9 Surprising Facts About the History of Islam and Muslims in America

Sunia Choudhary on the history of Islam and Muslims in America

Though it may come as a surprise to some, particularly in light of the political climate in the United States in recent decades, Muslims have had a presence in, and a longstanding history of relations with the US since its very birth.

Here are 9 facts supporting this argument.

1. The first ever nation to seek diplomatic relations with the United States, was the Muslim country of Morocco, in 1777. To this day, the treaty remains the longest unbroken treat of its kind in US history.

George Washington Letter Morocco
Letter of George Washington to Mohammed ben Abdallah in appreciation of the signature of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in Marrakech in 1787.

2. Thomas Jefferson, principle author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), purchased a copy of the Qur’an in 1765 and began teaching himself Arabic while studying law. It can be found in the Library of Congress among the books sold to the institution by the former president, and remains among the nucleus of books from which the rest of the library holdings were developed. 

History Islam Muslims America
Thomas Jefferson. Credit: CC Political Graveyard via Flickr

3. The first recorded Muslim to enter the shores of America, did so in 1528; a Moroccan slave, called Estevanico, was shipwrecked near present-day Galveston, Texas. He travelled through much of the American southwest.[1]

4. There are at least a dozen places in the United States named Medina and at least eight named Mecca. Medina, Ohio, founded in 1818, was originally called Mecca; the name was changed to Medina when it was discovered that a nearby city had the same name.

City of Medina, Ohio
City of Medina, Ohio. Credit CC: OZinOH via Flickr

5. Records from the American Revolutionary War show that a number of Muslims fought for America. Among the recorded names of American soldiers are Yusuf ben Ali and Bampett Muhamed.[2]

6. Islam is one of the epochs depicted in ‘The Evolution of Civilization,’ a mural on the dome of the main Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building in the Library of Congress. Its contribution to human progress is represented as Physics. 

History Islam Muslims America
Evolution of Civilization dome, Reading Room, The Library of Congress. Credit CC: www.GlynLowe.com via Flickr

7. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is represented among the great lawgivers of history on a wall of the U.S. Supreme Court building placed halfway between the allegorical figures of Philosophy and Equity.

History Islam Muslims America
Frieze depicting Prophet Muhammad in the United States Supreme Court

8. The first significant number of Muslims arrived in America more than 400 years ago. It is estimated that there were between 600,000 to 1.2 million enslaved Black Africans of Muslim heritage in the United States. One congressman’s grandson described slaves on their plantation as having been “fresh from the darkest Africa, some of Moorish or Arabian descent, devout Mussulmans, who prayed to Allah in the morning, noon and evening.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori
Drawing of Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori, a Muslim prince from West Africa who was made a slave in the United States.

9. Officers of the Marine Corps carry the Mameluke Sword originally given to Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon in 1805 by a Mameluke chieftain in North Africa after the historic battle of Derna.

 

Further reading

Find out morehttp://www.mpac.org/publications/policy-papers/muslims-and-the-making-of-america.php

Footnotes

[1] Manseau, Peter (February 9, 2015). “The Muslims of Early America”. New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2015.

[2] Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History. Retrieved March 5, 2015.

 

MORE LIKE THIS

HISTORY

Graphic Designer/Writer
  1. Assalam to all I am surprised shocked to know that the history off Muslims and America goes that far it is such a beautiful finding I do not have the words to express my feelings this I will forward to my children and many others who are not aware off the history behind muslims and America subhan Allah and jazak Allah (thank you ) for this beautiful historical data I still feel shocked .may be if these historic events and activities where more enlightened in every school at young age know a days youth would understand the piece between all that had been made and things would not be so devastating and misleading as they are today for many in many ways .Islam is a religion off piece and love Alhamdulillah .

    1. Wa alaykum salam Shabina, thank you for your lovely comment. We definitely agree, more people need to know about this history.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.

Newsletter

SUPPORT OUR WORK
If you enjoy our content and believe in our vision, please consider supporting us financially by becoming a Patron