15 Comments

Thank you for bringing this gem to light. It’s sad that while knowledge bridges gaps, the effort today in many states is to hide history.

Expand full comment

If you write the book just make sure you option the screen rights.

Expand full comment

Thanks for sharing this!

Expand full comment
Jun 20Liked by Qasim Rashid

Thank you for sharing this remarkable true story! I am saddened to not know anything about this brave man. If you write the book, I will buy it. I know there are more examples for this kind of courage in the face of extreme ignorance. This is a great inspiration to us and a reminder about how great the people of our country can be no matter their beliefs!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for reading and sharing, Huley.

Expand full comment
Jun 19Liked by Qasim Rashid

I got chill bumps reading this incredibly inspiring story! Thank you for taking the time to do the research and for sharing this with us. Stories like these are not in our history books, sad but true. And there are many outhers out there that we won't know about due to the movement by some to whitewash history! I did a little checking on my family history and found a story that my great grand, a slave at the time, it is amazing how much information is archived! He served with the Union Army, the 32nd Infantry (colored battallion). I'm inspired to do more research on this and share with my family. Again thank you for this article!

Expand full comment
author

We absolutely need more stories like that of your great grand. ❤️✊🏽

Expand full comment
Jun 19Liked by Qasim Rashid

This is a fabulous story and has "major motion picture" written all over it! I posted it on my Facebook page with that message. I hope some producers get a chance to read it! Please keep these "hidden history" stories coming.

Expand full comment
author

This really would make an amazing movie

Expand full comment
Jun 19Liked by Qasim Rashid

It's fitting that a proper janazah prayer should be done for him even if it's well over a few centuries ago after his demise.

Expand full comment
author

That's a good point. I wonder if anyone has offered one? He apparently had 2 sons so I imagine they would have when he died?

Expand full comment

Qasim, thank you so much for telling this story of a truly heroic man. I’ll be sharing this on Civil War Memory, another SubStack written and curated by Kevin Levin. Please, do write that book - it would be an important contribution to our country’s history.

Expand full comment
author

Very cool. Thank you for doing so. And yeah, this iconic person absolutely needs a book.

Expand full comment
Jun 19Liked by Qasim Rashid

It is truly inspiring to hear of muslim americans in historical context. When we think of Islam in America, non muslims point to Al saddiq in Chicago and say ‘see! built in the last 100 years- islam is new here’. That is how many mark islam in this country. Its heartening to hear real stories of muslim Americans contributions to our history.

Expand full comment
author

Absolutely! Wait til you hear next week's podcast with Dr. Fatimah Fanusie where she discusses the role of Islam in America well before the 20th century.

Expand full comment