According to one scholar, "Muslims have been part of the American landscape since pre-Columbus times" (Slavery 1). In Antebellum America, it is estimated that some 10-20 percent of the slaves brought over from Africa were Muslims (Slavery 1). Viewers of the film Amistad are no doubt familiar with this fact, as the movie features Muslim slaves aboard the slave ship of the film's title trying to say their prayers while linked together on deck. This analysis will discuss the experiences of Muslim slaves in antebellum America.
American Muslim history is more diverse and longer than many Americans might realize. American Muslim history can be traced to the day the first slave ship landed on Virginia's coast in 1619 (Tweed 1). One of Malcolm X's most inspiring lines regarding Muslim slave history was "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock landed on us" (Tweed 3). Muslim slaves were generally treated to the same abusive and inhumane experiences as other African slaves. A majority of Muslim slaves were coerced into converting to Christianity, but many retained their Muslim identity despite slave conditions of the era. Nevertheless, one scholar notes that "this identity was largely lost to later generations" (Slavery 1).
Many slaves wrote their narratives, more than 6,000 of them, according to one Muslim scholar (Muslim 1). Among these is one by a freed-slave named Charles Ball who recounts his experiences with Muslim slaves. One of the most well-known accounts of a Muslim slave in antebellum America is that of Omar Ibn Said. Said was born in the Muslim state of Futa Toro in West Africa, present-day Senegal. A Muslim scholar and trader, it is unknown how Said found himself captive and enslaved, but more than likely he was rounded up by slave traders like many other Africans. According to one historian, Said arrived in South Carolina in 1807 and was sold to James Owen of North Carolina (Slav...