Finding Mecca in America: How Islam Is Becoming an American Religion
Mucahit Bilici
Abstract
The events of 9/11 had a profound impact on American society, but they had an even more lasting effect on Muslims living in the United States. Once practically invisible, they suddenly found themselves overexposed. By describing how Islam in America began as a strange cultural object and is gradually sinking into familiarity, this book illuminates the growing relationship between Islam and American culture as Muslims find a homeland in America. Rich in ethnographic detail, it is an up-close account of how Islam takes its American shape. The book traces American Muslims' progress from outsiders ... More
The events of 9/11 had a profound impact on American society, but they had an even more lasting effect on Muslims living in the United States. Once practically invisible, they suddenly found themselves overexposed. By describing how Islam in America began as a strange cultural object and is gradually sinking into familiarity, this book illuminates the growing relationship between Islam and American culture as Muslims find a homeland in America. Rich in ethnographic detail, it is an up-close account of how Islam takes its American shape. The book traces American Muslims' progress from outsiders to natives and from immigrants to citizens. Drawing on the philosophies of Simmel and Heidegger, the book develops a novel sociological approach and offers insights into the civil rights activities of Muslim Americans, their increasing efforts at interfaith dialogue, and the recent phenomenon of Muslim ethnic comedy. It is both a portrait of American Islam and a groundbreaking study of what it means to feel at home.
Keywords:
9/11,
American society,
Muslims,
United States,
Islam in America,
American culture,
homeland,
American Muslims,
outsiders,
natives
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2012 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226049564 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: January 2014 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226922874.001.0001 |
