Perseus Academic: Al' America by Jonathan Curiel

Contents
Preface: The Irony of 9/11
xi
Acknowledgments
xix
1. The Seeds of Islam in America:
From Columbus to the Alamo
1
2. Slavery and Islam:
The Roots of American Blues Music
18
3. Emerson and Persian Poetry:
The Transcendentalists Find Their Refl ection in Southern Iran
37
4. P. T. Barnum and the Taj Mahal:
The Spread of Muslim Art from One Continent to Another
55
5. Language and Names:
The Arabic Origins of “Giraffe” and “Coffee”—
and What About “Mecca, U. S.A.”?
67

viii Contents
6. Arabs and the Ice-Cream Cone:
The Joy of Eating (and Drinking),
from Damascus to St. Louis, Missouri
81
7. The Height of Orientalism:
When U. S. Presidents Donned Fezzes
and Said “Salaam Aleikum”
92
8. The Lasting Appeal of The Arabian Nights
and the Bearded Mullah from Turkey
105
9. The Trippy Sounds of the '60s:
How Dick Dale, The Doors, and Even Dylan
Swayed to Arab Music
119
10. East Meets West in Memphis:
Elvis and the Poet from Lebanon
131
11. Islam and the World Trade Center:
Minoru Yamasaki Plants a Dream for Peace in New York
145
12. Fashion, Tattoos, and Arabic Calligraphy:
The Nexus of Style, Design, and Angelina Jolie
159

Content s ix
13. Arabs and Muslims in the United States:
Today and Tomorrow
172
Notes
195
Index
231