Topic Bibliography
MUSLIMS IN AMERICA
This is a selected list of current resources and Web sites prepared by the Information Resource Center, Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Bangkok, to support a US speaker program on July 8 - 16, 2005. For further inquiries, please write or call us at +66-2205-4641, +66-2205-4192; fax: +66-2650-8918, or e-mail to <irc@state.gov>.
Articles & Reports
"A Magazine of Their Own"
Lorraine Ali. Newsweek (US Edition), May 27, 2002, 1 page.
An interview with Tayyibah Taylor on the debut of Azizah, her new Muslim women magazine.
"A Muslim Woman Finds Her Voice"
Sharifah Sakinah Aljunid. Asia Aftrica Intelligence Wire, August 10, 2004, 2 pages.
American Muslim Tayyibah Taylor, the editor-in-chief of the only lifestyle magazine in America for Muslim women, believes they should define their roles and let non-Muslims know them.
"American Muslim Poll 2004: Muslims in the American Public Square: Shifting Political Winds & Fallout from 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq"
Project MAPS and Zogby International, October 2004, 52 pages.
American Muslims are at a political and social crossroads at the end of 2004. In a few short years, they have undergone massive political shifts, and have become a relevant part of the political landscape. The poll, conducted by interviewing 1,846 persons, 18 years and older, nationwide who identify themselves as Muslim, covers demographics, religious practices, opinion and behavior on social and political issues, media and financial habits, and fallout from 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq.
"American Muslims Reach Out To Fellow Citizens Through Media"
Rosyatimah Tukimin. Malaysian International News Agency, September 8, 2004, 1 page.
Tayyibah Taylor, editor-in-chief cum publisher of "Azizah", the United States' first magazine for Muslim women, is profiled.
"Arab and Muslim America: A Snapshot"
Shibley Telhami. The Brookings Review, Winter 2002, 2 pages.
The author describes a difference of being an Arab and being a Muslim in America. He details prtejudices and misunderstanding towards Muslims and Arabs after the wake of September 11 attacks.
"Divergent Perspectives on Islam in America"
Samory Rashid. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, April 2000, 17 pages.
Rashid attempts to clarify public images of the phenomenon of Islam and African Americans by delineating its intellectual, cultural, and political milieu and by discussing the effects of anti-Muslim bigotry embedded in the language and culture. This delineation, it is hoped, will lay the foundation for a more accurate portrayal of the phenomenon of global Islam in the US.
"Dress and Diversity: Muslim Women and Islamic Dress in an Immigrant/Minority Contexts"
Hollie Kopp. The Muslim World, Spring 2002, 21 pages.
Kopp discusses some of the ways American Muslim women in the US feel about Islamic dress, the reasons for their own choice of dress, and the importance of Islamic dress generally in the formation of local Muslim communities.
"Expanding Horizons for American Muslims"
Greg Noakes. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 1995, 3 pages.
American Muslims of all backgrounds now find themselves ready to expand their horizons, tackling larger issues and striving to make a difference within American and Canadian societies at large.
"Faces of American Islam"
Daniel Pipes and Khalid Duran. Policy Review, August/September 2002, 12 pages.
Pipes and Duran discuss just one portion of Western Islam, namely those Muslims who live in the US and who are either immigrants or their descendants. Unlike the Muslim immigrants in Europe who live in ghetto-like areas, Muslim immigrants to the US are highly dispersed.
"Hybrid Identity Formations in Muslim America: The Case of American Sufi Movements"
Marcia Hermansen. The Muslim World, Spring 2000, 40 pages.
Hermansen provides an overview of major groups involved in Sufi movements in America and discusses their history and their activities. She contends that these movements are worthy of attention and that their impact in terms of both the Muslim community and American culture is significant and increasing.
"Interview: Tayyibah Taylor on Azizah Magazine for Muslim-American Women"
NPR Weekend Edition - Sunday, May 20, 2001, 1 page.
Tayyibah Taylor, the editor and publisher in chief of Azizah Magazine, which is designed for "the contemporary Muslim woman" is interviewed.
"Islam in America: The Manifest Destiny of American Muslims"
Muqtedar Khan. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 31, 2000, 2 pages.
Life in America presented two distinct challenges to Muslims: the struggle to overcome prejudice against and fear of Islam, and the challenge of modernity and the stress it put on the traditional understanding and interpretation of Islamic values. Building a Muslim community in America, therefore, had to take place on two levels--dealing with challenges from outside and from within.
