Muslims have been part of the American landscape
since pre-Columbus times. Indeed, early explorers used maps that were
derived from the work of Muslims, with their advanced geographical and
navigational information of the time.
Some
estimate that 10-20 percent of the slaves brought over from Africa were
Muslims. The film Amistad recognized this fact, portraying Muslims
aboard this slave vessel, trying to perform their prayers while chained together
on deck as they crossed the Atlantic. Personal narratives and histories
are harder to find, but some stories have been passed on:
Omar Ibn Said (ca.
1770-1864) was born in the Muslim state of Futa Toro in Western Africa, in
present-day Senegal. He was a Muslim scholar and trader who was
captured and enslaved. He arrived in South Carolina in 1807, and was
sold to James Owen of North Carolina.
Sali-Bul Ali was a slave
on a plantation. His owner James Cooper wrote: "He is a strict
Mahometan; abstains from spirituous liquors, and keeps various fasts,
particularly that of the Ramadan..."
Lamen Kebe was a slave
who used to be a school teacher in Africa. He shared information about
the texts and teaching methods used in the Islamic schools of his country.
Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Sori
spent 40 years in slavery before he returned to Africa to die. He
wrote two autobiographies, and signed a charcoal sketch of himself by Henry
Inman, which was featured on the cover of "Freedman's Journal" and
is on display in the Library of Congress.
Many of the Muslim slaves
were encouraged or forced to convert to Christianity. Many of the
first-generation slaves retained much of their Muslim identity, but in the slave
conditions at the time, this identity was largely lost to later generations.
| 