The Story of Islam in the USA

 Initially, the early Muslims did not come to theUnited Statesin order to settle in it permanently, rather, their aim was to engage in trade, collect some money, and then return to their homelands. However, driven by the glamour of success and their ability to adapt to the surrounding environment, some of the early Muslim immigrants chose to settle in theUnited States. Although the U.S. Constitution stresses the secular identity of the state and emphasizes the separation of religion and state, religion is an essential element in American society and a distinguishing feature of its structure. 

New U.S. immigration laws at the beginning of the sixties, the civil rights movement inAmerica, and the spread of Islam among the African Americans helped to increase the number of Muslims in theU.S. significantly since the late sixties. The issues of the Islamic presence and the development of a distinctive Islamic identity were some of the most important issues that faced Muslims in American society. The most significant problem that faced the early Muslims in the American society was overcoming the psychological, religious, cultural and social obstacles affecting their future and that of their children, their heritage, and their faith in the new society, which has different values and customs.

However, the effective political presence of Muslim minorities in theU.S.still requires greater awareness and conviction on the part of Muslims. They should be more aware of the importance of their role and confident in their ability to influence the political decision-making of theU.S.in order to guarantee that their voices would be heard and their political, economic, social and religious needs would be met.

The crisis of September 11 was a watershed event in the history of the Muslim presence in theU.S.due to its serious implications. Some of its repercussions were: giving rise to more attacks on Muslim minorities in the American society, fixing the deeply- ingrained negative image of Islam and Muslims even more in the minds of the Americans and jeopardizing the rights of Muslims in the U.S. 

However, this crisis could not stop the evolution of the Islamic presence in American society. This is because of the unique nature of this presence in terms of its dependence on the Islamic identity as a source of all values and attitudes. This rendered Muslims less vulnerable to the pressures of total political and social dissolution of the Islamic identity and the culture of Muslims in the melting pot of American society.

Finally, we would like to emphasize that the Islamic situation in the U.S.is improving and the number of its adherents is growing. Moreover, the Islamic Da‘wah work has gained the required accumulated knowledge and experience of what it takes to cross the threshold of a new and bright stage in the field of Islamic Da‘wah. Such knowledge and experience were gained through addressing the problems of the American society directly and offering the Islamic solution as a pragmatic alternative. 

To continue.......

Source: islamstory.com

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