Shi'ism in America

296 Pages·2009·1.325 MB·English

by  Liyakat Nathani Takim

Shi‘ism in America
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Shi‘ism in
America
Liyakat Nathani Takim
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2009 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Takim, Liyakatali, 1957–
Shi‘ism in America / Liyakat Nathani Takim.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-8296-5 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8147-8296-5 (cl : alk. paper)
1. Shi‘ah—United States. 2. Shiites—United States.
3. Muslims—United States. I. Title.
BP192.7.U6T35 2009
297.8’20973—dc22 2009013542
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials
to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents, Ammijan and Abbajan
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 The Origins and Early History of the American Shi‘i
Community 11
2 The American Shi‘i Community: Ethnicity and Identity 49
3 Sunni–Shi‘i Interaction in America 97
4 Shi‘i Leadership and America 145
5 Shi‘i Outreach Activities in America 185
Conclusion 231
Appendix 233
Notes 237
Bibliography 265
Index 279
About the Author 285
vii
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Acknowledgments
My interest in American Shi‘ism was first aroused in the mid-
1990s when I began to study the growing body of literature on the Muslim
presence in America. I soon realized that the experience of the Shi‘i Mus-
lims, a minority group within the larger American Muslim community,
had remained untold. I was determined to fill the lacuna. I began to gather
data, conduct a survey, and speak to various groups and members of the
Shi‘i community. The present study is culmination of that endeavor.
In my research work, I have benefited from the assistance extended
to me by many people and institutions. At the University of Denver,
I received a Professional Research Opportunities for Faculty (PROF)
grant that enabled me to visit and interview various Shi‘i institutions in
America. In conjunction with the Imamia Education Society, the Denver
Foundation facilitated a research fund that enabled me to meet Muslim
scholars, lay Shi‘is, and conduct a survey. The Bayt al-Ilm Institute also
provided a research stipend.
I am also indebted to various figures whose assistance was critical to
this study. I would like to thank Hajja Najjah Bazzy and Eid Alwan for
providing me the facilities to interview community figures in Dearborn,
Michigan, in July 2007. Ron Amen of the Arab American National Mu-
seum in Detroit was exceptionally helpful, providing me with invaluable
information and material regarding the early Shi‘i community in Detroit
and Michigan City. Many religious leaders furnished me with perspec-
tives that helped me formulate views on the American Shi‘i community.
In particular, I would like to thank Shaykh Fadhil Sahlani, imam Mustafa
al-Qazwini, imam Hasan Qazwini, Shaykh Jawad Ansari, imam Hisham
Husainy, imam Muhammad Ilahi, and Shaykh Mukhtar Fyzee for sharing
their personal insights of the American Shi‘i community with me.
I have also benefited considerably from the comments and advice of
scholars who read parts of my manuscript and offered many incisive com-
ments. Professors Abdulaziz Sachedina, Vernon Schubel, John Kelsay,
ix