| African-American
Muslims |
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Part
3: Today
The number of Muslims in the
United States today is estimated to be between 5-8 million, and it is recognized as
the fastest-growing faith in this country. According to a survey
commissioned last year by the American Muslim Council, African-Americans make up
about 24% of the Muslim population of the U.S. (other estimates are as high as
42%).
The vast majority of African-American Muslims have embraced orthodox Islam and have rejected the
racially-divisive teachings of the Nation of Islam. Only about 20,000
people remain in the Nation of Islam under the leadership of Louis Farrakhan. Warith Deen
Mohammed, a son of Elijah Mohammed, rejected his father's teachings and has
helped lead the community away from the Nation and into orthodox Islam. He
now leads the American Muslim Mission, a network of orthodox Muslim communities
nationwide. He was the first Muslim leader ever to give the invocation on
the Senate floor. Mohammed's leadership has helped bring about a
transition among thousands of African-Americans away from his father's
teachings, and to the true teachings of the Islamic faith. Today,
Muslims in America represent a colorful mosaic that is unique in the
world. African-Americans, Southeast Asians, North Africans, Arabs, and
Europeans come together daily in this country, united in faith, with the
understanding that they are all equal before God.
First page > The Slavery Years > Page
1, 2, 3
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