leadership of Christian Pastors, began to develop their
knowledge.(Zarkasyi, 2013;186)
A Muslim writer, Ali M. Kertani as quoted by Mukti Ali, argues that religious
conversion in the United States occurs 3-4% every year of the American Muslim population.
Furthermore, he explains that there are two factors that cause the increase in religious
conversion, namely the increase in natural births and the increase in immigration from
Islamic countries. Especially among students who come to America in very large numbers
(Fauzi, 2002; 295). In the writings of Ihsan Ali Fauzin and A.E. Priyono the exact number of
Muslims in America is difficult to know, because religious identity is not included in the
population census.
Islamic groups in America
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include:
Shi'a Muslim
Although the majority of Muslims coming to the United States are Sunnis, there is also a
sizable Shi'a community. This community is beginning to gain recognition as a separate part
of the Muslim community and can be identified by its large mosques located in New York,
Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The majority of Shi'a immigrants are from
the Itsna 'Ashariya and Ismaili groups.(Esposito, 2002;122-127)
African American Muslims
Based on count by roughly one-third of Muslims in the Americas are African Americans
who have joined the Islamic mainstream or one of the loosely identified sectarian
movements. Islam as a distinctly American phenomenon first attracted the attention of the
American public with the emergence of the Nation of Islam. U.S. Muslims of African
descent and immigrants for a long time remained a separate community in the United States
despite increasing efforts to establish cooperation, dialogue, and some joint worship and
social activities. (Nasution, 1985;312)
White Muslims
The first white man to convert to Islam was Alexander Russel (d. 1916), the United States
Consul in the Philippines. The majority of white converts to Islam were women who had
Muslim husbands and decided to make Islam their faith. In some cases, women converted to
Islam before finding a marriage partner on the basis of their belief that women were held in
higher esteem than in the general American society. Some Americans, unfamiliar with their
own religious traditions or within their religious institutions or with the norms of American
culture, look to Islam as an alternative.(Smith, 2005;96-97)
Sectarian Movement
The Ahmadiyya movement, an Indo-Pakistani proselytizing group that for some time had
been active in translating the Qur'an into some of the world's major languages, began to send
its preachers to the United States with the intention of converting the West to their version of
Islam. (Esposito, 2002;122-127)
Both the Qadiyan (based in Washington DC) and Lahore (based in California) centers of
their activities have been established a number of Mosques in the United States. There is also
a small Druze community in the United States, the majority of whose members are Lebanese
natives and a few individuals from Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Other Islamic groups found
in the United States are the Baha'i religion, the Five Percenter group, Jama'ah Ansaru Allah,
Robbani Yashu'a and others.(Esposito, 2002;128)
Sufi Movement
Among the most influential Sufi sects is the Qadiriyah which is united in the tariqah of
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, located in Philadelphia. This order has more than 2000 converts,
mainly from the middle and upper middle classes. Sufi converts are also found in the states
of New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and New Mexico. Some immigrants preserve
Sufi orders from their home countries such as the Bektasiyah, Shadziliyah, Isyraqiyah, and
Naqsabandiyah.
Islamic issues faced by American Muslims today include: (Esposito, 2002;128)
§ Continued and increasing prejudice in North America against Islam, Muslims and Arabs.
§ The issue of assimilation into American society continues to be a perennial theme for every
wave of immigrants and for every generation of Muslims in the United States.
§ The social security system in the United States, for example, raises questions about the
obligation to pay zakat. The fact that Islam does not allow the charging of interest on loans
poses a problem for Muslims in using US banking.
§ A number of specific issues face American Muslims, including the need for trained religious
leadership, opportunities to perform religious obligations such as prayer and fasting and
issues related to social interaction.
Islamic figures in America
The movement and pace of development of Islam in America cannot be separated from
the struggle of an American-European Muslim. The Islamic figures in America include.
(Supriyadi, 2008; 319-322)
Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb.
He was born in Hudson, Columbia, New York and studied in Hudson and New York. He was
famous for his short story writing. Later he worked as Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief of St.
Joseph's magazine. Joseph Gazette" and "Missouri Republican." In 1887 he was appointed
United States consul in Manila. It was during his tour of duty that he studied Islam and
incorporated himself in environment Muslim community. After becoming a Muslim, he
traveled around the Islamic world, and until the end of his life he devoted time to carrying
out the mission of Islam, and sat as the head of the Islamic Propaganda Mission in the United
States. Died world on (Mohammad, p. 213) The movement and pace of development of
Islam in America is inseparable from the struggle of a Muslim Alexsander Russel Webb, he
tried directly and earnestly to attract Americans to embrace Islam. To realize his goal, in
1843 he founded organization of the American Islamic Propagation Movement and founded
the publishing house The Moeslem World and gave lectures in several cities. He became
critical and passionate about the Christian church and defended Islam very strongly. In his
capacity as a broadcaster of Islam, he wrote three books including illustrated prayer guide.
