ABSTRACT
The historical growth of Islamic schools in North America has been led by two distinct and largely separate communities among Sunni Muslims: the indigenous and the immigrant. The use of the term “indigenous” to refer to African American Muslims seems odd in a North American context when the term is most often used and rightfully attributed to Aboriginal Native Canadians and Americans. The terms “Islamic school” and “Muslim school” are often used interchangeably in contemporary literature. The conception of a “sacred history” must be understood through the role and responsibility of human beings from an Islamic perspective. The concept of khalifat Allah fi’l-ard is a recurring theme that comes out throughout this study by participants as the rationale for their effort in envisioning and establishing Islamic schools. The American Muslim Mission is the result of Warith Deen Mohammed’s transformed vision of the Nation of Islam.