"Islam in the United States"
Gerald A. Larue. The Humanist, March/April 2002, 4 pages.
Larue discusses the ways in which Islam as practiced in the US is very different from Islam as practiced by Osama bin Laden, a practice known as Wahhabi. Muslims in the US should not be forced to suffer because someone else has used the name of their religion to condone acts of violence.
"Mosques, Collective Identity, and Gender Differences Among Arab American Muslims"
Amaney Jamal. Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, Winter 2005, 26 pages.
Immigrant women face a host of obstacles that pose serious difficulties for mainstream political participation in the US. Here, Jamal argues that the differences in political engagement among Arab Muslim men and women are not solely constructed by factors specific to gender per se; rather, they are mediated by specific patterns of civic engagement and involvement in the US.
"Muslim in America"
Diane L Eck. The Christian Century, June 6 - 13, 2001, 6 pages.
Dawub Tauhdi, founder and principal of the Crescent Academy International in a suburb of Detroit, is a Euro-American convert to Islam with a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from the University of Michigan. Tauhidi describes how the school began.
"Muslims in America"
Zaheer Uddin. The World & I, March 2002, 3 pages.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, especially in the United States. Muslims are now live in every part of the United States, adding greatly to the American mosaic.
"Muslim Women Find a Voice in Magazine"
Tracy Landers. King County Journal, August 4, 2002, 2 pages.
Marlina Soerakoesoemah, the creative producer of Azizah, the nation's only magazine written for and by Muslim women, is profiled.
"Muslim Women Meet the Challenge in U.S. Government Positions"
Delinda C. Hanley. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May 31, 2000, 1 page.
Profiles of two dynamic Muslim women who work in the U.S. government: Angela D. Williams, then the deputy director of the American Cultural Center in Damascus, Syria; and Rashidah A. Hasan, a police officer in Philadelphia, PA.
"Religion-Media: Azizah Celebrates Muslim American Women"
Rebecca G. Dorr. Global Information Network, April 4, 2003, 1 page.
Azizah, loosely translates from Arabic to English as "daringness, strength and nobility," was entering its third year of quarterly publication. Taylor, the founder and visionary behind the title, hopes it will counter stereotypes.
"Soul Survival: The Road to American Muslim Political Empowerment"
Abdullah A Al-Arian. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2004, 9 pages.
Al-Arian discusses the political empowerment of American Muslims. after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Recommended Web Sites
The American Muslim
URL: http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/index.cfm
An online publication dedicated to the promotion of peace, justice, and reconciliation for all humanity.
Azizah Magazine
URL: http://www.azizahmagazine.com/
An online version of "a unique publication that presents the issues, accomplishments, and the interests of Muslim women in North America.
Collections & Stories of American Muslims Inc. (CSAM)
URL: http://www.muslimsinamerica.org/
CSAM was created in 1996 as a non-profit organization to establish an Islamic museum, traveling exhibition, and archives in the United States. The exhibition reflects America’s Islamic history and culture dating back to 1600's and 1900's and more.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
URL: http://www.cair-net.org/
CAIR is a non-profit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. It is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada. The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Islam in America: National Ad Campaign
URL: http://www.americanmuslims.info/
Launched by CAIR, this year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign is designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter a rising tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States. The weekly ads, each explaining one aspect of Islam, will be distributed to Muslim communities around America for placement in local newspapers.
Islamic Assembly of North America (IANA)
URL: http://www.nccc.thaigov.net/nccc/1.php
IANA's goals are to unify and coordinate the efforts of the different dawah oriented organizations in North America and guide or direct the Muslims to adhere to the proper Islamic methodology; and to pread the correct knowledge of Islam, built upon the Book of Allah and the authentic sunnah, and assist its dissemination among Muslim Americans and immigrants.
The Muslim Women's League (MWL)
URL: http://www.mwlusa.org
MWL is a non-profit Muslim American organization working to implement the values of Islam and thereby reclaim the status of women as free, equal and vital contributors to society.
The Muslim American Society (MAS)
URL: http://www.masnet.org
MAS is a charitable, religious, social, cultural, and educational, not-for-profit organization. It is a pioneering Islamic organization, an Islamic revival, and reform movement that uplifts the individual, family, and society.
US Department of State International Information Program: Muslim Life in America
URL: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/muslimlife/
An electronic publication which provides a brief introduction to a complex subject, an attempt to explore in words and images the extraordinary range and richness of the way American Muslims live. Also available in Arabic.