The History of Islam and Muslim Migrants in American Society

Abstract

Islamic historian scholars preferred to introduce the history of Islam in America from the perspective of Muslim immigration waves. Through such research, information about Muslim origins, immigration reasons and arrival time can be well known. However, how the Islam and Muslims’ social circumstances were could not be acknowledged. This paper aims to demonstrate the history of Islam in America from the perspective of Muslims’ social situation in different eras of American history. The author divides the history into four stages: the oppression of Islam in the slavery trade era, prosperity of Islam during the hard time (1875-1965), further development of Islam in the peaceful time (1965-2001), and Islam’s trauma and its reversion after the “9•11 attacks”.