ebooks A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb by Umar F. Abd-Allah in History

Review

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. A timely bookBy CustomerThis look at the life of Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb; one of the first American converts to Islam; is well researched and written in a language that captivates one and takes you on a journey with Mr. Webb on his many travels. People in the West still view Islam as a late entrant to the scene in the US but as muslims continue to integrate in the American social life; one will read and hear (and see hopefully) more and more stories of how muslims have always been a part of the fabric of America. Some estimates say that almost 30% of the slaves brought over to the US were muslims and we have Alex Kronemer coming up with a documentary on the life a African slave who was a Prince and how he fought for and won his freedom after 40 years of slavery here to go back to Africa (The Prince among slaves). Dr. Abd-Allah is educated from Columbia; Cornell and the Univ. of Chicago and taught at King Abdul Aziz university in Saudia for 18 years. He has been back in the USA since 2000 and is the head of a non-profit organization called the Nawawi foundation based in Chicago which is dedicated to provide relevant; meaningful Islamic teachings to America's growing first and second generation Muslims - teachings firmly rooted in authentic scholarship and taught in a way that is dynamic and applicable to the modern world (See website [...] Dr. Abd-Allah is and has always been a voice of moderation amongst muslims scholars and is dedicated to more interfaith dialogue amongst people of various faiths. He has always been a proponent of peace and he has many Audio CD's out in the market dealing with various issues affecting muslims and has made his feelings on extremism and violence quite clear. Mr. Rubin needs to check his sources (if any) before making comments on Dr. Abd-Allah.Read the book; you will like it. It is a book about a man of his times; who lived in a time of turmoil and great change in the USA; andshould interest any student of American and Islamic history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerGood book1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Timely and of Lasting ImportanceBy Mike DePue; OFSAs the scrum for the Republican presidential nomination shines a spotlight on both domestic and international Islam; this book becomes even more germane than it would otherwise be. (At this point; 33% of Trump voters in South Carolina think the practice of Islam should be illegal in the United States.)In a way; Webb's Islamic advocacy could well be considered an abject failure. "During the initial stages of the American Mission; Webb expressed boundless confidence that it would succeed. 'I honestly believe that within five years [of 1892] we will have a Moslem brotherhood in America very strong numerically.' Webb's relatively short-lived experiment fell drastically short of his predictions." (p. 256)Hindsight offers several explanations for the precipitate collapse. "The first sees it as a failure of patronage; probably compounded by less than brilliant management. ...Never in his life does [Webb] appear to have been especially practical or fitted for management. A second explanation... combines allegations of financial and administrative shortcomings with misconduct. ...A third analysis focuses on the hostility of Victorian American society and the incompatibility of Webb's mission with its time and place." (p. 257)Yet; "like his precursors and successors; Webb provides the American Muslim community today not only with a sense of the importance of community; but also with a deeper sense of identity and historical continuity." (p; 269)