📚 SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY To celebrate my new conversation with Professor Jeffrey Einboden, I’m giving away three signed copies of his remarkable book, Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives: The Lost Story of Enslaved Africans, Their Arabic Letters, and an American President. For giveaway details and how to enter, visit my Substack: https://islamandtheideaofamerica.substack.com/ What was the mysterious code that Thomas Jefferson tried—and failed—to decipher? In 1807, two Arabic manuscripts written by enslaved Muslim fugitives from western Kentucky reached Thomas Jefferson. He recognized their importance, but he could not read them—and their story remained hidden for more than two centuries. In this episode of Islam and the Idea of America, I speak with Professor Jeffrey Einboden, author of Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives: The Lost Story of Enslaved Africans, Their Arabic Letters, and an American President, about this extraordinary discovery and the forgotten history it reveals. What do these manuscripts tell us about Islam, slavery, literacy, religious freedom, race, and the meaning of America? ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 The Code Jefferson Couldn’t Decipher 05:42 Enslaved Muslims as Writers, Scholars & Theologians 10:58 The Earliest Arabic Muslim Writings in America 16:35 Muslim Writings “Hidden in Plain Sight” in American Archives 27:29 Discovering Jefferson’s Lost Arabic Manuscripts 32:30 Jefferson, Islam & Religious Freedom: From the Qur’an to the Treaty of Tripoli Our conversation explores: • The mysterious Arabic manuscripts that reached Thomas Jefferson in 1807 • Enslaved Muslims as writers, scholars, theologians, and intellectuals in early America • Why so many Muslim slave writings remained hidden in American archives • The role of Arabic literacy and Islamic intellectual traditions in early American history • The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and Jefferson's reference to “Mohammedans” • The Qur'an and Jefferson's educational vision for the University of Virginia • A newly recovered Arabic version of the Treaty of Tripoli and what it reveals about mutual dignity and religious respect • Islam, slavery, race, liberty, literacy, and human dignity in the early United States • How archival discoveries can reshape our understanding of American history Professor Einboden's research reveals a striking paradox: some of the most important Arabic writings of enslaved Muslims were not necessarily lost—they were hidden in plain sight, preserved in the archives of America's most celebrated institutions and political figures. Join us for this fascinating conversation about Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives and the forgotten Muslim presence in early American history. About Professor Jeffrey Einboden: Jeffrey Einboden is a Distinguished Research Professor at Northern Illinois University and the author of many books including Jefferson’s Muslim Fugitives, Islam and Romanticism, The Islamic Lineage of American Literary Culture, and The Qur’an and Kerygma. His research explores the intersections of Islam, literature, religion, and American intellectual history. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to Islam and the Idea of America for more discussions on Islam, American history, religious freedom, literature, and the intellectual history of the United States. #JeffersonsMuslimFugitives #JeffreyEinboden #ThomasJefferson #IslamInAmerica #MuslimsInAmerica #AmericanHistory #IslamicHistory #EarlyAmericanHistory #ReligiousFreedom #OmarIbnSaid #EnslavedMuslims #TreatyOfTripoli About the Channel: Islam and the Idea of America explores how Islamic thought helped shape the moral and intellectual foundations of the modern West — from Jefferson’s Qur’an to Emerson’s Sufi writings. 🎧 Podcast • 📜 Substack • 🎥 Documentary Series © 2025 Islam and the Idea of America. All rights reserved.
