Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas

by Sylviane A. Diouf

Book Overview

Illuminates how African Muslims drew on Islam while enslaved, and how their faith ultimately played a role in the African Disapora

Servants of Allah presents a history of African Muslims, following them from West Africa to the Americas. Although many assume that what Muslim faith they brought with them to the Americas was quickly absorbed into the new Christian milieu, as Sylviane A. Diouf demonstrates in this meticulously-researched,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1479847119
• ISBN13: 9781479847112
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Islam in America 1501 - 1920

Fascinating study of African slave trade focusing on the Moslem African slaves. Servants of Allah offers excellent survey of the African cultural and geopolitical situation prior to and during the years of the slave trade. It is through this foundation that we understand the various ethnic and religious roots of the African slaves. Wisely the book has not focused on the middle passages covered in many other works but instead focused on the lives of Moslem slaves, in particular, in US, Caribbean and Brazil. The tremendous research and analysis has produced a true groundbreaking work in beginning to understand this very sad chapter of history. I learnt a great deal from this book, I had no idea of the extent of suffering Moslems and other slaves endured, I didnt know about the use of Arabic in US & rest of Americas as a way for enslaved Africans to communicate and even to keep plantation books. I had no idea of the suppression of Islam practiced as early as 1501 and the brutality of the Spanish Inquisition in the new World all they way through early 20th century. I was amazed to learn how in US the clearly well educated enslaved blacks were denied their Africaness by their masters and relabeled Arabs or Moors and in doing so the White Masters could continue to make sense of the inferior status of the black Africans. At times Diouf may have been a touch too romantic about the behavior of Moslems and it times attributed culturally narrow definitions to Islamic traditions, this does not detract from the excellent contribution of this most enlightening work on a very rarely addressed subject.

Good book on the African Muslims in America

The first review was just terrible and shows the bias and bigotted remarks about islam. The book is an excellent book that gives us a better picture of how Islam came to America from the African Muslims enslaved. I met the author at Cal Berkley when she did her presentation on this book. As for the comments about slavery in Islam. It is not the same thing as slavery done in America and in Europe. Titus Burckhartdt in his book Moorish Culture in Spain said "Slavery within Islamic culture is not be confused with Roman slavery or with the American variety of the nineteenth century; in Islam the slave was never a mere "thing." If his master treated him badly, he could appeal to a judge and procure his freedom. His dignity as a Muslim was inviolable. Originally, the status of slave was simply the outcome of having been taken a prisoner of war. A captive who could not buy his own freedom by means of ransom remained in the possession of the captor until he had earned his freedom by work or until he was granted liberty by his master." The first reviewer must also note that slavery in Quran is seen such a way. As for the Middle east countries he mentioned, countries dont represent Islam. Islam is judged by its sources not countries. Besides, Saudi Arabic is a monarchy, which isnt a form of Islamic governance. This book shows the truth about the African American connection to Islam. It did not start with the Nation of Islam or Malcolm X, it started way before that.

An extremely important book!

No book has ever moved me like this one did. There are so many things that were left unsaid about slavery and Diouf's master piece fills some of the gaps. I strongly recommend it!

The strength of truth...

I have researched this area, at least the Americas side of the equation, and published a chapter in another work that dealt with many of the themes so well developed and presented here. Diouf has completed the circle. She demonstrates convincingly that the source areas and other determining factors of the slave trade resulted in significant numbers of Muslims entering the Americas. The impact still resounds today. If you're wondering why Islam is viewed as militancy in this nation of ours, Diouf presents good background that should convince the most doubtful that its origins required it. I am thankful that she had the resources and the intelligence to present cogent arguments about who came here, why, and it is only for us to complete the scenario by acknowledging that Muslims in America are heirs to a great and vital history of resistance to oppression.

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The absolute best book on the subject