By the time of his death in 1916 Webb had succeeded in establishing seven branches of the
Moslem Brotherhood or American Islamic Propaganda in various east coast cities and inland
American towns. Although the organization disbanded, there can be no doubt that its
members have influenced subsequent efforts to foster Islam in the United States.
(Mohammad, p. 213)
Noble Drew Ali.
Noble Draw Ali was born in the state of North Carolina on January 8, 1886, he was the son
of a former slave who was adopted by the Cherokee and given the Christian name American
Thimotheus. His father was from Morocco and practiced Islam. He was one of the first
spiritual leaders to spread the teachings of Islam to black Americans. Based in Newark, New
Jersey, from his place of worship (Moorish Science Temple), Ali tried to raise the self-
esteem of his followers by giving them the belief that they were Asiatics, and requiring them
to have identity and nationality cards. The card indicated that the holder was a follower of
"all Prophets including Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Confucius." His followers also did
not recognize him as a Negro or an African, but as a Moorish American.(Supriyadi,
2008;322)
Drew is actually not a person He was well-educated, but he had a knowledge of Islam that he
considered key to what was five years later called Black Libration. His main mission was to
awaken the consciousness of African Americans about Islam. To this end, in 1913 he founded
the Mourish Science Temple in New York, New Jersey. With this endeavor,
Draw's movement expanded to Pitsburgh, Detroid, Chicago, and several other cities in the
South. Drew's movement used symbols of Islam, such as the Qur'an, wearing caps, using
Muslim names, and rejecting certain beliefs of Christianity, but it was a mixture of black
nationalism and Christian revivalism with an amalgamation of Islamic teachings. These
teachings are not true Islamic teachings
But it is an important discovery for Islamic consciousness.
Among the teachings of Noble Drew Ali are the following:
§ Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad were prophets.
§ Afro-Americans are considered Asians from the descendants of Muhabites and Cannanites
(now Jordan).
§ Islam is a religion naturally reserved for Asians, while Christianity is the religion of Europeans.
§ Afro-Americans should avoid unnecessary contact with European-Americans.
§ Hell does not exist, heaven is a state of the soul.
Apart from Webb and Draw there are many other figures who also contributed to the
development of Islam in the United States. Among them are W.D Fard, Elijah Muhammad,
Job Ibnu Dijallo, Malcom X etc. The exact number of Muslims in America today is difficult
to know, because religious identity is not included in the population census, nor does the
Immigration service record immigrants who embrace Islam.(Supriyadi, 2008;322)
The Islamic world awoke from its deep slumber and realized that it had been set back
and left behind by Europe. Then came the rise of scholars and Islamic thinkers with ideas
that aim to advance the Islamic world and catch up with the West until now. What is meant
by theology of modernism is the mainstrem of modern human paradigmatic thinking which is
the foundation of the history of modern civilization. In the name of theology deism and
agnotisism become the basis of the mainstream modernism. This theology emerged along
with the renaissance as an antithesis of the scholastic era with its shackling classical
theology. (Arif, 2017;193)
Conclusions
It is not known exactly when Islam entered America, but the more widely expressed
opinion is that Islam entered when slavery occurred. Meanwhile, based on the arrival of
Islam in the United States there were two stages. The first stage, long before Cristopher
Colombus discovered the American continent. At this stage the existence of Muslims until
the 19th century was not found sources that explain it. The second stage, at the end of the
19th century. At this stage Islam grew, as the beginning of the development of Islam in the
United States.
There were at least five waves of Muslim migration to the United States from the late
19th century to the second half of the 20th century: First, Migration occurred in 1875 to
1912. Second, migration occurred from 1918 to 1922. Third, Migration occurred from 1930
to 1938 which was conditioned by the United States immigration policy which gave priority
to those whose families had already settled in the United States. Fourth, Migration occurred
from 1947 to 1960. Fifth, Migration began in 1967 until now. Those who came to the United
States in this wave, apart from economic reasons.
Religious groups that have developed in the United States include, among others, Shi'a
Muslims, American Muslims African descendants, White Muslims, Sectarian movements,
Sufi movements. The development of Islam in America is inseparable from the figures who
have always been active in spreading Islam, including Muhammad Alexander Russel Webb,
and Noble Drew Ali.
