A look at American Muslim history

A look at American Muslim history
The exhibit that opened Monday in Seattle provides details on the lives and contributions of followers of Islam in the United States

By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A traveling exhibit on Muslim history in the United States, curated by the descendant of a Georgia slave, looks back at mostly obscure lives and little-known contributions of American followers of Islam since the 1700s.


		Mike Urban / P-I
	Amir Muhammad is the curator of the Collections and Stories of American Muslims, on view at the Seattle Vocational Institute.

But the archival photos and documents in the show, which opened Monday in Seattle, have modern-day implications, curator Amir Muhammad said.

The Washington, D.C., resident created the exhibit especially "for immigrant Muslims to understand American Muslim history," he said. "It connects people. A lot of people don't know that Muslims were part of the American fabric."

The exhibit is a photocopy of the actual one currently on display at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Ayesha Anderson saw the exhibit at a Muslim conference in Chicago in 2003 and had tried ever since to bring it to Seattle.

"I feel like a mother who's been in labor. This is my baby," said Anderson, a Kent resident who was joined in the effort by Benjamin Shabazz, imam of the Al Islam Center of Seattle.

The collection includes copies of letters, pages from diaries, notices of runaway slaves and other documents that reveal the presence of Muslims in American slavery, some of whom had been educated in Africa.

It introduces the Arabic writings of such slaves as Bilali Muhammad of Sapelo Island, Ga., known as "Ben Ali," and Omar Ibn Sayyid, who was enslaved in North Carolina. Both men wrote about the practice of Islam in the early 1800s.

"They said we couldn't read or write, that we had no personality," said Amir Muhammad, who began his project in 1996 after discovering a distant relative had been enslaved in Georgia. "These writings let us know that we did. If they could maintain their dignity under these circumstances, why can't I?"

The exhibit shows an 1853 edition of the Quran, the only book that survived a Civil War fire in the University of Alabama library, and photos of early 20th-century mosques in such seemingly unlikely places as North Dakota and Iowa.

It ends with 20th-century photos of such controversial figures as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and leaders of the Nation of Islam. W.D. Mohammad, who moved his followers toward mainstream Islam, is shown prominently.

"I believe a lot of problems in the world exist today between races and religions because of lack of information," Shabazz said.

"This (exhibit) will clear up a lot of myths and understandings, not only about Islam, but about the races, especially African Americans."

The World Affairs Council of Seattle will have Muhammad speak twice this week, once Wednesday at a workshop for educators and again on Saturday at a youth summit for students.

The exhibit and programs were scheduled to coincide with Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that starts Wednesday.

The World Affairs Council wanted to "get beyond the usual assumptions -- 'I don't understand Islam,' 'They're terrorists,' 'They're different from us' -- and understand Muslims as people," said Michele Anciaux Aoki, director of educational programs.

IF YOU GO

"Collections and Stories of American Muslims," historical exhibit, will be on display through Friday at Seattle Vocational Institute, 2120 S. Jackson St., Room 103. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Wednesday; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Free. Information: 206-722-4808 or 206-354-6180.

Curator Amir Muhammad will speak at two World Affairs Council events this week:

Wednesday: "Muslims in America, Europe, Pakistan and China," a program for educators, 4 p.m. at Seattle Vocational Institute, 2120 S. Jackson St. Cost: $20.

Saturday: "Understanding Muslims in Our Communities and Beyond," a program for students from middle school through community college, 3 p.m. at Old Redmond Schoolhouse, 16600 N.E. 80th St., Redmond. Free.

To register for either event or for more information, go online to www.world-affairs.org and click the "Calendar" link, or call 206-441-5910.

P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or johniwasaki@seattlepi.com.

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