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Abstract
Experience of African-American Muslim Women is an ethnographic study of the Los Angeles African-American Sunni Muslim community. The conversion stores of the women illustrate how a religion that is seen by most Americans as antithetical to women's equality can be used as a tool for liberation. Through the examination of the local uses of Islam as a tool for economic, social, and personal empowerment; this dissertation challenges the Marxist assertion that religious consciousness is by definition false consciousness. The Muslim women through their Qur'anic exegesis determine how the African-American community reads important Islamic texts, and therefore defines what it means to act and think like a Muslim. Ultimately, the women are able to define an Islamic agenda for the community which demands equality and respect for women while simultaneously joining forces with African-American men to strengthening their families, communities, and self.
