The Birthplace of Sunni Islam in Harlem

In my recent article on Satti Majid, I discuss Sheik Daoud Faisal being Majid's representative in Harlem in the late 1920s, though I wasn't sure of the exact address where he brought together Harlem's Muslims. After some more searching, however, I believe I have located the precise building: 108 W 128th St. This address was the location of Faisal's music bureau by the early 1930s, and in a 1960s interview he claimed that he started his Islamic work in 1928 at this intersection, 128th St. and Lenox Ave (Malcolm X Blvd). 

source: Google Maps

There are reports of Muslims spreading Islam in Harlem a little before 1928 (including Abdul Hamid Suleiman and an unnamed Muslim from Madagascar), but there is no evidence that any Islamic group created a stable meeting place there before Majid and Faisal.

Satti Majid, 1925

For my new article on Satti Majid, see http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jafrireli.1.2.issue-2

Pursuing all leads...

1950s Orientalism

New Article on Satti Majid

Satti Majid was a Sudanese Muslim missionary who lived in the U.S. from the early 1900s to 1929. During that time, he helped establish several Islamic organizations in the country. He is best known today for his work with African Americans, a number of whom converted to Sunni Islam under his influence.

In my newest article, published in the Journal of Africana Religions, in addition to providing an overview of his time in the U.S., I examine new evidence about Satti Majid's efforts here, including his organizing Muslims in Buffalo, proselytization efforts with African Americans, and his attempt to establish perhaps the first national Islamic umbrella organization in the country.

The article also discusses new evidence concerning the early life of Sheik Daoud Ahmed Faisal, who became Satti Majid's representative in Harlem and later continued his legacy in Brooklyn.

You can view the article here: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jafrireli.1.2.issue-2 

1700 Arcena St., Pittsburgh, PA, 11/5/1929

My new paper on this and related events will be coming soon.

Toledo, 1888