Minarets in Dixie: Two 1893 Proposals to Introduce Islam in the American South

Authors

Brent D. Singleton, California State University, San BernardinoFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2006

Publication Title

Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs

Volume

26

Issue

3

First Page

433

Last Page

444

ISSN

1360-2004

DOI

10.1080/13602000601141448

Keywords

Muslim colonies in the United States, Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb, Julius Chambers, Edward Wilmot Blyden

Abstract

In May 1893, Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb, an American convert to Islam, communicated with landowners in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama to purchase property in order to establish colonies of Muslim Indian immigrants. A month earlier, Julius Chambers, a New York newspaper editor, put forth a call to convert the masses of African Americans in the South to Islam. This essay describes the two Islamization schemes, their interrelation, and their ultimate demise. Drawing mainly from Southern newspapers, the resultant press reaction both in support of and in opposition to Webb’s immigration plan is also presented. The essay is a starting point for further investigation into early American Muslim history.

Comments

Published in Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 26, No. 3, December 2006, pp. 433-444 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602000601141448

Recommended Citation

Singleton, Brent D., "Minarets in Dixie: Two 1893 Proposals to Introduce Islam in the American South" (2006). Library Faculty Publications & Presentations. 12.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/library-publications/12