A History of Conversion to Islam in the United States: White American Muslims Before 1975

414 Pages·2015·1.754 MB·English

by  Patrick D. Bowen

A History of Conversion to Islam in the United States, Volume 1
<UN>
Muslim Minorities
Editorial Board
JØrgen S. Nielsen (University of Copenhagen)
Aminah McCloud (DePaul University, Chicago)
Jörn Thielmann (Erlangen University)
VOLUME 18
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/mumi
<UN>
A History of Conversion to Islam
in the United States, Volume 1
White American Muslims before 1975
By
Patrick D. Bowen
LEIDEN | BOSTON
<UN>
Cover illustration: Mosque on New York City’s Upper East Side. ©iStock.com/flexidan
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bowen, Patrick D.
 A history of conversion to islam in the United States, volume 1 / Patrick D. Bowen.
  pages cm. -- (Muslim minorities ; v. 18)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-29994-8 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-90-04-30069-9 (e-book) 1. Muslim
converts--United States. 2. Islam--United States--History. 3. Muslims--United States. I. Title.
 BP170.5.B68 2015
 297.5’740973--dc23
2015026091
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering
Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities.
For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface.
issn 1570–7571
isbn 978-90-04-29994-8 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-30069-9 (e-book)
Copyright 2015 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and
Hotei Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without prior written permission from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill nv provided
that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
Suite 910, Danvers, ma 01923, usa.
Fees are subject to change.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
<UN>
To my friends and family
∵
<UN>

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
List of Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
PART 1
The Years 1800–1910
1 From Renegades to Transcendentalists 27
2 The Occult Revival 51
3 The Makings of a Muslim Missionary 88
4 Islamophilic Masonry 115
5 The Rise and Fall of a Brotherhood 139
6 The Post-Movement Years 160
PART 2
The Years 1910–1974
7 The Non-Orthodox Transition 203
8 New Bonds 231
9 Uniting Muslim Communities 260
10 The Postwar Shift 290
11 Reorientation 322
Conclusion 361
Bibliography 365
Index 396
<UN>

Acknowledgements
This project could not have come to fruition without the assistance of numer-
ous individuals who generously donated their time, knowledge, money, energy,
and love. While a complete list of people who have aided me in some way dur-
ing these past eight years would be far too large for me to include here (or to
fully remember), I would like to identify a few individuals who have been par-
ticularly helpful in this project, providing both invaluable guidance and, in
some cases, access to extremely important documents.
Perhaps the single most important set of documents that I was able to look
at for this project was the correspondence of Thomas M. Johnson, and I am
greatly indebted to the Johnson family for allowing me the privilege of examin-
ing these fascinating letters. The Special Collections and Archives Department
at Missouri State University was in charge of cataloging and preserving the
Johnson correspondence, and David E. Richards, Anne M. Baker, and the rest
of the staff at msu were gracious hosts when I visited them in March 2013.
Sally Howell and the Bentley Historical Library were my sources for another
incredible set of rare documents concerning Islam in America and similarly
welcolmed me to Ann Arbor in May 2014. Thanks are due to Brent Singleton,
Muhammed Al-Ahari, Marc Demarest, and Dr. Omar Dahbour, all of whom
shared copies of several items related to Islam in America. I also cannot forget
Sharif Anael Bey of ali’s men and K. Paul Johnson, whose willingness to guide
me as I left my intellectual comfort zones has proved invaluable. From the
University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology, where I did my graduate
studies, I would especially like to mention Ginni Ishimatsu, Liyakat Takim
(now at McMaster), Tink Tinker, Carl Raschke, Michelle Kyner and du’s
Interlibrary Loan Department, du’s Acquisitions Department, Eliana
Schonberg, Antony Alumkal, Nader Hashemi, Andrea Stanton, and Catherine
Alber. Lastly, this project could not have become what it is without the dozens
of American Muslims who over the years shared with me the stories of their
religious journeys and communities. Of course, any errors or flaws in this book
are entirely my own.
Funding for research and materials used in this volume was provided by the
University of Denver Humanities Institute Student Travel and Research Grant,
the Charles Redd Center Independent Research and Creative Works Grant, and
the Bentley Historical Library Research Grant.
Finally, I would like to thank all my friends and family, especially my par-
ents, John and Lorraine; my grandmothers, Emily and Mary; my brother, David;
the Quintanas—Antonio, Becca, and Lily; Luis Esparza and family; W.W. and
friends; the c-krs; and my wife, Michelle.
<UN>
List of Abbreviations
aauaa Addeynu Allahe Universal Arabic Association
aia American Islamic Association
aip American Islamic Propaganda
aoi Academy of Islam
bhl Bentley Historical Library
cps Civilian Public Service
fbi Federal Bureau of Investigation
fia Federation of Islamic Associations of the United States and Canada
fp Fonds Papus
g.i.e.e. Groupe Indépendent d’Etudes Esotériques
hctius A History of Conversion to Islam in the United States
iaa Islamic Association of America
iam Islamic Association of Muslims
ima Islamic Mission of America
imb International Muslim Brotherhood
imjc Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri
ims International Moslem Society
isna Islamic Society of North America
itc Islamic Teaching Center
mbusa Moslem Brotherhood of the u.s.a.
mnic Moorish National Islamic Center
moa Moslems of America
msa Muslim Students’ Association of United States and Canada
mst Moorish Science Temple
mwl Muslim World League
noi Nation of Islam
ompf Official Military Personnel File
oom Oriental Order of the Magi
sria Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia
tmj Thomas M. Johnson
ts Theosophical Society
umcgny United Moslem Council of Greater New York
uisa Uniting Islamic Societies of America
wia Western Islamic Association
wmc World Muslim Congress
ymma Young Men’s Moslem Association
<UN>