Most Americans assume that Muslims are newcomers to this continent, arriving only in the latter half of the 20th century. The truth, as Dr. Jerald Dirks reveals in this fascinating episode, is that Muslims have been in the Americas for centuries — long before Christopher Columbus ever set sail. From pre-Columbian voyages to the enslaved African Muslims who built the agricultural South, this is a history that has been hidden in plain sight.
Muslims Were Here Before Columbus
Drawing from early Arabic historical texts, Dr. Dirks details multiple documented voyages from the Muslim world to the Americas centuries before 1492. Kashkash ibn Sa’id sailed from Muslim Andalusia around 889 CE. Ibn Farrukh made a similar voyage in 999 CE. And around 1310, the Malian Sultan Abu Bakari sent two massive fleets totaling 2,200 ships westward across the Atlantic — dwarfing Columbus’s three small vessels. Linguistic and cultural evidence among Native American tribes confirms these expeditions reached the New World.
“In 1492, Columbus sailed with three ships. From what is documented in ancient Arabic books, Abu Bakari of Mali sent two fleets totaling 2,200 ships across the Atlantic almost two centuries before Columbus.”
Muslims Who Shaped American History
- Columbus’s crew: The three Pinzon brothers who captained and piloted two of Columbus’s three ships were Moriscos — Muslims who underwent sham conversions to escape the Spanish Inquisition
- Estevanico (Mustafa al-Zamori): A Muslim from Morocco who survived a 5,000-mile journey on foot from Florida to Mexico City, becoming one of the first Old World explorers of the American interior
- Kunta Kinte: The famous ancestor in Alex Haley’s “Roots” was a Muslim from Gambia who passed Islamic traditions down through generations of enslavement
- Enslaved African scholars: Among the estimated 4-6 million enslaved African Muslims, many were highly educated, writing the entire Quran and books of Islamic jurisprudence from memory in Arabic
“Modern historians are finding in little county museums in the American South entire books written in Arabic by enslaved African Muslims — the entire Quran written from memory. Their literacy rate was actually higher than that of the slave owners.”
Why This History Matters Today
For young Muslims growing up in America, knowing this heritage is crucial for building a strong, confident identity. Muslims did not arrive yesterday — they fought in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. They helped settle the American West. Understanding this legacy demolishes the myth that being Muslim and being American are somehow incompatible, and gives the next generation the grounding they need to stand proud in both their faith and their national heritage.
