Embassy News & Events
21 May 2009
Islam in America
 Al-Jazeera English Presenter Rageh Omaar and Moderator Stryker McGuire answer questions from the audience.
(Embassy photo)
Muslim Americans are an important part of the 21st-century American mosaic. And along with Christianity, Islam is considered one of the fundamental influences that shaped American civilization. It is this history of Islam's influence on America, and the successful integration of Muslims into American life that the Al-Jazeera English network examines in its documentary, “Islam in America,” which the Embassy screened for a special audience of community activists, diplomats, journalists and opinion leaders on May 21st. Guests came to the event from places as far away as Wales, Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester. Following the screening, guests had the chance to pose questions to the documentary's presenter, Rageh Omaar, and Newsweek magazine’s Stryker McGuire.
Islam's origins in America, as the documentary describes, came from African slaves. Today, much of African-American culture has been influenced by this heritage. A key theme throughout the film is that – because of America's strict separation of “church and state” – immigrant Muslims feel a strong sense of belonging in America.
If you would like to watch the full-version of Islam in America, you can catch both programs on Al-Jazeera English on Sunday July 5th and Sunday 12th July, either on Sky channel 514 or Freesat channel 203. You can also watch it on-line at http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/ .
Finally, to learn more about the experience of Muslims in America please take a look this pamphlet in PDF format: http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/books/being-muslim-in-america.pdf .
Related:
• Remarks By President Obama To The Turkish Parliament (White House website)
Caption: Audience member asking "why have American Muslims been so successful?"
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Embassy News & Events
