Emergence of the Rhetoric of a Unified Ummah among American Muslims: The Case of Metropolitan Chicago

• Published in: Journal of Muslim minority affairs Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 450 - 466
• Main Author: Numrich, Paul D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.12.2012; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Africa; African Americans; Arabs; Chicago, Illinois; Context; Courts; Ethnic Identity; Ethnicity; Illinois; Islam; Islamic countries; Islamism; Leadership; Loyalty; Metropolitan areas; Middle East; Middle Eastern cultural groups; Minority groups; Muslim Americans; Muslims; Religious communities; Rhetoric; U.S.A; Chicago Illinois
• ISSN: 1360-2004; 1469-9591
• DOI: 10.1080/13602004.2012.746180

This essay analyzes the rhetoric of a unified ummah among Islamic groups and organizations in metropolitan Chicago. The essay traces ummah rhetoric in the histories of three Muslim population groups: (1) Bosnians, where the clash between ethnic loyalties and the ummah ideal played out in the American court system; (2) Arabs, where solidarity has only gradually expanded beyond Palestinian identity; and (3) African-Americans, whose expressions of Islam have been significantly shaped by the racial history of the USA. The essay also reviews ummah rhetoric in selected contemporary Islamic organizations, including local mosques in metropolitan Chicago. Five analytical points are derived from the Chicago case to explain when, why, and how ummah rhetoric emerges (or does not emerge) among American Muslims generally: (1) minority status; (2) the larger American socio-historical context; (3) the socio-historical context of a particular Muslim group; (4) the application of Islam's traditional resources; and (5) the role of local Muslim community leaders.