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Muhammad Webb Biography
Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb was a american journalist,
newspaper owner, and former Consul-General of the U.S.A. in the
Philippines.
Mohammed Webb was born on November 9, 1846 in Hudson, New York to Mr. &
Mrs. Alexander Nelson Webb. A.N. Webb was a leading journalist of his day
and perhaps influenced his son's later journalistic exploits.
A.R. Webb received his early education at the Home School in Glendale,
Massachusetts and later attended college at Claverack College near Hudson,
New York. He excelled in college and upon finishing school purchased a
weekly newspaper in Unionville, Missouri and became the publisher. The
prowess as a journalist was soon apparent and he was offered city
editorship of the St. Joseph, Missouri Daily Gazette. Next he became
associate editor of the Missouri Morning Journal. Later he became one of
the editors at the Missouri Republican in St. Louis. This newspaper was
the second oldest and largest daily newspaper at that time.
While working for the Missouri Republican, he was appointed (in September,
1887) by President Cleveland to be Consular Representative to the
Philippines at the U.S. office at Manila. According to the editor of his
book The Three Lectures, he had given up any concept of religion at least
fifteen years before that point. He started his life as a Presbyterian but
found it dull and restraining. As early as 1881 he started a search for
his true faith by reading in books from a well stocked library of over
13,000 volumes that he had access to. He started his study with Buddhism
and finding it lacking , he began to study Islam. In 1888, he formally
declared himself to be a Muslim.
At that time he had yet to meet a Muslim but was put in contact with
several Muslims in India by a local Parsi businessman. A newspaper
publisher, Budruddin Abdullah Kur of Bombay, published several of Webb's
letters in his paper. A local businessman, Haji Abdullah Arab, saw these
letters and went to Manila to see Webb.
After the visit, Webb began plans to tour India and then return to the
U.S. to propagate Islam. Webb's wife, Ella G. Webb, and their three
children had also accepted Islam. Hajee Abdullah returned to India and
raised funds for Webb's tour. Webb visited Poona, Bombay, Calcutta,
Hyderabad, and Madras and gave speeches in each town. All are published at
least once separately and some are published in collection.
He resigned his post in 1892 and toured India then returned to the U.S..
His family stayed in San Francisco till he sent for them. Settling in New
York, he established the Oriental Publishing Company at 1122 Upper
Broadway. This company published his writings (including his magnum opus-
Islam in America). Islam in America contained 70 pages divided into eight
chapters namely: I) Why I Became a Muslim; II) An Outline of Islamic
Faith; III) The Five Pillars of Practice; IV) Islam in Its Philosophic
Aspect; V) Polygamy and the Purdah; VI) Popular Errors Refuted; VII) The
Muslim Defensive Wars; and, VIII) The American Islamic Propaganda. Along
with this venture he started the organ of the American Muslim Propagation
Movement called Moslem World. The first issue appeared May 12, 1893 and
was dedicated to "The Interests of the American Islamic Propaganda" and
"To spread the light of Islam in America". It lasted for seven monthly
issues (May to November 1893).
Webb was the main representative for Islam at the 1893 World Parliament of
Religions in Chicago. On September 20th and 21st, 1893, he gave two
speeches. His speeches were entitled: "The Influence of Islam Upon Social
Conditions" and "The Spirit of Islam" and were published in the large two
volume proceedings of the Parliament called "The First World's Parliament
of Religions" (1894).
For the rest of his life he was the main spokesman for Islam in America.
On Broadway, in Manhattan, he founded a short-lived masjid. The reasons
for the termination of this Masjid are unknown, but it could be due to a
lack of financial support from India.
He is also known for his writing a booklet about the Armenian and Turkish
Wars from a Muslim point of view (The Armenian Troubles and Where the
Responsibility Lies) and for being appointed the Honorary Turkish Consul
in New York by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The Sultan had been shown plans by
Webb for a Muslim cemetery and Masjid and complimented Webb on them.
Unfortunately these plans never materialized.
From 1898 to the time of his death on October 1, 1916, he lived in
Rutherford, New Jersey. He died at the age of seventy and was buried in
Hillside Cemetery on the outskirts of Rutherford. After his death his
efforts were largely forgotten. There continued to exist a vague coming to
Islam in the African American community and there exists some lines in the
writings of the first American Islamic Nationalist, Noble Drew Ali,
showing that if he hadn't met Webb at least he had heard of his efforts.
Courtesy:
Alexander Russell Webb Please note that almost all of the above
article on Webb was derived from this source written by Muhammed al-Ahari.
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