Chinese Admiral Zheng He – The first Muslim in North America

The first Muslim in North America was the Chinese Admiral Zheng He.

Recent scholarship indicates that Zheng He, the Chinese Admiral of the Ming Emperor Zhu Di and a devout Muslim, made a voyage of exploration to the Americas in 1421 when he circumnavigated the world. He predates Christopher Columbus to the Americas by 70 years.

In 1854, 13 years before Confederation, the first Muslim, James Love, named after his father, was born in Ontario to Agnes, of Scottish descent. The Loves went on to have seven additional children, the youngest, Alexander, born in 1868, one year after Confederation.

Similarly, another couple, Martha and John Simon, described in government documents as Mahometans, settled in Ontario in 1871, coming from the United States.

The first National Census in 1871 counted 13 Muslims in Canada. The majority of the early Muslim settlers Anglicized their first names or changed them altogether.

Kassam, Karim-Aly. “Muslim Presence in Alberta: Contribution and Challenges.”
Remembering Chinook Country. Detselig Enterprises Ltd. Calgary. 2005