Muslims in

America
Novia Perkins
 01
Origins of the Islamic
religion and Muslims
 How Islam Came to be
Islam is the following of Muhammad, the last of the
prophets of Allah (God).
● Muhammad was born in 570 A.D. to the Quarish tribe
in Mecca
● Around the age of forty, he started to hear voices, and
he was having visions when he visited Mount Hira to
meditate
● One day, the archangel Jibra'il (Gabriel) told him to
“recite in the name of [the] Lord.”

This was the first revelation in the Qur’an.

● Many more revelations would become part of the
history and telling of the Islamic religion
● Much of the Arabian Peninsula was polytheistic, and
this experience pointed to there being only one god
instead of many
 The Hijra, meaning flight, of Muhammad and
his followers is the beginning of the hijri, or the
Islamic calendar.
He lead his followers out of Mecca
Mecca was an important trade city, with roads to many
other towns meeting there
The people of Mecca believed that Muhammad’s
teachings of a single god would affect the trades, since
they believed that it was protected by their pagan gods.
Thus, the move to Medina became the newly found
Islam’s only hope
In Medina, the spread of Islam continued

Tensions with the Quarish

In Mecca continued, but
Muhammad persisted

Eventually, Mecca surrendered

And the Muslims returned to
Mecca

Once they returned

They rid of all pagan idols, and
furthered their teachings
02
Cultural
Differences
 The Two Divisions of Islam

Shi’a
They believe that only direct
family/descendents of
Muhammad can/should be the
leader of the Islamic people.
After Muhammad died, this
was ‘Ali, his closest male,
blood relative.
Sunni
They believe that the leaders
of the people should be
elected by the followers of
Islam. After Muhammad’s
death, his three closest
companions, Abu Bakr, 'Umar,
and 'Uthman, were chosen.
 Types of Dress from Muslim Women
The tradition of wearing head/facial coverings started with muhammad’s wives. All Muslim
were/are requiredc to dress modestly, but only the wives wore the veils. Eventually, their
followers started to follow along.

Most Muslim women decide to wear a covering on their own. They feel as if it is a symbol of their
devotion. Some even say it makes them feel closer to Allah.
Muslims in America: Immigrants, Converts
and Born Here
In a study of 500 U.S.
58% of Muslims in Muslims, 41%
America immigrated identified as white,
here which includes people
of Arabic and Persian
ethnicity

42% of American Most Muslim converts

Muslims were born are black (11% foreign
here, or converted to born, 51% third gen.
Islam U.S. born, 20% of all
U.S. Muslims)
 03
Stereotypes
 The Most Common Islamic Stereotypes
All Muslims are
Arabic/Middle Eastern
A large portion of Muslims live in America,
and the largest population of them are
currently in Indonesia.
Islam Opresses
Women
Female opression is not unique to Islam; it
happens all over the world. The Quran
states that God sees women and men as
equal. Just like any other religion, things
like marriage and education depend on
region. Certain places are stricter than
All Muslims are
Prone to Violence
A large majority of Muslims are
against the acts of groups like
ISIS and the Taliban, according to
a Pew Research Center survey
done in 2011. Groups like these
are extremists and should be
seen as such. Muslim clerics
around the world are denouncing
these groups and asking that they
are not labled as “Muslim
organizations.”
 Sources
April 17, 2018. “Muslim Americans: Immigrants and U.S. Born
See Life Differently.” Pew Research Center's Religion & Public
Life Project, 8 Jan. 2020, www.pewforum.org/essay/muslims-
in-america-immigrants-and-those-born-in-u-s-see-life-
differently-in-many-ways/.

Aslan, Reza. No God but God: the Origins, Evolution, and

Future of Islam. Ember, 2012.

“A Brief History of the Veil in Islam.” Facing History and

Ourselves, www.facinghistory.org/civic-dilemmas/brief-history-
veil-islam.

“Myths and Facts about Muslim People and Islam.” Anti-

Defamation League,
www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/myths-
and-facts-about-muslim-people-and-islam
.