This is a well-researched collection of essays (with excellent notes and bibliography) on five disparate Islamic sects in the United States and Canada considered heretical by Sunnis and Shi’ites. The Druze are all immigrants or children of immigrants. The Ahmadis are a mix of immigrants and American converts. Moorish Science, Ansaru Allah, and United Submitters International were all founded in the 20th century in the United States; the first two have almost exclusively black membership, while the last is racially mixed. While the authors clearly sympathize with the struggle of each group to maintain a cohesive identity in American society, they do not hesitate to highlight perceived flaws: for instance, that the Ansaru Allah espouse racist doctrines. This work is accessible to general readers but will appeal most to religious scholars. For academic and large public libraries.
– James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, Va.
