History of Muslim America Makes Publishers' Weekly "Best Books" List

An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) professor’s history of Muslims in the United States is on the Publisher’s Weekly list of Best Books of 2009.

Edward E. Curtis IV’s book, “Muslims in America: A Short History,” published in October 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc., traces the history of followers of Islam in America from the 18th century to post 9-11 America.

“This accessible history by a scholar who is not among the usual academic talking-head experts on Islam brings breadth and nuance to an important subject,” Louisa Ermelino writes in the Nov. 2, 2009, Publisher’s Weekly online article about the 100 books chosen for the Best Books list.

Professor Curtis “has authored a fine and succinct history that spans centuries. ...Unmatched for its breadth of sources, this is also one of the few books in the field to cover both immigrant and indigenous (African-American) American Muslims. ...Photographs, chronology, edited selections from chosen narratives, and a Further Reading Section provide useful jumping-off points for the reader, who will undoubtedly be intrigued by Curtis's compelling little read,” says the Publisher’s Weekly review.

Curtis, who has written or edited five other books, begins the first chapter of the 168-page paperback for general readers with the story of the 1730 or 1731 arrival in Annapolis, Md., of a West African Muslim aboard a slave ship.

“Americans generally think of Muslims as immigrants who are fresh off the boat. This book shows that they have been part of America before the United States was founded,” said Curtis in an e-mail interview. “It recovers the essential role of Muslims in U.S. history and incorporates them into our common notion of who we are as Americans. By unearthing our shared past, the book provides us with new memories of who we have been and new hopes for what we might become.”

The preface of the IUPUI professor’s book includes the author’s recounting of a modern-day news story. Curtis tells of a neighbor’s 2007 campaign to prevent the installation of foot baths in the new terminal of the Indianapolis International Airport. The neighbor, according to a newspaper report, considered installation of the baths, proposed to serve African Muslim cabbies who regularly washed their feet before performing their daily prayers, “fraternization with the enemy.”

“I have written this book so that non-Muslim Americans may come to understand Muslim Americans just a little better,” Curtis writes.

At IUPUI, Curtis is a professor of religious studies in the School of Liberal Arts. He teaches several courses, including “Intro to Islam,” “African American Religions,” “Religion and Racism,” and “Islam in America;” and he directs the Jordan Summer Abroad program.

Curtis, who earned a doctoral degree at the University of South Africa, holds a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s from Kenyon College.

The Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, Curtis is currently a Fulbright Fellow and working as Visiting Professor of American Studies at the University of Jordan.

As for “Muslims in America” making the best 100 books list, “I feel proud, grateful, and a little bit lucky,” Curtis said, “My hope is that it helps me get my message across to more people. The story of Muslim Americans is the American story. Like every other group of people, they are not angels or demons, but ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) human beings who have contributed to the making of America.”

Note to Reporters and Editors: Edward E. Curtis IV can be reached for interviews via e-mail at ecurtis4@iupui.edu; voice or video call by Skype at Regan.Zwald in Amman, Jordan; or by phone at 011-962-6-79-796-9426.