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Islam is practiced by several Muslim American groups in
Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...
.


History

The first mosque in the city was the
Highland Park Mosque The Highland Park Mosque was one of the first mosques built in the United States, located in Highland Park, Michigan, Highland Park, Michigan. It opened in 1921 but closed a few years later. Background Mohammed Karoub immigrated to the United St ...
, and the first imams who lived in Detroit were Kalil Bazzy and Hussein Adeeb Karoub. This first mosque failed in 1922. A multiethnic coalition founded the Universal Islamic Society (UIS), the city's second mosque, in 1925.Gibson, Dawn-Marie (
Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
).
Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past
" (Book review). ''
Journal of American History ''The Journal of American History'' is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'', the official j ...
'', 2015, Vol.102(1), pp.205-207. DO
10.1093/jahist/jav220
CITED: p. 206. - Cites page 174 of '' Old Islam in Detroit'' (2014)
Early Muslim communities in Detroit "navigated turbulent periods of xenophobia, racism (anti-black and anti-Asian), Orientalist stereotyping, anti-Muslim prejudice, economic depression, and war." By the mid-20th century, however, Muslims in Detroit were seen as an upwardly-mobile, modern group on "easy terms with American patriotism." During this time, while the first national organizations for the advancement of Muslim issues began to sprout up across the county, many Muslim activists, political and spiritual leaders began to rise to prominence in Detroit. The city was seen as "a harbinger of successful Muslim incorporation in American society... by Muslims and non-Muslims alike." The character changed in Detroit's Islam in the 1970s when the conversions of the members of the
Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
to mainstream Islam took place, and when immigration from India, southern Lebanon, Pakistan, and Palestine occurred. B. D. Singleton of the
California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is one of the 23 general campuses of the California State University system. The m ...
wrote that the older Muslim population were often "marginalized or shut out of" institutions they themselves had created. In the 2000s a Bengali mosque in
Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
named the
Al-Islah Jamee Masjid Al-Islah Mosque ( bn, আল-ইসলাহ জামে মসজিদ), also known as the Al-Islah Islamic Center or the Al-Islah Jame Masjid, is a mosque following the Sunni tradition in Hamtramck, Michigan. It was founded in 2000 by immigran ...
wanted permission to broadcast the
adhan Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mos ...
, the Islamic call to prayer, from loudspeakers outside of the mosque and requested this permission from the city government. It was one of the newer mosques in Hamtramck. Sally Howell, author of ''Competing for Muslims: New Strategies for Urban Renewal in Detroit'', wrote that the request "brought to a head simmering
Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
sentiments" in Hamtramck.Howell, "Competing for Muslims," p
209
Muslims and interfaith activists supported the mosque. Some anti-Muslim activists, including some from other states including Kentucky and Ohio, participated in the controversy. Howell added that the controversy, through an "international media storm", gave "a cathartic test of the 'freedoms' we were said to be 'fighting for' in Afghanistan and Iraq" to the remainder of the United States. In 2004 the city council voted unanimously to allow mosques to broadcast the adhan on public streets, making it one of the few U.S. cities to allow this to occur. Some individuals had strongly objected to the allowing of the adhan. In 2013 the
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of Hamtramck became the first in the U.S. that was
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
majority. By 2015 many Muslim women in the Detroit area asked to be able to wear
hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
in public places and in any identification photographs. Several municipalities are having to determine how to deal with producing identification photographs of Muslim women who are under arrest.


Ethnic relations

The authors Abdo Elkholy, Frances Trix, and Linda Walbridge, all, as paraphrased by Sally Howell, stated that "relations between Albanian Muslims and other Muslims in Detroit were limited at best."Howell, ''Old Islam in Detroit'', p
147


Institutions

The
Council on American-Islamic Relations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
(CAIR) has a Michigan chapter, headquartered in Southfield.


