Ibrahima's departure from American soil is an important indication of his friendliness to northern US interests, especially those associated with the administration of President John Quincy Adams. He veiled himself in the social, ethnic, religious, and class differences of a Muslim prince—covering up the fact that he had been in America for approximately three decades. His very marginality within American culture meant that he was a useful vessel for his white allies. Impressing his patrons by writing in Arabic, he could rely on his education to demonstrate the differences between him and most other slaves. Invoking a royal heritage, he set himself apart from other black people.

XREF: Reveals the constructed, performative nature of identity that resonates with how marginalized figures navigate power through assumed personas.

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 372