Customer Reviews

A History of Islam in America: From the New World to the New World Order

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Professor Kambiz GhaneaBassiri's work is a welcomed addition to the growing scholarly literature on Islam in America.

What puts this apart from other works is his insistence in breaking away from the typical dichotomy of "Islam vs the West, " as if these two categories are mutually exclusive from each other. He argues this categorization and comparison is reminscent of Orientalism's comparison of "Islam vs. European Modernism."

The author shows the development of Islam in America through the lense of American history itself: dealing with the changing aspects of race, religious pluralism, and national identity.

It is an interesting read and will in my opinion, help change the views about Islam and Muslims in America.

This book provides further research on figures such as Inyat Khan, Job ben Solomon,Alexander Russell Webb, Duse M Ali, the controversial Satti Majid etc. It reveals Duse's involvement as Exalted Ruler of the Order of Elks and Rosicrucianism through his European wife. It also delves into his relationship with the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam and serving as a bridge between Ahmadiyya & the U.N.I.A ORGS, there are some very interesting Ahmadiyya photographs. Duse himself studied under one Khwajah Kamel-ud-Din in Great Britain.Duse also associated with known 96degree Mason and Shriner Dr. Abdul Hamid of Kartoum Egypt. The common nexus of these groups was Detroit MI in the early to mid 1920s. In the 1950s many Jazz musicians converted to Islam via the Ahmadiyya (such as Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakely and McCoy Tyner).

The author makes the Masonic connections between Job Ben Solomon and the craft as well as the NOI, MST and UNIA; which I believe were largely "borrowed" from some "black" authors works from early 2005 without proper recognition or referencing (especially the constant use of the tell tale phrase [rise]). The author also gives the reader info on various Sufi orders pretty successfully. Overall not bad.