Individual mosques

Mosques in Dearborn include the
Islamic Center of America The Islamic Center of America (Arabic: ٱلْمَرْكَز ٱلْإِسْلَامِيّ فِي أَمْرِيكَا‎, ''al-Markaz al-ʾIslāmīy Fī ʾAmrīkā'') is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. The Islamic Center of America, a 120 ...
and the Dearborn Mosque. The
First Albanian Bektashi Tekke in America The Albania-American Bektashi Teqe in Michigan ( sq, Teqeja e Pare Bektashiane ne Amerike) is a Bektashi Sufi tekke located in Taylor, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Baba Rexheb, a Bektashi community leader who had immigrated to ...
serves the Albanian-American
Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
Sufi community. In Hamtramck the Bengali community has established mosques, including
Al-Islah Jamee Masjid Al-Islah Mosque ( bn, আল-ইসলাহ জামে মসজিদ), also known as the Al-Islah Islamic Center or the Al-Islah Jame Masjid, is a mosque following the Sunni tradition in Hamtramck, Michigan. It was founded in 2000 by immigran ...
.Metzger, Kurt and Jason Booza.
Asians in the United States, Michigan and Metropolitan Detroit
." Center for Urban Studies,
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. January 2002 Working Paper Series, No. 7. p. 10. Retrieved on November 6, 2013.
In addition, in Hamtramck the Yemeni community established the Mu'ath bin Jabal Mosque ( ar, مسجد معاذ بن جبل),Almasmari, Hakim.
Hamtramck, Michigan: A Yemeni oasis
(). ''
Yemen Observer The ''Yemen Observer'' ( ar, يمن أوبزرفر) is an English-language, Tri-weekly newspaper published in the Republic of Yemen. It was founded in 1996 by Faris Sanabani, aide and press secretary of then Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It ...
''. November 21, 2006. Retrieved on September 9, 2013.
which was established in 1976.Masjid Mu‘ath Bin Jabal

Archive
.
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Retrieved on December 10, 2015.
In 2005 the mosque, located just outside the south eastern border of Hamtramck, was the largest mosque out of the ten within a three-mile radius. The
Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...
Muslim Community USA has a Metro Detroit chapter, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center is in
Rochester Hills Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 76,300. It is the 14th-largest city in Michigan. The area was first occupied by settlers of European descent in 1 ...
. The First Albanian Bektashi Monastery ( Tekke) opened in
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
in 1953. Baba Rexheb, an Albanian Sufi, had established it. In 1963, the Albanian Islamic Center in
Harper Woods Harper Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 15,492 at the 2020 census. Harper Woods is a northeastern suburb of Metro Detroit and shares its southern and western border with the city of Det ...
opened.Albanian Islamic Center


. ''Building Islam in Detroit'' Website.
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Retrieved on September 29, 2014.


Education

Islamic day schools in the Detroit area include: * International Islamic Academy (IIA) - Detroit - Formed in 2011 by the merger of Dar Alarqam School and Al Ihsan Academy * Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA) of the
Islamic Center of America The Islamic Center of America (Arabic: ٱلْمَرْكَز ٱلْإِسْلَامِيّ فِي أَمْرِيكَا‎, ''al-Markaz al-ʾIslāmīy Fī ʾAmrīkā'') is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. The Islamic Center of America, a 120 ...
- Dearborn As of 2015
Michigan Islamic Academy Michigan Islamic Academy (MIA) is a Kindergarten through grade 12 Islamic private day school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school was opened in 1985. As of 2015 it had 213 students. 75 of them lived in Ann Arbor, 52 lived in Ypsilanti, 35 in Canto ...
, a K-12 Islamic day school in Ann Arbor, has students who come from Metro Detroit.


