Oh that's absolutely true.
>> Enslaved Muslims were brought to the United States with distinct cultural and religious beliefs. They succeeded in forming networks and communities, and they maintained their religious identity despite overwhelming odds. The material culture Muslims left behind—books, writings, clothing, beads, and rugs—help tell their stories today. As Katie Brown, great-granddaughter of Bilali Mohammad, recalls, these objects were an integral part of their religious practice and identity.
.... The Islam brought to America by enslaved Africans did not survive long, but it left traces that are still visible today. The practice of Ring Shout, a form of religious dance in which men and women rotate counterclockwise while singing, clapping their hands, and shuffling their feet, was directly inherited from enslaved Muslims such as Bilali Mohammed and Salih Bilali in the Georgia Sea Islands. It originally mimicked the ritual circling (or shaw’t) of the Kaaba in Mecca by Muslim pilgrims. Interviews of formerly enslaved people collected by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s contain reminiscences of rice cakes called saraka, which were handed out during rituals and feast days. From the Arabic word sadaqah, or freewill offering, this charity is an aspect of zakat, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. And early blues singers, like those recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in “Levee Camp Holler,” employed singing styles reminiscent of the adhan, or call to prayer. They use sweeping and extended vocalizations to fill the words with intense emotions. << --- Smitsonian
>> Muslim slaves in America were quite significant in number, probably reaching into the thousands. Historian Michael Gomez points out that between 400,000 and 523,000 Africans came to America during the slave trade, at least 200,000 came from areas influenced by Islam, thus Muslims may have come to America in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. [2]
Many of the advertisements for runaway slaves had Muslim names on them even though they were rarely identified as such because their masters associated them with supply zones; however they were identified by name, place, or origin. Both of these sources tell us that these slaves were Muslim. Additionally, Muslim slaves made a genuine effort to practice and maintain their religious beliefs; they also educated fellow non-Muslim slaves about Islam, many of whom converted [3]
In the New World, African Muslim slaves were noted for their resistance to the institution of slavery. In Brazil, hundreds of African Muslim slaves planned and executed a major uprising in Bahia in 1835, they fought soldiers and civilians in the streets of Salvador. Additionally, some Muslim slaves played a role in the revolt on the Spanish slave ship Amistad in the Caribbean in 1839. [4]
Muslim slaves were also known for their strong adherence to Islam and even at times converting others to Islam. The slave Mohammad Sisei, was manumitted by his master because of his stubborn adherence to Islam and returned to Africa in 1811 [5]. Ex-slave Charles Ball, one of the first African Americans to publish an autobiography was in awe by the religious discipline and resistance to Christianity of a 19th century Muslim slave. He wrote:
...It is without a doubt that Muslim slaves and Islam have been part of this country since its creation. This is a fact that is deliberately or unintentionally overlooked and ignored by many. Islam and Muslims are constantly made to appear “new” or foreign to America. In actuality, Muslims were part of the many slaves brought to this country by force. Muslim blood, sweat, and tears have fell on the land of the Americas much earlier than the arrival of immigrants from other European countries. << --- Muslim Slaves: America's First Muslims
.... The Islam brought to America by enslaved Africans did not survive long, but it left traces that are still visible today. The practice of Ring Shout, a form of religious dance in which men and women rotate counterclockwise while singing, clapping their hands, and shuffling their feet, was directly inherited from enslaved Muslims such as Bilali Mohammed and Salih Bilali in the Georgia Sea Islands. It originally mimicked the ritual circling (or shaw’t) of the Kaaba in Mecca by Muslim pilgrims. Interviews of formerly enslaved people collected by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s contain reminiscences of rice cakes called saraka, which were handed out during rituals and feast days. From the Arabic word sadaqah, or freewill offering, this charity is an aspect of zakat, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. And early blues singers, like those recorded by ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in “Levee Camp Holler,” employed singing styles reminiscent of the adhan, or call to prayer. They use sweeping and extended vocalizations to fill the words with intense emotions. << --- Smitsonian
>> Muslim slaves in America were quite significant in number, probably reaching into the thousands. Historian Michael Gomez points out that between 400,000 and 523,000 Africans came to America during the slave trade, at least 200,000 came from areas influenced by Islam, thus Muslims may have come to America in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. [2]
Many of the advertisements for runaway slaves had Muslim names on them even though they were rarely identified as such because their masters associated them with supply zones; however they were identified by name, place, or origin. Both of these sources tell us that these slaves were Muslim. Additionally, Muslim slaves made a genuine effort to practice and maintain their religious beliefs; they also educated fellow non-Muslim slaves about Islam, many of whom converted [3]
In the New World, African Muslim slaves were noted for their resistance to the institution of slavery. In Brazil, hundreds of African Muslim slaves planned and executed a major uprising in Bahia in 1835, they fought soldiers and civilians in the streets of Salvador. Additionally, some Muslim slaves played a role in the revolt on the Spanish slave ship Amistad in the Caribbean in 1839. [4]
Muslim slaves were also known for their strong adherence to Islam and even at times converting others to Islam. The slave Mohammad Sisei, was manumitted by his master because of his stubborn adherence to Islam and returned to Africa in 1811 [5]. Ex-slave Charles Ball, one of the first African Americans to publish an autobiography was in awe by the religious discipline and resistance to Christianity of a 19th century Muslim slave. He wrote:
At the time I first went to Carolina, there were a great many African slaves in the country. . . .I became intimately acquainted with some of these men. . . .I knew several, tho must have been, from what I have since learned, Mohamedans; though at that time, I had never heard of the religion of Mohammed. There was one man on this plantation, who prayed five times every day always turning his face to the East, when in the performance of his devotions. [6]
...It is without a doubt that Muslim slaves and Islam have been part of this country since its creation. This is a fact that is deliberately or unintentionally overlooked and ignored by many. Islam and Muslims are constantly made to appear “new” or foreign to America. In actuality, Muslims were part of the many slaves brought to this country by force. Muslim blood, sweat, and tears have fell on the land of the Americas much earlier than the arrival of immigrants from other European countries. << --- Muslim Slaves: America's First Muslims
