Yes, there were Muslims in colonial America. Some of them — not all — were Africans sold into slavery. The slave trade from Africa to the Americas began in the 1520s, and it’s estimated 10 to 15 percent of the enslaved Africans were Muslim. Enslaved Africans were pressured to convert to Christianity, and those who continued to practice Islam had to do so in secret. According to the PBS series History Detectives, “There was an enclave of African-Americans on the Georgia coast that managed to maintain their faith until the early part of the 20th century.”
The National Museum of Africcan American History and Culture tells us that the enslaved Muslims used their faith and bilingual literacy to resist slavery. They left us letters and diaries, mostly in Arabic, that give us a glimpse into their lives. “They also wrote pages of Arabic for their slaveholders and their friends,” the Museum says, “But instead of writing what the recipients believed was a Bible verse or the Lord’s Prayer, they wrote Quranic verses that condemned slavery, made genealogical lists, and even pleaded to return home to Africa.”
African Muslims also took part in the Revolutionary War. Again, this is from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is part of the Smithsonian:
Multiple men with Muslim names appear on the military muster rolls, including Bampett Muhamed, Yusuf ben Ali (also known as Joseph Benhaley), and Joseph Saba. Other men listed on muster rolls have names that are likely connected to Islamic practice, such as Salem Poor and Peter Salem, whose names may reflect a form of the Arabic salaam, meaning peace. These men often distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
Muslims in Colonial America: Yarrow Mamout
Not all African Muslims remained enslaved. Yarrow Mamout (1736–1823), born in west Africa, was enslaved and brought to Maryland in 1752, A man of multiple talents, he was able to earn some of his own money, which he used to buy his freedom. He became an entrepreneur, bank investor, and homeowner in Georgetown. People remembered him walking the streets singing praises to Allah. By all accounts he was a devout Muslim to the end of his days.
Muslims in Colonial America: “Anthony the Turk”
Even before Yarrow Mamout there was Anthony Janszoon van Salee (1607–1676), known commonly at Anthony the Turk. His nickname possibly referred to his appearance, as he was not Turkish. It’s believed he was the son of a Dutch pirate who converted to Islam and a Moorish mother. In 1638 Van Salee bought a farm on the island of Manhattan, which at the time was the Dutch colony of New Netherland. The farm would have been close to today’s Wall Street. By 1639 Van Salee was one of the island’s most prominent and prosperous landowners. He is often credited with being the first free Muslim in North America. However, other than owning a Quran it’s not clear if he practiced Islam.
Van Salee and his wife were hauled into the Dutch colonial court with remarkable frequency. Whether the charges had merit isn’t clear. It’s also not clear whether Van Salee’s mixed race or his religion made him a target. But the couple seem to have been in considerable trouble with the Dutch Reformed Church for not behaving as “pious Christians” and were ordered to leave New Netherland. They relocated to 200 acres in the wilds of Coney Island.
Van Salee’s descendants include many prominent Americans, including President Warren Harding and the fabled Vanderbilt family.
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