Public schools

In a thirty-year period ending sometime prior to 2010
Dearborn Public Schools The Dearborn Public Schools is a school district that includes the entire city of Dearborn, Michigan and a small portion of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Dearborn Heights, both in Greater Detroit. Dearborn Public Schools is the third largest school ...
and
Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...
both developed policies to accommodate Arab and Muslim students in collaboration with administrators, parents, teachers, and students. Policies adopted by the districts included observances of Muslim holidays, Arabic-language programs, policies concerning prayer, and rules regarding modesty of females in physical education and sports.Howell, p
220
"HPS, like a dozen or more local charter schools, sought to outmaneuver more experienced districts by ..and agreeing to segregate Muslim students from mainstream classrooms, a policy that is routinely denied in Highland Park but is also very much on display in local charter schools."
Since the early 1980s Dearborn district schools have vegetarian meals as alternative to non-halal meals. As of 2010 some schools use discretionary funds to offer halal meals, but most schools do not offer halal meals since they cannot get affordable prices from distributors.Howell, p
223
In 2005
Highland Park Schools Highland Park Schools, officially the School District of the City of Highland Park, is a school district headquartered in Highland Park, Michigan, United States in Greater Detroit.
made plans to attract Arab and Muslim students resident in
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
and
Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
. Dr. Theresa Saunders, the superintendent of the school system, hired Yahya Alkebsi ( ar, يحيى الكبسي), a
Yemeni-American Yemeni Americans are Americans of Yemeni ancestry. According to an estimate of 2010, more than 100,000 Yemenis live in the United States. History Although it is unknown when Yemenis first arrived, it is believed that Yemenis were immigrating ...
educator, as the district's Arab Muslim consultant. It added Arabic-speaking teachers and began offering instruction in Arabic. Sally Howell, author of ''Competing for Muslims: New Strategies for Urban Renewal in Detroit'', said that the district began treating "Muslim families more directly like consumers". Howell said that the district agreed "to segregate Muslim students from mainstream classrooms" but that the district routinely denied that this was the case. Alkebsi said that he would bring
halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with ''haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification kno ...
food to HPS schools, but he was unable to do so. The district instead had vegetarian options.


Cuisine

The number of
halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with ''haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification kno ...
-certified restaurants in Metro Detroit grew from 89 in 2010 to 236 in 2014.


Notable residents

Religious leaders: * Hassan Al-Qazwini (Iraqi Shia Muslim) * Baba Rexheb (Albanian Sufi Muslim) Elected officials: *
Abdullah Hammoud Abdullah Hammoud ( ar, عبدلله حمود; born March 19, 1990) is an American politician who is the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, a position to which he was elected on November 2, 2021. Hammoud had previously served in the Michigan House of R ...
(Michigan House of Representatives, 15th District, 2016–present) *
Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib (, ; born July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the ...
(Michigan House of Representatives, 6th District, 2009-2014), (US House of Representatives, 13th District, 2019–present)
Rima Fakih Rima Fakih Slaiby ( ar, ريما فقيه; born September 22, 1985) is a Lebanese American model, philanthropist, former professional wrestler and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2010. Having previously been crowned Miss Mic ...
winner of the
Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
and
Miss Michigan The Miss Michigan competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Michigan has won the Miss America crown on five occasions. Melissa Beyrand of Milford was crowned Miss Michig ...
pageants in 2010.


See also

* Religion in Metro Detroit * Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit Ethnic groups: *
History of the Middle Eastern people in Metro Detroit In 2004, Metro Detroit had one of the largest settlements of Middle Eastern people, including Arabs and Chaldo-Assyrians in the United States.
*
History of the Albanian Americans in Metro Detroit The organization Global Detroit stated that the largest group of ethnic Albanians not in Europe is in Metro Detroit. As of 2014, 4,800 ethnic Albanians live in Macomb County, making up the fourth-largest ethnic group in that county, and the highes ...
.


References

* Howell, Sally. '' Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past''.
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2014. , 9780199372003. * Howell, Sally. "Competing for Muslims: New Strategies for Urban Renewal in Detroit". Located in: Shryock, Andrew (editor). '' Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend''.
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, June 30, 2010. , 9780253004543.


Notes


External links


CAIR Michigan

Building Islam in Detroit: Foundations, Forms, Futures
-
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
{{Islam in the United States by city Religion in Detroit