An Islamic Revival in the Cause of Black Survival: The Influences and Impact of the Darul Islam Movement

The Darul Islam Movement (1962 to 1983) was arguably the most successful Islamic revivalist movement in U.S. At its height, it consisted of a network of about 40 affiliated mosques throughout the country, as well as its own magazine, printing press, businesses, and schools. Formed during the 1960s, the Dar shared many concerns in common with contemporary groups like the Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party. Yet the Dar also deeply engaged the ideas of Islamic reformists like Abul A'la al-Maududi, Hassan Al-Banna, and Sayyid Qutb. This paper considers the diverse ideological influences that characterized the Dar and the impact of the movement on subsequent Muslim communities in the US. I argue that the Dar crafted a version of Islamic Internationalism that appropriated global Islamist discourses, while simultaneously contending with the ideals of Black self-determination, Black nationalism, and working-class consciousness that animated radical organizing in the urban U.S.