Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas, 15th Anniversary Edition

339 Pages·2013·3.45 MB·English

by  Diouf

Thank you for buying this ebook, published by NYU Press.
Sign up for our e-newsletters to receive information about forthcoming books,
special discounts, and more!
Sign Up!
About NYU Press
A publisher of original scholarship since its founding in 1916, New York
University Press Produces more than 100 new books each year, with a backlist of
3,000 titles in print. Working across the humanities and social sciences, NYU
Press has award-winning lists in sociology, law, cultural and American studies,
religion, American history, anthropology, politics, criminology, media and
communication, literary studies, and psychology.
SERVANTS OF ALLAH

Servants of Allah
African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas
15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Sylviane A. Diouf
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
© 1998, 2013 by Sylviane Diouf
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Diouf, Sylviane A.
(Sylviane Anna)
Servants of Allah : African Muslims enslaved in the Americas /
Sylviane A. Diouf. — 15th anniversary edition pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-47984711-2 (pb : alk. paper) 1. Slaves—Religious life—United
States—History. 2. Slaves—Religious life—America—History. 3. Muslims,
Black—United States—History.
4. Muslims, Black — American — History. 5. African Americans — History —
To 1863. I. Title.
E443.D56 2013
973’.0496073 — dc23 2013005255
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their
binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Sény and to the memory of Adani
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the 15th Anniversary Edition
1 African Muslims, Christian Europeans, and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
2 Upholding the Five Pillars of Islam in a Hostile World
3 The Muslim Community
4 Literacy: A Distinction and a Danger
5 Resistance, Revolts, and Returns to Africa
6 The Muslim Legacy
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Illustrations appear as a group following page 142.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Researching and writing Servants of Allah was a singularly solitary endeavor.
But once I emerged from the libraries, I immediately received the enthusiastic
support of Niko Pfund, then director of NYU Press, and Jennifer Hammer, my
attentive and brilliant editor. I am deeply thankful to both of them for the first
edition and to NYU Press director Steve Maikowski and to Jennifer again, for
making this second one possible.
Over the years, through this book, I was lucky to meet and befriend a number
of people. Among them are Abdel Kader Haidara, founder of the Mamma
Haidara Memorial Library in Timbuktu, owner and guardian of his family’s five
thousand manuscripts and documents dating from the 1500s. His expertise,
convivial personality, and vision are true treasures. In 1996, I had gone to the
auction where Omar ibn Said’s autobiography and Sana See’s manuscript were
to be offered to the highest bidder. I was well aware I could not be even the
lowest one, but I was eager to know who would get these documents. To my
relief, they were auctioned off to collector Joshua Beard, who has been a diligent
and generous custodian, making the manuscripts widely available to scholars
and exhibitions.
My scholarly and friendly appreciation goes to Paul E. Lovejoy at York
University and Elisée Soumonni at the University of Cotonou for great
discussions and camaraderie. João José Reis at the Federal University of Bahia
has been a gracious colleague always ready to share documents and insights
about Muslims in Brazil. I have enjoyed fascinating conversations, long walks,
and great collaboration with Omar H. Ali at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. I am indebted to Grace Turner, at William and Mary, who took Abul
Keli of the Bahamas out of obscurity and brought the man and his letters to my
attention many years ago. To Aisha Al-Adawiyya at the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture and Women in Islam and Marieta Harper at the
Library of Congress, I thank you and you know why.
Mille mercis to my family, Maman, Martine, Alain, Mariam, and Maya, who
have sustained me, each in her or his own way. Fifteen years ago, I dedicated
this book to my son for his loving support and understanding, smart comments,
and daily encouragements. I do the same today with immense gratitude and love.
Sény has transformed my life and made my work so much easier. He is my
inspiration and my model, though I am very short of being as accomplished as
he is.