Muslims number between 7 (The New York Times estimate:-Feb. 21, 1989) and 16 million (The Chicago Tribune-2000). Most estimates put the number at around 10 million. The reason for the disparity is that the census bureau does not ask for religious affiliation. The population is expected to double by 2027. Muslims are NOT new to America. We are not the Johnny come lately. The History of Muslims in America is the history of America itself. We all built America and will continue to build it together. Like all other immigrants, Muslims came to America in a variety of ways. From the earliest times to the present Muslims came to America, as explorers, as slaves, as students, as economic refugees, as professionals and as immigrants. The name Tallahassee actually means,” Allah will deliver you sometime in the future.” In North America, there are no less than 565 names of tribes, villages, cities, mountains and other lands sites of Islamic or Arabic roots
1178: A Chinese document known as the Sung Document records the voyage of Muslim sailors to a land known as Mu-Lan-pi (America).
1310: Abu Bakri (Abu Bakar), a Muslim king of the Malian Empire, spearheads a series of sea voyages to the New World. They Came Before Columbus (1976) by Ivan Van Sertima
1312: Mandinga, African Muslims, from Mali and other parts of West Africa arrive in the Gulf of Mexico for exploration of America’s interior using the Mississippi River as their access rout. African Presence In Early America by Van Sertima
1492: Columbus sailed from Spain the same day when Jews were expelled from Spain, the same day the 2nd Temple was destroyed. The Isabella and the Mayflower sailed from Andulusia Spain. That entire area was full of Muslims and the earliest ships to America had Muslims Spaniards, and Muslim Moors on the ships. Columbus used Muslim maps 1539: Moroccan guide Estephan participated in the exploration of Arizona and New Mexico for the viceroy of New Spain. 1717: Arrival in North America of “Arabic-speaking slaves” About 25% of the slaves from Africa were Muslim and against all odds (“Kunte Kunte in Roots”), many maintained their religion for many generations. In fact about 3.5 Muslim in America today are Muslim slave descendants of Muslims 1787: Treaties between US government and the Cherokees signed on the Delaware River bear the signatures of Abdel-Khak and Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. In 1787 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams formalized a treaty with Morocco securing commerce and waterway rights. A similar treaty was signed with Algeria in 1795 1866: The last Cherokee’s chief was a Muslim Ramadhan Ibn Wati who served as a Confederate brigadier general, surrendered his command to the United States on June 23, 1865. (http://membres.lycos.fr/andalus/english/info/cherokee.htm) His son Saladin Watie served on Southern Cherokee delegation to Washington, D.C. to sign a new treaty with the United States at the end of Civil War 1900: Earliest recorded Muslim group to organize for communal prayers, in Ross, North Dakota. 1934: First building designated as Mosque, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 1952: Muslim servicemen allowed to identify their religion as Muslim by the US government 1960s: Nation of Islam flourishes. Small immigration of Muslim doctors etc 1963: “Muslim Students Association” (MSA) established 1965: Malcolm “x” assassinated 1970: Trickle of Muslim students in Engineering and Science 1982: ISNA Established. Major immigration from South Asia and Middle East. Flood of economic and political refugees along with the students 1987: Alert Network established. Later becomes CAIR 1992 Imam Warith Deen Mohammed gives the invocation in the Senate 1996: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton celebrates Eid Al-Fitr, February 20, 1996 2000 Muslims endorsed Governor Bush for bloc vote who won in one the most narrow election in the history of the US
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