Part one of the book is called “Root Sources”. In it, Turner comprehensively demonstrates how he believes that, “The new American Islam was deeply influenced by racism in America, by the Pan-African political movement of African Americans in the early twentieth century, and by the historic patterns of racial separation in Islam.”(p.67) Turner utilizes Part one to set the stage for the “new Islam” of the twentieth century discussed in part two.

In the first chapter, titled “Muslims in a Strange Land: American Muslim Slaves in America”, Turner describes for the reader the early evolution of Islam among blacks in West Africa. He also describes how that same brand of “old Islam” would follow African Slaves across the Atlantic to the shores of North America.

The next chapter in the book is titled “Pan-Africanism and the New American Islam: Edward Wilmot Blyden and Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb”. The purpose of this chapter is to familiarize the reader with how Pan-Africanism infused itself with the ideologies that formed the basis of twentieth century American Islam. The author makes it known that he believes that Pan-Africanism bridged the gap between “old Islam” and “new Islam” in America. Turner begins his discussion by detailing the life and beliefs of Edward Blyden, the so-called “father of Pan-Africanism.” Blyden was one of the leaders of the Black Nationalist movement in the late nineteenth century, and was an advocate of free Black emigration back to Africa. The most important aspect of the section on Blyden is the answering of two questions: “…how and why Blyden linked Islam to Pan-Africanism, and how and why Pan-Africanism became the major political ideology of the new American Islam...”(p.50) Edward Blyden gained an appreciation for Islam while doing missionary work in Africa. Through contact with West African Muslims, Blyden was convinced that Islam was better suited for the trans-national state of Africa that he and other Pan-Africanist envisioned than Christianity because “…while Islam brought Africans a great deal that was new…it strengthed…certain tendencies to independence and self-reliance which were already at work.”(p.51) Blyden concluded that Christianity attempted to repress aspects of traditional African culture, while Islam granted Africans the freedom to join their previous traditions with their new beliefs. Turner goes on to say that Blyden’s “…experience in West Africa led him to believe that what he perceived as Islam’s lack of racial prejudice and doctrine of brotherhood made it a more appropriate religion for people of African descent that Christianity.”(p.52) Turner argues that Blyden’s work influenced Pan-Africanist to adopt Islam as a means of uniting the darker races against tyrannical, White European Christianity. Turner reasons that by propagating “the myth of a race-blind Islam”, Blyden helped link Islam to Pan-Africanism. Turner writes about Blyden in such great detail because he realizes how essential he was in laying the groundwork for new American Islam. The author wants to show us that Blyden’s sentiments would carry over into the twentieth century, when Pan-Africanist would attempt to use West African Islam as a model for black communities in America.

During the later part of the second chapter, Turner highlights how the changing face of global Islam in the twentieth century influenced Islam in America. At the dawn of the century, Muslims worldwide began to modernize the religion to make it more appealing to the West. The Indian Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam was one such group that modified orthodox Islam. Their goal was to spread Islam in the West by presenting it as a religion for all people. Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb, the first known European-American convert to Islam, acted as a spokesman for the movement in America. Webb introduced the idea of the “jihad of words” to African-American Muslims. The jihad of words was a means of spreading Islam and empowering one’s self through the word of God. African-American Muslims would reference the jihad of words throughout the twentieth century. Another influence on American Islam by Webb is the manner by which he changed his name and style of dress after he converted to Islam. These actions would be mimicked by followers of the new American Islam.

Turner talks about the changing attitudes toward Islam in black communities and the popularity of Marcus Garvey in order to prepare the reader for the introduction of Noble Drew Ali. Noble Drew Ali’s success was dependant upon the black community’s willingness to listen to his thoughts on religion as well as the wide acceptance of Marcus Garvey’s Pan-Afr

Some topics in this essay:
Nation Islam, Drew Ali, American Islam, Elijah Muhammad, African Islam, Islam Turner, WD Fard, Muhammad Malcolm, Black Nationalist, Africa Pan-Africanist, american islam, nation islam, drew ali, twentieth century, black community, west african, noble drew, noble drew ali, orthodox islam, elijah muhammad, chapter turner, moorish science temple, west african islam, islam black community, late nineteenth century,