The Call of Bilal: Islam in the African Diaspora

Description

How do people in the African diaspora practice Islam? While the term "Black Muslim" may conjure images of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, millions of African-descended Muslims around the globe have no connection to the American-based Nation of Islam. The Call of Bilal is a penetrating account of the rich diversity of Islamic religious practice among Africana Muslims worldwide. Covering North Africa and the Middle East, India and Pakistan, Europe, and the Americas, Edward E. Curtis IV reveals a fascinating range of religious activities--from the observance of the five pillars of Islam and the creation of transnational Sufi networks to the veneration of African saints and political struggles for racial justice. Weaving together ethnographic fieldwork and historical perspectives, Curtis shows how Africana Muslims interpret not only their religious identities but also their attachments to the African diaspora. For some, the dispersal of African people across time and space has been understood as a mere physical scattering or perhaps an economic opportunity. For others, it has been a metaphysical and spiritual exile of the soul from its sacred land and eternal home. Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 The Heirs of Bilal in North Africa and the Middle East: Healing, Spirit Possession, and Islam in the Village 3 African Muslims in Europe: Mandinga, Murids, and British Black Muslims 4 Siddis and Habshis in South Asia: Shrines of the African Saints and Life-Cycle Rituals in the Village 5 Islamic Jihad or Just Revolt? African Muslims in Latin America and the Caribbean 6 African American Muslims in the United States: Making Physical and Metaphysical Homelands Conclusion: Echoes of Bilal across the African Diaspora Notes Bibliography Index