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Muslims and the Making of America
"There has never been an America without Muslims"―so begins Amir Hussain, one of the most important scholars and teachers of Islam in America. Hussain, who is himself an American Muslim, contends that Muslims played an essential role in the creation and cultivation of the United States.
Memories of 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism fuel concerns about American Muslims. The fear of American Muslims in part stems from the stereotype that all followers of Islam are violent extremists who want to overturn the American way of life. Inherent to this stereotype is the popular misconception that Islam is a new religion to America.
In Muslims and the Making of America Hussain directly addresses both of these stereotypes. Far from undermining America, Islam and American Muslims have been, and continue to be, important threads in the fabric of American life. Hussain chronicles the history of Islam in America to underscore the valuable cultural influence of Muslims on American life. He then rivets attention on music, sports, and culture as key areas in which Muslims have shaped and transformed American identity. America, Hussain concludes, would not exist as it does today without the essential contributions made by its Muslim citizens.
Memories of 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism fuel concerns about American Muslims. The fear of American Muslims in part stems from the stereotype that all followers of Islam are violent extremists who want to overturn the American way of life. Inherent to this stereotype is the popular misconception that Islam is a new religion to America.
In Muslims and the Making of America Hussain directly addresses both of these stereotypes. Far from undermining America, Islam and American Muslims have been, and continue to be, important threads in the fabric of American life. Hussain chronicles the history of Islam in America to underscore the valuable cultural influence of Muslims on American life. He then rivets attention on music, sports, and culture as key areas in which Muslims have shaped and transformed American identity. America, Hussain concludes, would not exist as it does today without the essential contributions made by its Muslim citizens.
142 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
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May 1, 2017A slim book outlining some of the achievements of Muslim-Americans and an examination of their history and role since the discovery of this country. It's not meant to be an exhaustive history, but its brevity sometimes feels like a shortcoming. Overall though it's a short interesting book.
December 8, 2016
I have a fascination with erased histories, the things that were true but never talked about, the things that don't make it into the movie version of events, the things that, over time, start to sound impossible. And yet.
Here, we see Muslim slaves brought from Africa, Americans before there was an America. A Muslim country that was the first foreign nation to recognize the United States. The Muslim architect who helped construct the World Trade Center. The artist melding graffiti and manuscript illumination to create a uniquely American Koran. Celebrities who advertise their Muslim faith, like Muhammed Ali, and ones who don't, like Dave Chappelle. Far from being other, Muslims turn out to be deeply interwoven into both America's history and its culture.
Still, if you're looking for a comprehensive history or analysis of Muslims in America, this isn't it (although the bibliography at the end offers plenty of suggestions for where to find such books). It reads more like a conversation with a knowledgeable and passionate friend, offering highlights, thumbnail sketches, and humorous or quirky asides. It's a great starting place for a longer discussion that couldn't be more timely in the current political climate.
Here, we see Muslim slaves brought from Africa, Americans before there was an America. A Muslim country that was the first foreign nation to recognize the United States. The Muslim architect who helped construct the World Trade Center. The artist melding graffiti and manuscript illumination to create a uniquely American Koran. Celebrities who advertise their Muslim faith, like Muhammed Ali, and ones who don't, like Dave Chappelle. Far from being other, Muslims turn out to be deeply interwoven into both America's history and its culture.
Still, if you're looking for a comprehensive history or analysis of Muslims in America, this isn't it (although the bibliography at the end offers plenty of suggestions for where to find such books). It reads more like a conversation with a knowledgeable and passionate friend, offering highlights, thumbnail sketches, and humorous or quirky asides. It's a great starting place for a longer discussion that couldn't be more timely in the current political climate.
November 16, 2016
Awesome book for non-Muslims who want to learn about Muslims and Islam, but don't really know where to start. Offers tons of individual names, groups, and events that are a great starting point to doing your own research (hint hint, Malcom X and Muhammed Ali are great places to start!). The key point to this whole book is that Islam is not a foreign concept to the US; Islam and Muslims have been in this country since way before its establishment in 1776. Now go be proactive and educate the fuck out of yourself about Muslim contributions in America.
