Islam in America: Diaspora Islam

The largest population of Muslims in the United States is ‘Diaspora Islam.’ The term ‘Diaspora Islam’ simply refers to Muslims who live outside of their native homeland. There are at least three subcategories for diaspora Islam; slave, immigrant, and student Muslims. The first category of diaspora Muslims is ‘slaves’ which is not represented today; however they lay the historical and cultural backdrop for a considerable amount of American Muslims today. Understanding the Muslims who were slaves is essential for understanding the American Muslim mind and conscience today.

Even before slaves arrived in the Americas there was a Muslims presence. Some scholars argue that Muslims visited America nearly two centuries before the time of Christopher Columbus’s venture in 1492. Jane Smith writes, “Muslims sailed from Spain and parts of the northwestern coast of Africa to both South and North America and were among the members of Columbus’s own crew” (Smith 1999: 50). However, by the late seventeen hundreds, there was a definite Muslim presence in America. Samuel Hill notes that by 1800, some 500,000 Africans arrived in what became the United States. Historians estimate that between 15 to 30 percent of all enslaved African men, and less than 15 percent of the enslaved African women, were Muslims (Hill 2005: 394). The suppression and abuse of slaves to express their Islamic faith would prove to be underlining influence of ‘black Islam’ in the twentieth century.

The second group of diaspora Muslims is immigrant Islam. Immigrant Islam represents the largest group of diaspora Muslims. Historically immigrant Muslims arrived in America to better their lives and return to their homeland. Today some Muslims have the same dream while others never have the intention to return to their homeland. Pew Research Center findings show that “Children under age 15 make up a relatively small portion of the U.S. Muslim population today. Only 13.1% of Muslims are in the 0-14 age group. This reflects the fact that a large proportion of Muslims in the U.S. are newer immigrants who arrived as adults (The future of…2011). Immigrant Muslims will continue to face numerous challenges. One such challenge among immigrant Muslims is to be unified. Asma Gull Hasan, an American Muslims, believes, “One of the significant jihads or struggles that American Muslims are facing is unifying their community. Unification will take some time to achieve” (Hasan 2004:177). The issues facing immigrant Muslims not only affect Muslims but all immigrants.

The final group of diaspora Muslims is university students. These Muslims do not reflect numerical statistics but play a pivotal role in the emergence of Islam in America. Muslim youth who are studying at universities come from a variety of predominantly Islamic countries with the requirement that they return to payback and serve their home country. These students face the same problems as most international students. The students often find themselves lonely, depressed, and disconnected from the greater community. The American Muslim community has tried to mobilize these students to not only fit into their societies but be effective Muslim activist for their university campuses. The Muslims Student Association (MSA) specifically works for the rights of Muslim students on their campuses. They also try to equip them to live faithfully as Muslims on their campuses. Mission Islam, Youth with a Mission is another organization that encourages and equips Muslim students and youth to share their faith with their peers. Then Islamic American University offers distant learning degrees for Muslims who want to learn more about their faith while they spend time in America. All these Islamic organization have the same agenda which is to confirm and expand the Islamic faith in America. The needs of Muslim students are often met through these organizations.