U . S . L atina/o M uslims Since 1920: From “Moors” to “Latino Muslims”

This article provides a historical overview of the development of the U . S . L atina/o M uslim community. U . S . L atina/os have been converting to Islam since the 1920s. Early converts were primarily found in A frican‐ A merican‐majority I slamic communities, though there were some others who entered I slam through ties to M uslim immigrants. In both cases, the U . S .'s racist social system had brought the two communities together. In N ew Y ork C ity during the 1970s, however, a group of around a dozen L atina/o M uslims felt that neither the A frican‐ A merican‐majority nor the immigrant‐majority communities sufficiently addressed L atina/os' particular culture, languages, social situations, and contributions to I slamic history. To correct this, they created the first known U . S . L atina/o M uslim organisation, the A lianza I slamica, a group which fostered a “ L atino M uslim” identity. Since that time, due to the growing numbers of U . S . L atina/o M uslims, as well as a tendency to foster ties with L atina/o M uslims in countries outside of the U . S ., U . S . L atina/o M uslims are more and more adopting the “ L atino M uslim” identity, which is now being promoted by several organisations and prominent leaders.