Steven Fink

Dribbling for Dawah Steven Fink

Amidst a proliferation of scholarly literature about Islam inthe United States, very little attention has been given to sports among MuslimAmericans. While books about professional Muslim athletes can be found, this isthe first book to investigate Muslim American sports at the local level, looking atMuslim basketball leagues, sports programs at mosques and Islamic schools, andsports events hosted by Muslim organizations.

Drawing upon personal interviews and observations as well as scholarlysources, this book demonstrates that participation in sports activities plays a vitalrole in strengthening Islamic piety and fellowship, and in connecting Muslims withnon-Muslims in post-9/11 America.

Because of these roles, this book places Muslim American sports within thetrajectory of the Muslim "dawah movement," part of a worldwide revival withparticular momentum for many Muslim Americans since 9/11. Additionally, thebook places Muslim athletic endeavors within the stream of American religioushistory by exploring relationships between these sports activities and those of latenineteenth and early twentieth century Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and Jews.