The increasing rate of division of Muslims in the United States

Often referred to erroneously in the media as a homogeneous unit, Muslim Americans constitute a large population that is far from monolithic and is, in fact, extremely diverse. Although Muslims have been in the United States for centuries and have been studied by scholars interested in religion and new religious movements, the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001, have stimulated scholarship from a wider range of disciplines. A richer and more complex understanding of American Muslims and their varying rates of assimilation into U.S. society requires closer attention to differences in race, class, and ethnicity among the various American Muslim groups and the tensions and coalitions that exist between them. Indeed, American Muslims consist of many factions, such as Sunnis, Shi'as, and Sufis. Sunnis make up the largest numbers of American Muslims, followed by Shi'as, with Sufis in a small minority. This entry provides an overview of this diverse group and related issues.

African American Muslims

Muslims came to America from different parts of the world and at different times. The first accounts of Muslims in America were of those who came as slaves from Africa. One slave was eventually freed because of his literacy and knowledge of Islam. Many slaves were forced to convert to Christianity, but a few studies have shown that Islam played a role in encouraging rebellion of slaves against their masters. (Leonard, 15)

After the death of Elijah Muhammad, his son Warith Deen Muhammad took over the Nation of Islam and tried to move the teachings closer to the practices of orthodox Sunni Muslims while still retaining a focus on African American issues. Louis Farrakhan split from Warith Deen in order to bring the Nation back to the original teachings of Elijah Muhammad. The Nation of Islam under the leadership of Farrakhan organized two marches on Washington, the Million Man March in 1995 and the Millions More March in 2005, in an attempt to bring racism and the struggles of African Americans back into the consciousness of the American public. (Haddad, 85)

Muslim Immigrants

Accounts of later groups of Muslims immigrating to America describe phases that have been divided by scholars in two different ways. The first divides Muslim immigration to the United States into five waves, with the first three waves (late 1800s to early 1900s) consisting primarily of Arab Muslim immigrants who were predominantly rural and uneducated. Immigrants who arrived during the fourth wave consisted of the elite and refugees and came from South Asia, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The fifth wave of Muslim immigrants came to the United States after immigration restrictions were lifted through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. These Muslim immigrants contributed to the diversity of American Muslims that we see today, for there were a substantial number of immigrants from Asian, South Asian, and some African and Caribbean countries. (Esposito, 95)

In a different view of Muslim immigration, the first ...