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For centuries, Islam has spread through the African diaspora. While many adhere to more traditional forms such as Shia and Sunni Islam, there are a number of Islamic organizations unique to the African diaspora.
Islamic Heritage in Africa
See also: Islam in Africa | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
In 615 the first Muslims came to Africa as refugees from persecution in Mecca. Impressed with their albeit unorthodox reverence of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, the Christian king of Abyssinia refused to return them to Mecca. By 732, 100 years following the death of the Prophet Muhammed, all of North Africa was a part of the Islamic empire. Islam remained the dominant religion in North and Western Africa through the colonial period. Many of the slaves taken to Europe and the Americas were Muslim. Most of these slaves were forced to convert to Christianity. After emancipation some returned to Islam. Slaves taken to other parts of the world, specifically the Middle East and India did not have this problem since they were living in Islamic society.
United States
In the United States, African slaves were often forced to abandon their traditional religions, including Islam, and convert to Christianity. After emancipation, some slaves elected to return to Islam and they encouraged others to do so as well.
Black nationalist movements
See also: Black nationalismAmong the many African American Islamic organizations are several Black nationalist movements. These organizations often preach the need for the creation of a Black nation apart from the rest of the United States.
Nation of Islam
See also: Nation of Islam | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
The Nation of Islam preaches the divinity of Black people worldwide. Other Black nationalist movements trace their origins to the Nation of Islam.
Mainstream Muslim movements
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
After the death of his father, Warith Deen Muhammad broke away from the nationalist teachings of the Nation of Islam.
Black Muslims
The term Black Muslim is derived from a manuscript turned book published by Dr. C. Eric. Lincoln in 1959, which analyzed the growing influence of the Nation of Islam in the United States of America. The phrase often used in the United States to denote members of Louis Farrakhan's separatist Black nationalist movement, the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam never appreciated being labeled "Black Muslims" and years afterward publicly denounced the title but as Malcolm X (the head preacher of the New York mosque) stated, "the name stuck." Today, the vast majority of Black Muslims are not members of the Nation of Islam. Rather, many Black Muslims follow a number of local religious leaders who may or may not be Black, such as Siraj Wahaj.
List of notable Muslims in the African diaspora
| Name | Nationality | Occupation | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Ali |  United States |
professional boxer | Nation of Islam, Sunni Islam |
| Keith Ellison | United States |
first Muslim elected to United States House of Representatives | Sunni Islam |
| Louis Farrakhan | United States |
current leader, Nation of Islam | Nation of Islam |
| Dr. Sherman Jackson | United States |
scholar | unknown |
| Malcolm X | United States |
minister, civil rights activist, founder of Muslim Mosque, Inc. | Nation of Islam, Sunni Islam |
| Lee Boyd Malvo | United States |
serial killer | unknown |
| Elijah Muhammad | United States |
co-founder, Nation of Islam | Nation of Islam |
| John Allen Muhammad | United States |
serial killer | Nation of Islam |
| Siraj Wahaj | preacher | unknown | |
| Warith Deen Muhammad | United States |
leader, American Society of Muslims | unknown |
| Zaid Shakir | scholar associated with the Zaytuna Institute | unknown | |
| Akon | United States |
R&B singer | unknown |
| Lupe Fiasco | hip-hop emcee | unknown | |
| Mike Tyson | United States |
professional boxer | unknown |
| Ice Cube | hip-hop emcee |
References
- Dr. A. Zahoor (1997). "Negus, King of Abyssinia (615 C.E.)". Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- "Islam in Africa". Retrieved 2007-09-19.
- "The Story of Africa:Islam". Retrieved 2007-09-23.
{{cite web}}: Text "publisher: BBC World Service" ignored (help) - "The religion of Muhammad Ali". Adherents.com. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- "'I'm a Sunni Muslim'". Newsweek. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|firstname=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|lastname=ignored (help) - ^ "The Religious Affiliation of Infamous "Beltway Sniper" Serial Killer Lee Boyd Malvo". Adherents.com. 20 October 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)