Welcome to MCC 553: Islam in the U.S.
This course is "a study of the birth of American Islam, the early waves of Muslim immigration and the evolution of American Islam toward orthodoxy. Emphasis is placed on the implications of Islam’s rapid growth in American society and the Christian’s responsibility to address this challenge." The course is taught by Dr. Tommy Hodum.
On this page you will find the required and recommended books for the course, which are available in the EU Libraries. The books, which are not available in the EU Libraries, can be found on the WorldCat.org and requested via an Interlibrary Loan service (ILL). If you prefer to purchase the books, check the list of online bookshops compiled by a librarian, where you can find the best bargain, which in most cases will be cheaper than Amazon. This course page also provides links to OPEN ACCESS (free online) resources (eBooks, articles, media, and more).
Islam and North America by
Love your Muslim neighbors. Motivated by a deep-rooted conviction that the North American church needs to be equipped for this important task, Micah Fries and Keith Whitfield have gathered a group of experts who are deeply invested in successful outreach to their Muslim neighbors. Unlike many resources that explore the topic of Islam as a dominant religion in the Middle East, Islam and North America focuses on the presence of Islam here in North America. Answering questions about the commonalities between Christians and Muslims, freedom of worship, the Quran, and Sharia law, this book will equip North American Christians to think about Islam theologically and missionally, engage their Muslim neighbors hospitably, and encourage readers to find new opportunities for missional engagement in their own backyards.
Journey into America by
Nearly seven million Muslims live in the United States today, and their relations with non-Muslims are strained. Many Americans associate Islam with figures such as Osama bin Laden, and they worry about "homegrown terrorists.” To shed light on this increasingly important religious group and counter mutual distrust, renowned scholar Akbar Ahmed conducted the most comprehensive study to date of the American Muslim community. Journey into America explores and documents how Muslims are fitting into U.S. society, placing their experience within the larger context of American identity. This eye-opening book also offers a fresh and insightful perspective on American history and society. Following up on his critically acclaimed Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization (Brookings, 2007), Ahmed and his team of young researchers traveled for a year through more than seventyfive cities across the United States--from New York City to Salt Lake City; from Las Vegas to Miami; from the large Muslim enclave in Dearborn, Michigan, to small, predominantly white towns like Arab, Alabama. They visited homes, schools, and over one hundred mosques to discover what Muslims are thinking and how they are living every day in America. In this unprecedented exploration of American Muslim communities, Ahmed asked challenging questions: Can we expect an increase in homegrown terrorism? How do American Muslims ofArab descent differ from those of other origins (for example, Somalia or South Asia)? Why are so many white women converting to Islam? How can a Muslim become accepted fully as an "American,” and what does that mean? He also delves into the potentially sticky area of relations with other religions. For example, is there truly a deep divide between Muslims and Jews in America? And how well do Muslims get along with other religious groups, such as Mormons in Utah? Journey into America is equal parts anthropological research, listening tour, and travelogue. Whereas Ahmed’s previous book took the reader into homes, schools, and mosques in the Muslim world, his new quest takes us into the heart of America and its Muslim communities. It is absolutely essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of America today.
Muslims in America by
Muslims in America is the first single-authored book to treat the history of Muslims in America from the colonial era to the present day, a surprising gap in the literature. It describes the racial and religious strands of American Islam and describes Muslims' presence and practice in Americasince they first came to the United States, setting American Islam in the context of larger events such as slavery, the Cold War, and feminism.Curtis argues that American Islam is a transnational phenomenon, and explains how anti-Muslim prejudice, domestic racism, and U.S. foreign policy in Africa and Asia have encouraged the rise of a political Islam in the United States. Curtis also shows how most Muslims in the U.S. are overwhelminglyinvested in ideas of democracy and peaceful social change. Even more, this work highlights Muslims who want nothing to do with politics, choosing to focus on spiritual enlightenment, their family's financial success, and other goals. In so doing, the book also reveals the richness of Sunni, Shi'i,Sufi and other forms of Islamic theology, ethics, and rituals in the United States.
Muslim American Women on Campus by
Shabana Mir's powerful ethnographic study of women on Washington, D.C., college campuses reveals that being a young female Muslim in post-9/11 America means experiencing double scrutiny--scrutiny from the Muslim community as well as from the dominant non-Muslim community. Muslim American Women on Campus illuminates the processes by which a group of ethnically diverse American college women, all identifying as Muslim and all raised in the United States, construct their identities during one of the most formative times in their lives. Mir, an anthropologist of education, focuses on key leisure practices--drinking, dating, and fashion--to probe how Muslim American students adapt to campus life and build social networks that are seamlessly American, Muslim, and youthful. In this lively and highly accessible book, we hear the women's own often poignant voices as they articulate how they find spaces within campus culture as well as their Muslim student communities to grow and assert themselves as individuals, women, and Americans. Mir concludes, however, that institutions of higher learning continue to have much to learn about fostering religious diversity on campus.
Healing the broken family of Abraham : New life for Muslims by 
Saving Our Sons by
Radical Islam is pursuing the souls of African American men. This book urges the African American community to wake up and take action now. According to author Carl F Ellis, Jr there are five pivotal questions African American Christians must ask and answer: What is Islam? Why has Islam developed so successfully in the African American community? How to protect our churches and communities from Islam's pursuit? How should the Christian community respond to Islam? What should be the Christian community's long-term goals? This is a direct examination of the issues and responds to these and other critical questions with facts, suggestions and ideas that will help readers begin to address Islam's ever-growing challenge to African American congregations and communities.
