Muslims and the Making of America
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- USD 24.99
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- USD 24.99
Publisher Description
"There has never been an America without Muslims"--so begins Amir Hussain, one of the most important scholars and teachers of Islam in America. Hussain, who is himself an American Muslim, contends that Muslims played an essential role in the creation and cultivation of the United States.
Memories of 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism fuel concerns about American Muslims. The fear of American Muslims in part stems from the stereotype that all followers of Islam are violent extremists who want to overturn the American way of life. Inherent to this stereotype is the popular misconception that Islam is a new religion to America.
In Muslims and the Making of America Hussain directly addresses both of these stereotypes. Far from undermining America, Islam and American Muslims have been, and continue to be, important threads in the fabric of American life. Hussain chronicles the history of Islam in America to underscore the valuable cultural influence of Muslims on American life. He then rivets attention on music, sports, and culture as key areas in which Muslims have shaped and transformed American identity. America, Hussain concludes, would not exist as it does today without the essential contributions made by its Muslim citizens.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"There has never been an America without Muslims," according to Hussain's (Oil & Water) book, a vindication of Muslim Americans and their essential contributions to U.S. history and culture. Addressing errant assumptions that Muslims are new to America, foreign to America, or an "un-American" threat to the nation, Hussain contends that Muslims have in fact made America more American. Unpacking President Barack Obama's Cairo speech, in which he claimed, "Islam has always been a part of America's story," Hussain offers readers a short history of Islam in America and looks at particular contributions that American Muslims have made to culture, music, and sports. Though not exhaustive, these examples clearly illustrate the book's main point that America would not exist as it does today without the essential contributions made by its Muslim inhabitants. At a time when many non-Muslims in America feel ambivalent about or hostile toward Muslims, Hussain's congenial, jovial tone is a welcome antidote to anti-Muslim sentiment and "us/them" diatribes. Rather than simply examining America through a Muslim lens, Hussain uses relevant historical references, personages, and anecdotes to illustrate that American Muslims are already part and parcel of their country's history, culture, and identity.
