A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb [Hardcover]

Abd-Allah provides readers with a treasure in this narrative . It is acessible, memorable in its wit, and instructive. This text is a must-read. (Journal of Islamic Studies )

Abd-Allah's work is a unique type of American studies in which the majority society is represented in the mirror of gradual emergence of native minority society - Native American Muslim. However, this book is a leading reflection of Victorian America in all its typical natures - cultural and educational as well as political and economic elements. (Saied R. Ameli, American Studies Journal )

His research provides a 'sound beginning' that enables a judicious reappraisal of the few other published accounts of Webb. (Miriam Forman-Brunell, The Journal of American History )

In this first-ever biography of Alexander Russell Webb, Umar F. Abd-Allah examines Webb's life and uses it as a window through which to explore the early history of Islam in America. Except for his adopted faith, every aspect of Webb's life was, as Abd-Allah shows, quintessentially characteristic of his place and time. It was because he was so typically American that he was able to serve as Islam's ambassador to America (and vice versa). As America's Muslim community grows and becomes more visible, Webb's life and the virtues he championed - pluralism, liberalism, universal humanity, and a sense of civic and political responsibility - exemplify what it means to be an American Muslim.

Umar F. Abd-Allah is Chairman of the Board and Scholar-in-Residence of the Nawawi Foundation.