A History of Islamic Societies

The Muslim populations of Europe and America are extremely diverse, and it is mainly for geographical convenience that we consider them in one chapter. They are diverse in origins, in living conditions, in customs, and in their concepts of their political and social identities. Indeed, most people of Muslim family or cultural background are likely to consider their ethnicity or nationality, place of origin, or even class to be more important than their religion. In considering them primarily as Muslims we take the perspective of this book, but not necessarily their own point of view.

There are two principal sources for the Muslim population of the United States: African-American converts to Islam; and immigrants from all over the world. A small number of Muslims emigrated to the United States around the time of World War I, but the majority of the Muslim populations of the United States and Canada arrived in recent decades.