Mosques or Islamic Centers are a positive force in America. Situation of Muslims in America is different from Muslims in Europe. United States has more than 2200 Islamic Centers. Muslims are well integrated in the society. Pew Research

1. American Islam: A Model of
Freedom, Moderation, and
Integration
Friday, April 13, 2018

2. Islam’s Vision
Islam invites to the subul as-salaam
(pathway of peace); peace of mind,
peace of conscience, peace in the
family and society, peace with one's
Creator and His creation.
One of the attributes of the Divine is As-Salaam (The Source of
Peace) and Muslim greeting universally, upon meeting and
departing, is as-salamu 'alaykum or "peace be unto you".

3. • No religion is unified (Catholicism, for e.g. as practiced in
rural Italy differs from the way it is practiced in New York
city)
• Basic Islamic principles derived from the Quran and the life
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
• Local customs and traditions (food, dress, language etc.)
are reflected in practices (e.g. Indonesia vs Egypt, Bosnia
vs Somalia, Albania vs Malaysia)
• Variations in the interpretation of that law have contributed
to regional differences
American Islam?
Is Islam defined by geography?

4. American Values
Islamic Values

5. Muslims in USA
3.45MPew Research, 2018
<1%
of total US population

6. History of Islam in
America

7. –President Obama
“Islam has been woven into the fabric of our
country since its founding”

8. Islam in America
• Many historians claim that the
earliest Muslims came from the
Senegambian region of Africa in
the early 14th century. Included
Moors expelled from Spain, who
made their way to the Caribbean
and possibly to the Gulf of Mexico.
• When Columbus made his journey
to the United States, it is said he
took with him a book written by
Portuguese Muslims who had
navigated their way to the New
World in the 12th century.
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/islam-in-america/

9. 14th century: First real wave of Muslims in the United States: African slaves of whom 10
to 15 percent were said to be Muslims. Many were forcibly converted to Christianity, and
by the end of the 19th century Islam had all but disappeared among these communities.

10. Muslims in America
• 1878 to 1924: Muslim immigrants from the Middle East, particularly from Syria and
Lebanon, arrived in large numbers, with many settling in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and
even the Dakotas.
• 1930s to 1940s: Arab immigrants began to establish communities and build
mosques. African-American Muslims had already built their own mosques, and by
1952 there was more than 1,000 in North America.
• 1952: an entirely new group of Muslims came from places such as Palestine (many
had come in 1948 after the establishment of Israel), Iraq, and Egypt.
• 1960s: Waves of South-east Asian Muslims also making their way to America.
Muslims also came from Africa, Asia and even Latin America.
• Post 2000s: Today, the largest Muslim immigrant group hails from South Asia
(Pakistan, India, Bangladesh).

11. Freedom
https://www.hispantv.com/noticias/oriente-medio/334650/islam-religion-dominante-mundo-refugiados

12. And We have certainly honored the children of Adam. [17:70]
ْ‫د‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬َ‫و‬‫ا‬َ‫ن‬‫م‬َّ‫ر‬َ‫ك‬‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬َ‫ب‬َْ‫م‬َ‫د‬‫آ‬
ْ‫ِّر‬ِ‫ك‬َ‫ذ‬َ‫ف‬‫آ‬َ‫م‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬َْ‫نت‬َ‫أ‬ْ‫ِّر‬ِ‫ك‬َ‫ذ‬ُ‫م‬ - َْ‫ت‬‫س‬َّ‫ل‬‫م‬ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ر‬ِ‫ط‬‫ي‬َ‫س‬ُ‫م‬ِ‫ب‬
So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder. You are
not over them a controller. [88:21-22]
َْ‫ل‬َْ‫ه‬‫ا‬َ‫ر‬‫ك‬ِ‫إ‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ِْ‫ِّين‬ِ‫د‬‫ال‬ْْۖ‫د‬َ‫ق‬َْ‫ن‬َّ‫ي‬َ‫ب‬َ‫ت‬ُْ‫د‬‫ش‬ُّ‫الر‬َْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ِِّْ‫ي‬َ‫غ‬‫ال‬
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.
The right course has become clear from the wrong.. [2:256]

13. American identity is open,
flexible and continuously
evolving
Islam has long been part of the tapestry of American
identity

15. Thomas Jefferson’s Quran
• Famously owned a copy of the Quran, had much to
say about Islam's place in America.
• Jefferson, while campaigning for religious freedom
in Virginia, demanded “recognition of the
religious rights of the 'Mahamdan,' the Jew and
the ‘pagan."

