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The History of Islam in the United States is divided into three periods: the pre-Columbian and colonization period, post World War I period, and the last few decades.

Early Muslims

See also: Pre-Columbian Islamic contact theories

There is evidence that Muslims from Spain and West Africa sailed to America. According to professor Mahmoud Ayoub, while this should not be discounted, it is far from being conclusive.It is considered very likely that, after the fall of Granada in 1492, the harsh Inquisition against Muslims and Jews, led many to flee to America soon after Columbus' voyage. There exist records that point to Muslim presence before 1550.

Estevanico of Azamor, a slave servant aboard the Spanish exlorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca's expeditions to America in the 16th century was a Moor since Estevanico appears in Alvar Nunez's journal by the Spanish world "negro alarabe" ( black arabe or uncivilized or brutal"). Cabeza de Vaca landed in Florida in 1527, where most of his party perished save for four , one of which was Estevanico . De Vaca and Estevanico were enslaved by Indians in 1530 for the next 6 years and finally escaped in 1936. In 1539, Estevanico was purchased by the explorer Mendoza and used as a guide during his explorations of Arizona and New Mexico.

In 1587, a shipload of Moriscos landed and settled in the coastal towns of South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and along the western belt of North Carolina mountains.

Slaves

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Atlantic slave trade brought hundreds of thousands of Africans to North America as slaves. While the there are few records of the origins of slaves, scholars hold that over 50% of slaves came to America from areas in which Islam was at least a religion of the minority. Thus, no less than 200,000 of the 400,000-523,000 slaves imported came from areas influenced by Islam. Non-Muslim slaves were acquainted with some portion of the tenets of Islam, due to Muslim trading and proselytizing activities. These slaves first arrived in what is now the United States during the 1520's.

Estimates of the percentages of Muslim slaves purchased from Arab Slave traders as a total of the whole vary from at least 10% to more than 20%. Much of these slaves came from areas of Muslim majority: Senegambia, Niger and Sudan. Many of these slaves were well educated in Arabic and religious sciences. Two of the best known early Muslims are West Africa slaves: Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, who was brought to America in 1731 and returned to Africa in 1734, and Omar Ibn Said in the mid 19th century.

Muslim slaves were able to preserve their faith and heritage and tried to maintain contact with their places of origin. There exists evidence that Muslim slaves, despite living in a society hostile to slaves, assembled communal prayers. In some cases Muslim slaves were provided a private praying area by their owner. Bilali, a notorious Muslim slave, is known to have fasted, worn a fez and kaftan and observe the Muslim feasts in addition to his prayers. Many Muslim slaves conversed in the Arabic language. Some even wrote literature (such as an autobiographies) and chapters from the Quran.

Despite living in a hostile environment, there is evidence that early Muslim slaves assembled for communal prayers. In limited cases some were occasionally provided a private praying area by their owner. Two of the most widely known examples of Muslim slaves in North America are Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Omar ibn Said. Suleiman was brought to America in 1731 and returned to Africa in 1734. Like many Muslim slaves, he often encountered impediments when attempting to perform religious rituals. For example, it is said that a white child threw dirt at Suleiman’s face after catching him praying. However, Suleiman was eventually allotted a private location for prayer by his master. Omar Ibn Said (ca. 1770 –1864) is among the best documented examples of a practicing-Muslim slave. He lived on a colonial Louisiana plantation and wrote many Arabic texts while enslaved. Born in the kingdom of Futa Toro (modern Senegal), he arrived in America on December 27, 1807 aboard the ship Heart of Oak, one month before the US abolished importation of slaves. Some of his works include the Lords Prayer, the Bismillah, this is How You Pray, Quranic phases, the 23rd Psalm and an autobiography. In 1857, he produced his last known writing on Surah 110 of the Quran. In 1819, Omar received an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible from his master, James Owen. This Bible is housed at Davidson College in North Carolina since being donated by Ellen Guion in 1871. Although Omar converted to Christianity on December 3, 1820, many modern scholars believe he continued to be a practicing Muslim, based on dedications to the Prophet Mohammed written in his Bible. In 1991 a masjid in Fayetteville, NC renamed itself Masjid Omar Ibn Said in his honor.

Another example is Bilali (Ben Ali) Muhammad, a Fula Muslim from Timbo Futa-Jallon in present day Guinea-Conakry who arrived to Sapelo Island, Georgia during 1803. While enslaved, he became the religious leader and Imam for a slave community numbering approximately eighty Muslim men residing on his plantation. He is known to have fasted during the month of Ramadan, worn a fez and kaftan and observed the Muslim feasts, in addition to consistently performing the five obligatory prayers. In 1829, Bilali authored a thirteen page Arabic Risala on Islamic law and conduct. Known as the Bilali Document, it is currently housed at the University of Georgia in Athens.

There were, however, many impediments to this observation of religious rituals. For example, a white boy threw dirt at Ayub Sulayman's face after he caught him praying. Sulayman, however, was eventually provided with a private place to pray by his master.

Modern

In 1790, the South Carolina legislative body granted a special statute to a community of Moroccans, as the Sultan of Morocco had recognized the United States in 1777. Morocco was the first nation to recognize the United States of America. In 1796, then president John Adams signed a treaty declaring the United States had no "character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen".

In 1888, Alexander Russell Webb, who is considered by historians to be the earliest prominent Anglo-American Muslim, converted to Islam. He was a newspaper editor and a diplomt. Upon his conversion he wrote three books on Islam and established a periodical The Muslim World. In 1893, he was the only person representing Islam at the first Parliament for the World's Religions.

Immigration

Small scale migration to the U.S. of Muslims began in 1840, with the arrival of Yemenites and Turks, and lasted until World war I. Most of the immigrants, from Arab areas of the Ottoman Empire, came with the purpose of making money and returning to their homeland. The economic hardships of 19th century America, however, prevented them from prospering. As a result the immigrants permanently settled. These immigrants setteld primarily in dearborn (Michigan), Quincy (Massachusetts) and Rose (North Dakota).

The earliest mosques were built in 1910s. Construction of mosques sped up in the 1920s and 1930s, and by 1952, there were over 20 mosques. Early, notable mosques included:

• In 1915, what is most likely the first mosque, was founded by Albanian Muslims in Biddeford, Maine. However, it was not built from the ground up but was a room in a meeting house in a milltown.
• In 1906, Bosnians in Chicago established the Jamiat Harijje (The Benevolent Society). This was the first incorporated Islamic organization and predated later, more notorious mosques, like the Polish Tartar Mosque in New York.
• 1907 Immigrants from Poland, Russia, and Lithuania founded the first Muslim organization in New York City.
• In 1919, Muslims built a mosque in Connecticut.
• In 1928, Polish Tatar Muslims built a mosque in Brooklyn, which is still in use.
• 1934 The first building built specifically to be a mosque and is still in operation is established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. An earlier mosque was established in Ross, North Dakota but was torndown in 1978. A new mosque was built on the same site in 2006.

Although the first mosque was established in the U.S. in 1915, relatively few mosques were founded before the 1960s. Eighty-seven percent of mosques in the U.S. were founded within the last three decades according to the Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey. California has more mosques than any other state.

See also

• Pre-Columbian Islamic contact theories