Muslim Ghosts of the Civil War

Muslim History Detective’s log, 03/19/13

“As our nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, one group has been wholly overlooked in the modern portrayals of how America ended slavery in the 1860s.

Muslims.

Wait…. What?

Yes, Muslims played historic roles during this critical period (and others) in American history.

In the past year, I have spent hundreds of hours poring over historical newspapers, government documents, plantation records, rare books and presidential diaries for my report, “Muslims and the Making of America,” recently published by the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

What I found lays to rest the false notion that Muslims made no contributions to our nation’s development, including during the Civil War era.”

Read more here at The Virginian-Pilot.

View print version here.