Henry L. Norman--The first Muslim convert proselytizer in the U.S.?

In September 1874, Henry L. Norman, "once a Methodist preacher in London," arrived in New York City as a missionary for Islam.  While it is likely that there had already been Muslim proselytizers in the U.S.--all of whom were either slaves or former slaves--Norman was probably the first Muslim convert proselytizer in the country, and he most likely reached out to white Americans.  


For a brief discussion of Norman and the people among whom he most likely found an interested audience, see my "Islam and 'Scientific Religion' in the United States before 1935" Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 22 (2011): 311-328 

promoting Islam in the U.S. in the early 20th c.

New York City, 1915

 

converting to Islam in the early 20th century

c. 1908

connecting the pieces

Another look into my current project.

signifying respectability

Here's a glimpse inside my current project.

Islam and 19th-century U.S. spiritualists, Theosophists, and Freemasons

In the nineteenth-century, many of the early U.S. sympathizers of and converts to Islam were followers of what I term "Scientific Religion": a matrix of religious practices and beliefs that supported the questioning of both traditional religious doctrines as well as "materialistic" science.  I explore this connection in my article "Islam and 'Scientific Religion' in the United States before 1935," Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, v. 22, n. 3 (2011): 311-328 (available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09596410.2011.586511 ).

The "Caananites Temple"

Little is known about the early history of twentieth-century African-American Islam.  The Canaanite (or Caananites) Temple has for decades been rumored to have been one of the first African-American Islamic organizations, but, until recently, no evidence had been produced to confirm its existence.  In my latest article, "Abdul Hamid Suleiman and the Origins of the Moorish Science Temple" (link: http://raceandreligion.com/JRER/Volume_2_(2011)_files/Bowen%202%2013.pdf ), I examine new evidence concerning a "Caananites Temple" that was active in Newark in 1923 and which may have influenced the Moorish Science Temple.

Purpose of this blog

This blog will be used to keep people who are interested in my work updated on my research.  I will also occasionally post videos and links to websites of interest.