Books Reviews
A History of Islam in America
by Kambiz Ghaneabassiri
The inspiration for the website, this book gave a detailed and historical account of Muslims living in America. From the enslaved West African Muslims in colonial Americas, to late 20th century historical figures such as Malcolm X; as well as more recent events such as post 9/11. Ghaneabassiri mentions organizations and their members, such as the Nation of Islam and the Muslim Student Association in Canada and the U.S., and how they were linked to America's history--i.e. enslavement, segregation, and economic imbalance between race, ethnicity, and religion. Ghaneabassiri introduces and concludes his book by emphasizing the importance of understanding each individual's background as their own, as well as learning about how each individual or group of people's reason for immigration is linked to a more broad picture.
by Kambiz Ghaneabassiri
The inspiration for the website, this book gave a detailed and historical account of Muslims living in America. From the enslaved West African Muslims in colonial Americas, to late 20th century historical figures such as Malcolm X; as well as more recent events such as post 9/11. Ghaneabassiri mentions organizations and their members, such as the Nation of Islam and the Muslim Student Association in Canada and the U.S., and how they were linked to America's history--i.e. enslavement, segregation, and economic imbalance between race, ethnicity, and religion. Ghaneabassiri introduces and concludes his book by emphasizing the importance of understanding each individual's background as their own, as well as learning about how each individual or group of people's reason for immigration is linked to a more broad picture.
California’s Arab Americans
by Janice Marschner
The book traces the origins of Arab American and their settlements in various parts of California in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century.
Chapter 10 of the book focuses mainly on the Bay Area and how the
Arab-American community came settled into various parts. In addition it
documents several stories about individuals –and families- who came from Arab countries and how they built their lives here in the bay area. The author explains the history of Arab –Muslims and Christians- in every county in the bay area.
by Janice Marschner
The book traces the origins of Arab American and their settlements in various parts of California in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century.
Chapter 10 of the book focuses mainly on the Bay Area and how the
Arab-American community came settled into various parts. In addition it
documents several stories about individuals –and families- who came from Arab countries and how they built their lives here in the bay area. The author explains the history of Arab –Muslims and Christians- in every county in the bay area.
Arab America: Gender, Cultural Politics, and Activism
by Nadine Naber
Arab Americans are one of the most misunderstood segments of the U.S. population, especially after the events of 9/11. In Arab America, Nadine Naber tells the stories of second generation Arab American young adults living in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of whom are political activists engaged in two culturalist movements that draw on the conditions of diaspora, a Muslim global justice and a Leftist Arab movement.
Writing from a transnational feminist perspective, Naber reveals the complex and at times contradictory cultural and political processes through which "Arabness" is forged in the contemporary United States, and explores the apparently intra-communal cultural concepts of religion, family, gender, and sexuality as the battleground on which Arab American young adults and the looming world of America all wrangle. As this struggle continues, these young adults reject Orientalist thought, producing counter-narratives that open up new possibilities for transcending the limitations of Orientalist, imperialist, and conventional nationalist articulations of self, possibilities that ground concepts of religion, family, gender, and sexuality in some of the most urgent issues of our times: immigration politics, racial justice struggles, and U.S. militarism and war. For an interview with the book's author, click here.
by Nadine Naber
Arab Americans are one of the most misunderstood segments of the U.S. population, especially after the events of 9/11. In Arab America, Nadine Naber tells the stories of second generation Arab American young adults living in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of whom are political activists engaged in two culturalist movements that draw on the conditions of diaspora, a Muslim global justice and a Leftist Arab movement.
Writing from a transnational feminist perspective, Naber reveals the complex and at times contradictory cultural and political processes through which "Arabness" is forged in the contemporary United States, and explores the apparently intra-communal cultural concepts of religion, family, gender, and sexuality as the battleground on which Arab American young adults and the looming world of America all wrangle. As this struggle continues, these young adults reject Orientalist thought, producing counter-narratives that open up new possibilities for transcending the limitations of Orientalist, imperialist, and conventional nationalist articulations of self, possibilities that ground concepts of religion, family, gender, and sexuality in some of the most urgent issues of our times: immigration politics, racial justice struggles, and U.S. militarism and war. For an interview with the book's author, click here.
Islam in America
By Professor Jane Smith
Most Americans are only vaguely aware of the Muslim community in the United States and know little about the religion itself, despite Islam's increasing importance in international affairs and the rapid growth in the number of Americans who call themselves Muslims. Now a foremost authority in the field has crafted a richly textured portrait of the Muslim community in the United States today. Jane I. Smith introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in this country, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of American Muslims.
