The Call of Bilal

Islam in the African Diaspora

Edward E. Curtis IV

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781469618111
• eBook ISBN:
  9781469618128
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: African History

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.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• The Call of Bilal
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• 1: Introduction
• 2: The Heirs of Bilal in North Africa and the Middle East
• 3: African Muslims in Europe
• 4: Siddis and Habshis in South Asia
• 5: Islamic Jihad or Just Revolt?
• 6: African American Muslims in the United States
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks