Winter 2014<\/h2>\r\n
While the large presence of Muslims in the United States dates to the 1960s, Muslims have been a part of the history of America since colonial times as well as the slave trade that eventually led to the American Civil War. Muslims' stories draw attention to ways in which people of varying religious, cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds interact to shape both their communities' identities and our nation鈥檚 collective past. The biographies, memoirs and cultural studies in this series show Islam is not a foreign religion, somehow separate from Christianity, Judaism, and American history; the authors also do not promote one culture or religion over others but, rather, the values of education in a democracy. The actual history of Muslims in America tells the story of people who are both Muslim and American even if tension exists and challenges us as we strive to realize our founding ideals of equality and pluralism. The readings for this five-part series provide a crucial corrective to the rhetoric of suspicion and fear surrounding current discussions of Muslims in the United States and emphasize Muslims' continuing impact on American society and culture. If you want to be an active partner in this exploration, please join us for this \"Let's Talk About It