April 13, 2024
Can all nonfiction be written like this? Please?
December 18, 2017
I heard Amir Hussain speak in Washington DC this summer and I was fascinated by his talk on the role of Muslims in shaping American society. However, the book was less dazzling. The organization was terrible--it sometimes skipped time periods and subject matters from paragraph to paragraph. The book is so short that it doesn't properly expound on any particular topic. Instead, it feels like a 125-page name drop of all his cool, famous friends who happen to been Muslim. I really loved the concept and loved his speech, but it faltered when put in book form.
February 15, 2017
"One often hears talk of 'Islam and the West' or 'Islam and America.' This brings up an image of two mutually exclusive realities. If we change one simple word, we get instead, 'Islam in the West' or 'Islam in America." That simple change makes all the difference." (page 116)
The premise of this book - that Muslims are not the newcomers to America that we perceive them to be - was quite intriguing, and the author does a fantastic job compiling the stories of the many ways in which Muslims have impacted and shaped America and its culture. There is also an interesting sub-narrative of the ways in which Islam is intertwined not only in conversations about faith, but also race.
The one difficulty I had with the book was the slight jumble in how the information was presented. The short length of the book means that all of the stories are told as quick vignettes, and although he does a decent job connecting all of those dots, the connecting sometimes happens as repetition of information. I would consider this book a solid introduction to a lot of people, history, and topics - almost a literature review, if you will, that will keep me busy tracking down more detailed or in-depth books and materials.
The premise of this book - that Muslims are not the newcomers to America that we perceive them to be - was quite intriguing, and the author does a fantastic job compiling the stories of the many ways in which Muslims have impacted and shaped America and its culture. There is also an interesting sub-narrative of the ways in which Islam is intertwined not only in conversations about faith, but also race.
The one difficulty I had with the book was the slight jumble in how the information was presented. The short length of the book means that all of the stories are told as quick vignettes, and although he does a decent job connecting all of those dots, the connecting sometimes happens as repetition of information. I would consider this book a solid introduction to a lot of people, history, and topics - almost a literature review, if you will, that will keep me busy tracking down more detailed or in-depth books and materials.
February 13, 2017
There was great content and potential here but it fell short of expectations. For a book of this length I felt as if there needed to be a more succinct focus. The author bounced around and, for me, this distracted from the focus. It needed to be a longer book or dive deeper into one of the chapter themes.
April 7, 2019
Islam in the West, Islam in America.
Not Islam and the West or Islam and America.
Not Islam and the West or Islam and America.
January 6, 2018
Saw this book available at the library and was intrigued. I understood the general premise and was familiar with some of the info (for example, about 10-20% of slaves brought to the US were Muslim) but I was curious to know what the author had to say about the role of Muslims and what it could mean.
It wasn't quite like that. Although there were certainly rather interesting tidbits I didn't know (such as a Muslim survivor of the Titanic--I don't think non-European/white passengers are ever covered when talking about the Titanic unless you look for them specifically) but most of it was either familiar information (Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali) or people I really wasn't interested about.
This is not to diminish the roles that these individuals have played and where they stand in US culture/history, etc. But at the same time it did feel a bit like name dropping and the author just wanting to talk about famous/well-known people who were Muslim. I suppose the most interesting parts was the history: the slaves who were brought to the US, what Muslims have contributed in things like architecture, etc. But as others wrote the book does come across as a bit disorganized.
It works best as a primer/introductory book but I wouldn't rely solely on it at all. If you're looking for a place to start this wouldn't be a bad choice. Library borrow.
It wasn't quite like that. Although there were certainly rather interesting tidbits I didn't know (such as a Muslim survivor of the Titanic--I don't think non-European/white passengers are ever covered when talking about the Titanic unless you look for them specifically) but most of it was either familiar information (Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali) or people I really wasn't interested about.
