The Life & Writings of Omar ibn Sayyid: A Roundtable Discussion

This is a roundtable discussion focusing on the Arabic writings of Omar ibn Sayyid (1770-1864), who in 1831 wrote an autobiography in Arabic while enslaved in Bladen County, North Carolina. The discussion and presentations will address over a dozen manuscripts about his enslavement from West Africa/ Senegal, his tumultuous life journey in the Carolinas, his Muslim faith and training in Islamic sciences, the Qur'an and the Bible and the controversy over the supposed conversion of Omar to Christianity etc. Co-sponsor: The Arabic Halaqa
Contact: bryan.rusch@duke.edu