Reclaiming American Islam: The Empirical Case for Blackamerican Muslims as the “Indigenous [B]lack Presence”

Abstract

The study of American Islam has been dominated by immigrant-centered narratives, often diminishing the presence of Blackamerican Muslims—descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States. Building on Sherman Jackson’s framework of the “indigenous [B]lack presence,” this study provides quantitative empirical evidence that Blackamerican Muslims constitute a distinct subgroup within the broader Black American Muslim population. Using nationally representative survey data from Pew Research Center’s 2017 Survey of American Muslims, it distinguishes Blackamerican Muslims—whose religious identities are rooted in centuries of liberation struggles and religious self-determination on American soil—from Diasporic Black American Muslims, whose faith practices reflect more recent migration journeys and enduring ties to Muslim networks outside the U.S. The analyses reveal profound differences between these subgroups in demographics, religious attitudes and practices, social networks, and perceptions of discrimination. These findings underscore the limitations of immigrant-centered paradigms, which render Blackamerican Muslims less visible and fundamentally mischaracterized. Positioned at a liminal juncture in American Islam, they forge distinct religious identities through acts of resistance and reclamation. This study affirms Jackson’s concept of the “indigenous [B]lack presence” and makes an urgent ethical case for disaggregating Black American Muslims in research, policy, and practice.