Written by
Ukyung "Heidi" Nam ‘27
Nov. 4, 2024

A Muslim Private in the Civil War’s 43rd Regiment of New York? The first American Mosque built by a Muslim homesteader in Ross, North Dakota? If the previous sentences elicit incredulity in the reader’s mind, this reflects a pitfall of American history education: the assumed irreconcilability of ‘Muslim’ and ‘American,’ and that the two categories cannot share history. A recent documentary on the long history of Muslims in America seeks to shatter that false notion. 

 

It’s the first Friday night of October, and while midterm examinations are on the minds of many students, about 20 undergraduates, alongside members of the local Muslim community, gathered in the Computer Science building for an advance screening of American Muslims: A History Revealed. Executive Producers Zaheer Ali, Maytha Alhassen, and voiceover and Journalist Aymann Ismail were in attendance to present the first two 20-minute episodes of six total before the documentary made its official debut on October 17th. It is now publicly accessible on the PBS app and YouTube channel. 

 

Focusing on little told stories of Muslim individuals, the documentary project aims to showcase major moments of American history in a different light by deviating from the already trodden path of Muslim representation and taking bold steps of Muslim authorship. It accomplishes this aim by basing the narrative on the personal and quotidian records left behind by Civil War Private Mohammed Khan of the 43rd Regiment and Homesteader-Architect Mary Juma of early 1900s Ross, North Dakota. Were he alive today, Private Khan would be incredulous that historians scrutinized his 200-page record of attempts to claim his pension (despite rebuffs that were racially influenced), and Mrs. Juma would share the same sentiment about her homesteading records and the door to the mosque that she built with Muslim community members, which is presently displayed in the Arab American National Museum. These records show how the authors “honored their lives,” as Zaheer Ali says, through their diligence in the daily, and their contribution to the comprehensive history of Muslims in America. 

 

The two episodes were received with laughter, tears, and resounding applause. An energized panel discussion followed, which opened the floor to both audience members and the creators. Muhammad Elkayal ‘27, a Muslim American student in attendance, shared that “discovering this hidden history gave [him] a deeper sense of belonging as a Muslim American.” Elkayal also pointed out how the discursive alienation of American history curricula, which are generally structured from the perspective of the white American, “can make marginalized groups feel alienated from the national narrative,” and praised the documentary’s approach to examining American history through the stories of Muslim individuals. 

 

Despite the categories that seek to separate Americans on the basis of race and prejudiced hatred, we cannot deny that the history of Muslims in America is American history. The importance of reconstructing the frames we use to view history cannot be overstated, as some stories only become visible once we choose to see them. Take this action in your own lives by streaming American Muslims: A History Revealed on the PBS app and YouTube channel.