"Islam in America" Jane I. Smith (Columbia University Press, 1999)

Most Americans are only vaguely aware of the Muslim community in the United States and know little about the religion itself, despite Islam's increasing importance in international affairs and the rapid growth in the number of Americans who call themselves Muslims. Now a foremost authority in the field has crafted a richly textured portrait of the Muslim community in the United States today. Jane I. Smith introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in this country, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of American Muslims.


The volume pays particular attention to the tension felt by many in this community as they attempt to live faithfully, adhering to their traditions while at the same time adapting to an alien culture that appears to many Muslims to be excessively secular and materialistic. The book also covers the role of women in American Islam, the raising and educating of children, the use of products acceptable to Muslims, appropriate dress and behavior, concerns about prejudice and unfair treatment, and other issues related to life in a country in which Islam is often misunderstood.
Smith, Jane I. : Hartford Seminary
Jane I. Smith is professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. The coeditor of The Muslim World and an editor of the Encyclopedia of Women in World Religion, she is the author of The Concept of Islam in the History of Qur'anic Exegesis and coauthor of Mission to America, and serves as a member of the Commission on Interfaith Relations of the National Council of Churches.

(text by publisher)

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Title: Islam in America
Author: Jane I. Smith
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Year: 1999 (2nd edition 2009)
Number of pages: 251
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:: Table of Contents ::

Introduction
One: Muslim Faith and Practice
Two: Contributors to the Development of Islam
Three: Islam Comes to America
Four: Islam in the African American Community
Five: Women and the Muslim American Family
Six: Living a Muslim Life in American Society
Seven: The Public Practice of Islam
Eight: Looking to the Future

Profiles: American Muslims of Note
Chronology
Notes
Glossary
Resources for the Study of American Islam