Young Muslim America: Faith, Community, and Belonging

361 Pages·2018·16.832 MB·English

by  Muna Ali

Young Muslim America
ii
Young Muslim
America
Faith, Community, and Belonging
MUNA ALI
1
iv
3
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Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© Muna Ali 2018
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ali, Muna, 1964– author.
Title: Young Muslim America : faith, community, and belonging / Muna Ali.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2018. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017029392 | ISBN 9780190664435 (alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780190664466 (online)
Subjects: LCSH: Muslim youth—United States. | Group identity—United States. |
Islam—United States.
Classification: LCC BP67.U6 A455 2018 | DDC 305.6/97073—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017029392
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
To all my teachers who walked with me on the path of knowledge
and let me venture out,
to my family and friends whose support and faith in me
sustain me,
to the young Muslims of America who give me hope.
vi
Contents
Acknowledgments  ix
1. Introduction  1
2. Muslim America: Divergent Origins and Converging
Histories  31
3. The “Identity Crisis” of Younger Muslims  49
4. “Pure/ True” Islam versus “Cultural” Islam  93
5. The “Islamization of America”?  157
6. Crafting an American Muslim Community  201
7. “Creating” an American Muslim Culture  251
8. Closing Thoughts: A Mission and the Challenge for and
of Muslim Americans  291
References  301
Index  325
viii
Acknowledgments
in the name of God I start and to Him all due praise and gratitude. I owe a debt
of gratitude to many people who saw me through this project. Because I am
likely to forget some names, I start with a heartfelt thank- you to everyone who
offered me encouragement and assistance. I thank James Eder, my doctoral
committee chair, who mentored me throughout graduate school. You helped
me stay on the page while allowing me to color outside the lines. With your
knowledge and care, you challenged my intellect, built my confidence, and
taught me about mentorship. Hjorleifur Jonsson, thank you for your encour-
agement and critical feedback and for teaching me to explore beyond discipli-
nary expectations. Takeyuki Tsuda, thank you for your critical feedback and for
helping me to see broader connections. Sherman Jackson, I am grateful for
your guidance and encouragement. Your work has inspired and challenged
me, and it has greatly influenced this project. The mentoring of my com-
mittee made it possible for me to do this project while I pursued my other
passions in health care, education, and social- justice projects. The work of
Tariq Ramadan, with whom I worked for over a decade and from whom I
learned much, inspired and influenced my work. Your support of my intel-
lectual endeavors helped me persevere. Thank you! I am also grateful for the
critical feedback of Edward E. Curtis IV.
I am grateful to Lubayna Fawcett, Shelly Isai, Nihal Hassan, and Maram
Ahmed for their help during the dissertation phase of this project. The col-
laboration and support of Angie Abdelmonem, Dolma Roder, and Jaime
Holthuysen made graduate school a more enriching experience. Thanks to
Josephus Verheijde for his critical feedback and for all those philosophical
debates that sharpened my intellect. I also thank my colleagues at Mayo Clinic
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for all their support. Cynthia Maher,
Najah Naji, Azra Hussain, Arifa Ahmad, Anwar Abdel Rahman, Souzan El
Sayyed, Aneesah Nadir, Zarinah Nadir, and Frieda Muwakkil offered me great
support and encouragement. Thank you, one and all. I am grateful to Oxford