American Caliph

American Caliph: The Riveting True Story of America's First Homegrown Muslim Terror Attack

American Caliph is the gripping account of the 1977 Hanafi siege of Washington, DC—the largest hostage-taking on American soil. On March 9, 1977, seven men stormed the headquarters of B'nai B'rith International, taking over a hundred employees hostage. Simultaneously, three more men entered the Islamic Center of Washington, seizing control of the country's most important mosque. Two others infiltrated the District Building, where a reporter was killed and future mayor Marion Barry was shot.

The attackers belonged to the Hanafi movement, led by former jazz drummer Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. Khaalis demanded the surrender of those responsible for the 1973 murder of seven of his family members and followers, as well as the cancellation of the American premiere of Mohammad: Messenger of God.

Meticulously researched and drawing from hundreds of declassified FBI files, American Caliph chronicles the battle for control of American Islam, the international politics of religion and oil, and the hour-by-hour drama of a city under siege. Shahan Mufti's riveting true-crime narrative sheds new light on the turbulent 1970s and its enduring consequences.