While the majority of immigration from predominantly Muslim countries occurred in the late 20th century, Muslims have been a part of the history of New York City since the inception of the “New World.” There was a definite Muslim presence in the Atlantic slave trade, which included professionals and religious scholars who were kidnapped and enslaved to aid in the commercial venture that became the United States. These African slaves were likely the FIRST people to introduce Islam to New York City, marking the first wave of Muslim immigration to America[i].
There is also evidence suggesting that there were Muslims who came to New Amsterdam as independent workers. In 1630, Anthony Jansen van Salee was exiled from New Netherlands and immigrated to New Amsterdam as a colonist for the Dutch West India Company[ii] . While the records are thin, the migration of Anthony van Salee and the importation of African Muslim slaves shows that Muslims were deeply involved with the commercial and political dynamic that led to the establishment of New York City.
[i] Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane I. Smith, Muslim Communities in North America (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994), 209.
[ii] Kambiz GhaneaBassiri. A History of Islam in America: From the New World to the New World Order (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 10.
