History of Islam

Islam is the second most practiced religion in the world with 1.5 billion followers worldwide. With six million people practicing Islam in America, it is one of the fastest growing religions in this country. However, since the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001 the Islamic religion has been under much scrutiny publically in America. Many people who practice this religion have been subjected to discrimination as well as verbal and physical attacks by fellow Americans. However a high level of scrutiny is not a foreign concept to Muslims in America as they have struggled for acceptance in this country for centuries acquiring many highs as well as lows. In this paper I will analyze the image of Muslims in America’s history and how it affected their religious practices as well as their identity within their own communities. I will also be discussing the political and social effects Islam carries today particularly after the events of 9/11.
Some scholars believe an Islamic presence was in America over 200 years before Columbus set sail in 1492 to discover the new land (Smith, 1999, p.50). Muslim explorers sailed from Spain and Northwest Africa and had business and social transactions with early Native Americans inhabitants. It is also argued that Columbus even had Muslim members of his crew when he set sail back in the late 1400s although this theory is only hypothetical without proper documentation to support it (Smith, 1999, p.50). It is known that many West African practitioners of Islam were involved as human cargo during the middle passage, lumped in with the other Africans of different faiths they were sent to America to work as slaves. It is believed that a large portion of the Africans sent in the slave trade were practicing Muslims of West African descent (Diouf, 1998 p.28). These Muslims were staunch in their religious beliefs, attempts were made to convert the slaves to Christianity but many were determined to continue their religious