Confederate Symbols in Public Spaces

The topic of Confederate memorials and monuments in public spaces has been an issue discussed for over one hundred years. After the Civil War, Confederate sympathizing genealogical and social organizations acted as historical gatekeepers, producing historical narratives and public monuments to their fallen fathers and brothers. Groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy […]

John Brown and the Raid on Harper’s Ferry

Secretary of War, John Floyd had the task of giving a detailed report of John Brown’s raid to President Buchannan shortly after the raid was put down by General Robert E. Lee. In his report Floyd described the raid as: a conspiracy, an insurrection, and an overall attack on the history of the United States […]

The World Parliament of Religions and American Newspapers (1893-1914)

The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago was a moment in history when many of today’s best known brands such as; Juicy Fruit, Shredded Wheat, and “Aunt Jemima” pancake mix all made their debut at the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair. The six-month long event, which began on May 1st was also designated as the Fourth Columbian […]

The Timbuktu Manuscripts and Black Muslim Intellect

In The Race for Timbuktu Frank Kryza describes Timbuktu as a, “nexus, a bridge, – the only one, in fact” between Black Africa and the Arabic speaking North Africans. Joshua Hammer in his book The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, calls Timbuktu a regional center of scholarship and culture. Timbuktu, although not unique in the […]

Coronations, Assassinations, and Feminism

Mali in 1325 and India in 1326 Certain moments in history deserve a spotlight so that the events can illuminate the minds of the present. The years of 1235-1236, although brief, brought monumental changes to Mali and India, but to Islam as a whole. In 1235, Sundiata would unify Mali after the Battle of Kirina, […]

A Response to Hamza Yusuf

I remember sitting in my history of Islam classes, waiting for the professor to talk about West Africa. Waiting for the person who has a doctoral degree in Islamic studies to speak on Mali or Ghana. Waited for him to talk about the glorious empires that black African Muslims produced, but it never happened. I […]

Byzantine Iconoclasm and the Politics of Religion

Many times we view religion as a set of ideas that have been set in stone and everlasting and never changing. When looking at Christendom’s period of iconoclasm, many people will first think of stain glass windows. The stain glass windows that create colorful lights that splash across church walls. Or the carvings of Jesus […]

Urbanization of Timbuktu

How Islam and Urbanization impacted 12th century Timbuktu. With Picture Analysis. The urbanization of historical cities has been a point of interest for many historians. How cities grow and mesh all the while absorbing ideas from different identities. Timbuktu, during the reign of Mansa Musa was no different, it became a cosmopolitan intellectual city […]

“Race and Slavery in the Middle East” by Bernard Lewis

Book Review and Analysis Race and Slavery in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis tackles one of the more taboo topics within Islam and the Muslim community; racism and slavery. Usually, when race and the history of the Arab slave trade is discussed, this makes religious figures uneasy. One cannot deny the fact that Islam […]

Kings and Scholarship of the Islamic Empire of Mali

In order to bring Sub-Saharan Islamic history to the forefront; King and Scholarship was written. Part one is brief history of rulers of Mali. Part two a brief history of scholarship in Timbuktu.