16. https://nayzak.deviantart.com/art/Thomas-Jefferson-s-Qur-an-309155997

17. Freedom of Worship in
America
• The first mosque was in
North Dakota.
• Iowa is home to the
oldest surviving place of
worship built for Muslims,
the Mother Mosque of
America.
• There are now more than
2,100 mosques across
the country.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/05/being-muslim-in-america/

18. Moderation
center point between two extremes

19. Thus, We have made you a justly balanced
community that you will be witnesses over the people
and the Messenger will be a witness over you. [2:143]
“ ََ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬ََٰ‫ذ‬َ‫ك‬ َ‫و‬َْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬‫َا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ج‬ْ‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬‫ا‬‫ط‬َ‫س‬َ‫و‬‫و‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ت‬ِ‫ل‬‫وا‬ُ‫ن‬ََ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫د‬َ‫ه‬ُ‫ش‬‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َِ‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ََ‫ون‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ي‬ َ‫و‬
َُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫س‬َّ‫الر‬َْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬‫ًا‬‫د‬‫ي‬ِ‫ه‬َ‫ش‬ ”

20. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/american-muslims-are-a-diverse-group-with-changing-views/

21. Integration

22. And humankind was not but one community [united in
religion], but [then] they differed. [10:19]
‫ا‬َ‫م‬َ‫و‬َْ‫ان‬َ‫ك‬ُْ‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬َّْ‫ل‬ِ‫إ‬ْ‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ْ‫َة‬‫د‬ ِ‫اح‬َ‫و‬ْ‫وا‬ُ‫ف‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ت‬‫اخ‬َ‫ف‬

25. 4 in 10 Muslim American adults are white
20%
Black
28%
Asian
8%
Hispanic
3%
Other
41%
White
Pew, 2017
American Islam not dominated by a single
sect or ethnicity

26. America’s Muslims differ from
Europe’s in both quantity and origin
• Algerians & Moroccans in France
• Turks in Germany
• Pakistanis in Britain

27. Mosques are a positive force
in America
• The Muslim American Public Opinion Survey
(MAPOS) found that mosques and religiosity are
actually associated with high levels of civic
engagement and support for the American political
system.
• Study interviewed American Muslims across the
nation and asked questions about the importance of
religion, civic and political participation in the United
States.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/09/barreto.muslim.religion/index.html

28. Muslims in Politics
• In 2007, Keith Ellison,
the first Muslim elected
to the US Congress,
was sworn in — using
Thomas Jefferson's
copy of the Quran.
Keith Ellison takes his oath of office with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and his wife, Kim. (Getty)

29. Ilhan Omar
• Ilhan Omar (born 1982) is a
Somali-American politician
from Minnesota.
• In 2016, she was elected to
Minnesota House of
Representatives

30. Judge Carolyn Walker-
Diallo
Took the oath as a civil court judge for
the 7th Municipal District at the
Brooklyn while swearing to abide by
the U.S. constitution placing her hand
on the Holy Qur’an

31. American Muslims in Sports

32. Diyanet Center of America | Courtesy of the Diyanet Center of America, Maryland
Architecture

33. "God is beautiful and loves beauty."
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him

34. Mosque -
Masjid
• The mosque, masjid in
Arabic, is the Muslim
gathering place for
prayer.
• Masjid simply means
“place of prostration.”
Islamic Center of America (Dearborn, Michigan)

35. Mosque, Masjid, Islamic
Center
• A mosque complex frequently includes ancillary
buildings or rooms for scholarship, social functions,
and even commerce.
• “The Islamic Center is more of a hub of cultural
and community events containing other elements
such as multipurpose rooms and halls, meetings
rooms, offices, and gymnasiums,” McCoy
http://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/placing-worship

36. Mosques in History
• Most historical mosques are not stand-alone
buildings.
• Many incorporated charitable institutions like soup
kitchens, hospitals, and schools.

37. Mosque Architecture
• The architecture of a mosque is shaped most
strongly by the regional traditions of the time and
place where it was built.
• As a result, style, layout, and decoration can vary
greatly.
• Nevertheless, because of the common function of
the mosque as a place of congregational prayer,
certain architectural features appear in mosques all
over the world.

38. Mosque Architecture
• Most Midwestern mosques blended into their
surroundings.
• The temples or mosques of the Nation of Islam -- an
indigenous form of Islam led by Elijah Muhammad
from 1934 to 1975 -- were often converted
storefronts and churches.
• Today there are more than 2,000 places of Muslim
prayer, most of them mosques, in the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605510.html

39. –Chris McCoy, a Kentucky native and architect of Islamic buildings
“the question is usually not whether we should
have an Indian- or a Saudi-style dome but, can
we afford a dome?”

40. Consultation
• “The Islamic principle of Shura (mutual
consultation), which has long been forgotten in the
Muslim world, where authoritarian and despotic
regimes run the show, is in full force in North
American Masjids.”
• “According to the Masjid survey, 59 percent of
Masjids make decisions via a consultative council
and 28 percent are made by the Imam.”
https://www.soundvision.com/article/rethinking-the-masjid-in-america

41. 0301Women’s
participation
Higher levels of
female participation
in North American
Mosques
02Weekend
Schools
Islamic centers
educating Muslim
children about Islam
at a basic level
Social Services
& Outreach
Islamic Centers
opening doors to the
local community in
times of need.
The American Islamic Experience
Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center served food to US Navy veterans
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/02/27/veterans-hold-rally-support-muslims/dLzmUNnl8WIAjRfRnKrzyH/story.html

42. American Islam: A Model of
Freedom, Moderation, and
Integration
Thank you for your attention!