The volume pays particular attention to the tension felt by many in this community as they attempt to live faithfully, adhering to their traditions while at the same time adapting to an alien culture that appears to many Muslims to be excessively secular and materialistic. The book also covers the role of women in American Islam, the raising and educating of children, the use of products acceptable to Muslims, appropriate dress and behavior, concerns about prejudice and unfair treatment, and other issues related to life in a country in which Islam is often misunderstood.
By Professor Jane Smith
Most Americans are only vaguely aware of the Muslim community in the United States and know little about the religion itself, despite Islam's increasing importance in international affairs and the rapid growth in the number of Americans who call themselves Muslims. Now a foremost authority in the field has crafted a richly textured portrait of the Muslim community in the United States today. Jane I. Smith introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in this country, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of American Muslims.
The volume pays particular attention to the tension felt by many in this community as they attempt to live faithfully, adhering to their traditions while at the same time adapting to an alien culture that appears to many Muslims to be excessively secular and materialistic. The book also covers the role of women in American Islam, the raising and educating of children, the use of products acceptable to Muslims, appropriate dress and behavior, concerns about prejudice and unfair treatment, and other issues related to life in a country in which Islam is often misunderstood.
American Muslim Women
By Jamillah Karim
African American Muslims and South Asian Muslim immigrants are two of the largest ethnic Muslim groups in the U.S. Yet there are few sites in which African Americans and South Asian immigrants come together, and South Asians are often held up as a "model minority" against African Americans. However, the American ummah, or American Muslim community, stands as a unique site for interethnic solidarity in a time of increased tensions between native-born Americans and immigrants.
This ethnographic study of African American and South Asian immigrant Muslims in Chicago and Atlanta explores how Islamic ideals of racial harmony and equality create hopeful possibilities in an American society that remains challenged by race and class inequalities. The volume focuses on women who, due to gender inequalities, are sometimes more likely to move outside of their ethnic Muslim spaces and interact with other Muslim ethnic groups in search of gender justice.
American Muslim Women explores the relationships and sometimes alliances between African Americans and South Asian immigrants, drawing on interviews with a diverse group of women from these two communities. Karim investigates what it means to negotiate religious sisterhood against America's race and class hierarchies, and how those in the American Muslim community both construct and cross ethnic boundaries.
American Muslim Women reveals the ways in which multiple forms of identity frame the American Muslim experience, in some moments reinforcing ethnic boundaries, and at other times, resisting them
By Jamillah Karim
African American Muslims and South Asian Muslim immigrants are two of the largest ethnic Muslim groups in the U.S. Yet there are few sites in which African Americans and South Asian immigrants come together, and South Asians are often held up as a "model minority" against African Americans. However, the American ummah, or American Muslim community, stands as a unique site for interethnic solidarity in a time of increased tensions between native-born Americans and immigrants.
This ethnographic study of African American and South Asian immigrant Muslims in Chicago and Atlanta explores how Islamic ideals of racial harmony and equality create hopeful possibilities in an American society that remains challenged by race and class inequalities. The volume focuses on women who, due to gender inequalities, are sometimes more likely to move outside of their ethnic Muslim spaces and interact with other Muslim ethnic groups in search of gender justice.
American Muslim Women explores the relationships and sometimes alliances between African Americans and South Asian immigrants, drawing on interviews with a diverse group of women from these two communities. Karim investigates what it means to negotiate religious sisterhood against America's race and class hierarchies, and how those in the American Muslim community both construct and cross ethnic boundaries.
American Muslim Women reveals the ways in which multiple forms of identity frame the American Muslim experience, in some moments reinforcing ethnic boundaries, and at other times, resisting them
Al-Mughtaribun: American Law and the Transformation of Muslim Life in the United States
by Kathleen M. Moore
In a wwell-documented book, Kathleen M. Moore talks about how Muslims have assimilated not only to the American land but also to the “law of the land”. The author discusses various topics such as the five waves of
immigration, as well the issue of who the “acceptable” and “unacceptable”migrants are in the U.S. Kathleene M. Moore also discusses how Muslims began to get more politically involved in their communities from early on, to more recent times, such as the community of Fremont when they deciding to build a mosque.
by Kathleen M. Moore
In a wwell-documented book, Kathleen M. Moore talks about how Muslims have assimilated not only to the American land but also to the “law of the land”. The author discusses various topics such as the five waves of
immigration, as well the issue of who the “acceptable” and “unacceptable”migrants are in the U.S. Kathleene M. Moore also discusses how Muslims began to get more politically involved in their communities from early on, to more recent times, such as the community of Fremont when they deciding to build a mosque.