This is not to diminish the roles that these individuals have played and where they stand in US culture/history, etc. But at the same time it did feel a bit like name dropping and the author just wanting to talk about famous/well-known people who were Muslim. I suppose the most interesting parts was the history: the slaves who were brought to the US, what Muslims have contributed in things like architecture, etc. But as others wrote the book does come across as a bit disorganized.
It works best as a primer/introductory book but I wouldn't rely solely on it at all. If you're looking for a place to start this wouldn't be a bad choice. Library borrow.
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September 5, 2019If you're familiar with Howard Zinn and his A People's History of the United States, then you know the significance of his contribution to a more inclusive history. Yet he would be the first to admit (as he has) the blind spots of his work, one of them being Arabs and Muslims in American history. This book is an excellent step toward that necessary addition to our mental landscape of America and its history. This accessible, slim volume introduces readers to some key highlights of Muslim American history.
If I were using this book in a classroom or for self-study, I would try to supplement it with a source that addresses topics concerning Muslim women more, and also a source that addresses the overlap and differences between the terms "Arab" and "Muslim." Hussain doesn't confuse the terms, but he also doesn't explain the difference. Americans can benefit from clarification on the relationships between these two social groups.
If I were using this book in a classroom or for self-study, I would try to supplement it with a source that addresses topics concerning Muslim women more, and also a source that addresses the overlap and differences between the terms "Arab" and "Muslim." Hussain doesn't confuse the terms, but he also doesn't explain the difference. Americans can benefit from clarification on the relationships between these two social groups.
September 18, 2017
This short book covers the history of Muslims in America - going back to the days of the slave trade before the United States was even a nation. According to Hussain's sources, around 10% of the slaves brought over from Western Africa were Muslim. The author then tells the stories of several significant Muslims in America, including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Ahmet Ertegun (who was a cofounder of Atlantic Records), and Fazlur Rahman Khan (the structural engineer who designed the tube frame system that was used in the construction of such skyscrapers as the John Hancock Center, the World Trade Center, and the Sears Tower).
Mr. Hussain's point is that Muslims aren't new to America and have made significant contributions to the United States through music, sports, art, and architecture. It's an important book for non-Muslim Americans to read.
Mr. Hussain's point is that Muslims aren't new to America and have made significant contributions to the United States through music, sports, art, and architecture. It's an important book for non-Muslim Americans to read.
March 6, 2017
This book was a timely read because the author tries to show how Muslims have been involved in America since the very beginning our history and that we are not foreigners or latecomers to the American project. I learned a lot of interesting bits and pieces of information from this book because of that focus but I don't think the information came together well into a single narrative. The author jumps around among a bunch of different topics and his writing can be a little redundant. However, overall I appreciate his mission and definitely appreciate the time and research he did put into the book.
October 15, 2018
This is a good introductory text for people who don't know anything (much) about Muslims in America ... or on this continent before there was an America. By focusing on high profile Muslims in sports and pop culture -- particularly music -- Hussain attempts to highlight the contribution of Islam to American culture. He tries to weave these threads together, finishing with a chapter on architecture. I would have preferred more depth, but I did learn some things. The author has a kind of breathless admiration (hero worship) for some of the people he profiles, and he does insert himself into the prose, but that's not unusual these days.
June 22, 2017
The basic premise is: "We Muslims have been here since colonial days in America. We've been contributing. Take a look!" Factual and persuasive.
August 21, 2017
Pretty good but I saw no mention of cat Stevens.
February 1, 2024
2.5
I admire the author's sentiment, but this could have been a lot more interesting and informative. Probably not the book I was looking for.
I admire the author's sentiment, but this could have been a lot more interesting and informative. Probably not the book I was looking for.
March 17, 2025
“did you know kareem abdul jabbar and mohamed ali were muslim?” why yes i did.
March 7, 2017
This is a great reminder of how Muslims are and have been a vital part of America even before it's inception. A quick and interesting read on contributions of American Muslims.
February 28, 2017
Boy did I learn a lot about Muslims and their history in America. Very informative
February 23, 2017
A good recommendation for a generalist audience.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews