Indiana’s First Mosque? Syrian Shi’a Muslims in Michigan City

Michigan City, Indiana, was likely the site of Indiana’s first purpose-built mosque. Muslim immigrants from the Ottoman Empire, especially from what today are the countries of Syria and Lebanon, immigrated to the state in the 1890s, if not before. But it was only in the twentieth century that Islam in Indiana began to develop as an institutionalized American religion that, like other American religions, created … Continue reading Indiana’s First Mosque? Syrian Shi’a Muslims in Michigan City

Edward E. Curtis IV

Indianapolis’ Homegrown Islam: The Moorish Science Temple of America

Originally posted on Invisible Indianapolis:
This week’s post comes to us from Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, Edward E. Curtis IV In May, 1939 the Moorish Science Temple advertised a Decoration Day (Memorial Day) dance in the Indianapolis Knights of Pythias Hall (click for an expanded view). In the 1930s… Continue reading Indianapolis’ Homegrown Islam: The Moorish Science Temple of America

Edward E. Curtis IV