Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an
Islam and the Founders
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4.3 • 11 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
In this original and illuminating book, Denise A. Spellberg reveals a little-known but crucial dimension of the story of American religious freedom—a drama in which Islam played a surprising role. In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur’an. This marked only the beginning of his lifelong interest in Islam, and he would go on to acquire numerous books on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel, taking extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law. Jefferson sought to understand Islam notwithstanding his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment prevalent among his Protestant contemporaries in England and America. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country.
Based on groundbreaking research, Spellberg compellingly recounts how a handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost among them, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims (then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society) to fashion out of what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson’s political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders’ ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done.
As popular suspicions about Islam persist and the numbers of American Muslim citizenry grow into the millions, Spellberg’s revelatory understanding of this radical notion of the Founders is more urgent than ever. Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an is a timely look at the ideals that existed at our country’s creation, and their fundamental implications for our present and future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Spellberg, a professor of history and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas, Austin, presents for the reader a comprehensive survey of attitudes toward Islam in Europe and America in the 17th and 18th centuries, detailing Thomas Jefferson's vision of a religiously pluralist society and his positive answer to the question of whether a Muslim could be a full citizen of the new United States. The book's focus is often undecided, though, as it wanders away from Jefferson to explore prominent early political figures such as John Adams and John Leland, and even the question of Islam among African-American slaves; it doesn't provide enough in-depth material on other founders to fully justify the subtitle or turn the main spotlight from Jefferson himself. In its stronger moments, the book explores some fascinating topics relevant to the modern political landscape, such as the First Barbary War, and accusations by Jefferson's political opponents that he was a secret Muslim, and makes a convincing case that Muslims have always served as the Other in American discourse. In its weaker moments, however, its dry tone and dense lists of facts, often without full context or analysis, will make it more appealing to academics with a specialty in the subject than to the lay reader.
Customer Reviews
Good information on Islam and founding fathers
Shows many of the similarities in verses of the Quran (care for the less fortunate, part of routine being charity not just charity for good will, and self accountability) without getting too deep into the actual text of the Quran. If you want this book to learn about the Quran, this is not an in depth source but it is one for the connections between early American moments and verses in the Quran. Also Flashfire reviewer is inaccurate in saying they passed a law banning Islam from being a religion. They restricted all non whites in 1790 and 100 years later a Supreme Court ruling quote said Muslims were more hateful than other religions, particularly towards Christianity. The fact it’s on most helpful list is troubling.
The Rights of the Minority
The title of this book is misleading.This book is more about universal rights, the right to worship as you see fit, the right to participate in the political process,and to live without fear from the majority or extremist groups. If you believe that this country is a pluralizes country, this is a must read. If you think that this country should be the domain of white male Protestants do not bother to read this book
Interesting side note
In 1786 Jefferson, along with Adams were sent to meet with an envoy from Tripli regarding the issue of the Barbary pirates raids on American ships (selling the crew into slavery and ransoming the captains back to America). Jefferson keep notes on his meeting with the representative, when asked the motivation for the unprovoked attacks on their ship, the envoy answer that they were muslim and according to their prophet, it was their duty to convert, tax, or kill anyone who wasn’t muslim, and should they die in the process they would become martyers (free pass to Paradise). This horrified both Adams and Jefferson and lead to them passing a law which refused to recongize Islam as a religion because of its incompatablity with our Constitution.