thewrestlingnord

First off, congrats on your election and milestone.

Do you believe that there is a distinct and important difference between US born Muslims and Muslims born in countries with Islam as a state religion? Those countries overwhelming seem to be anti-gay, oppressive towards women, and hold values that seem opposite of Western democracies. If this distinction remains true, how do we fight the stigma geared towards moderate, secular Muslims in the US versus those overseas?

There definitely were some Muslims in the early Americas. One of the first documented was a Moroccan slave/guide working with some Spanish explorers in modern day Texas. An early American painter named Charles Wilson Peale painted a portrait of a Muslim (and former slave) named Yarrow Mamout dated 1818. It wasn't a prominent Religion compared to Christianity, but even Washington had Muslim workers at Mount Vernon.

Here's a source as well: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/collection/african-muslims-early-america