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The Immigration Act of 1924 is passed.
- Ended the wave of immigration from Middle Eastern countries that had been going on for the past 40 years.
- Excluded the entrance of non-Europeans, including Arabs.
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Nation of Islam is Founded
Wallace Fard Muhammad founds the Nation of Islam, which was known for its black separatist platform. -Popular in prisons; Malcolm X joined NOI but eventually split from them. -
Elijah Muhammad takes charge of the NOI
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Political Developments outside the U.S.
- Creation of Israel triggers immigration of Palestinian Muslims to America.
- Oppressive regimes in other (predominanlty Muslim) increase the amount of immigration to America.
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Assassination of Malcolm X
- During his time in prison (1946-1952), he converted to Nation of Islam
- After he was released, he gained fame and brought many to NOI.
- Disillusioned and split with NOI, 1964
- Pilgrimage to Mecca led him to preach to all races.
- Assassinated by members of NOI.
- Malcolm X was a key figure in American Islam; used Islamic principles to encourage social activism (dramatic understatement).
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Immigration Legislation
- McCaran-Walter Act is passed in 1952; Hart-Cellar act passed in 1965.
- Both served to relax the earlier quota systems and restrictive immigration laws.
- Immigrants came: both political refugees and those hoping for economic improvement.
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Death of Elijah Muhammad
- With Elijah Muhammad's death, NOI broke into factions.
- EM's son, Warith Deen Muhammad, moved the community in a more orthodox direction. Became the American Society of Muslims.
- NOI still exists (was reestablished by Louis Farrakhan in 1977).
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American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
This organization is not exclusively Muslim; in fact, it was founded by a Lebanese Christian. However, its creation, and the subsequent resistance and persecution they faced, says a lot about the intolerant climate Arab-American faced in the late 1900s. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
*The perpetrator, Timothy McVeigh was NOT a Muslim. However, this bombing led to an increase in anti-Muslim discrimination and hate crimes. -
Destruction of the World Trade Center
These terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists dramatically increased the suspicion against Muslims - especially Arab Muslims - in America. -
US PATRIOT Act is Passed
- Suspicion of Muslim-Americans (specifically those of Arab descent) leads to racial profiling and attempts to link them to terrorist attacks.