Welcome to Mahomet
25th August 2025
Earlier today, when reading a news story, I happened to encounter the town (or village, as they apparently call them in the Upper Midwest) of Mahomet, Illinois. That got my attention, because as most of you know, Mahomet, like Mahound, is an archaic variant of the name Mohammed or Muhammad. Which means the Illinois town has a Mohammed Coefficient of 100%.
I wondered how the village got its name — had a devotee of the Prophet wandered down that way from Detroit or Hamtramck? But no: in this case the Coefficient is misleading. According to the official history of the town, it was named Mahomet by its founder, a Connecticut expatriate, in honor of Mahomet Weyonomon, a sachem of the Mohegan tribe in Connecticut. I wonder how the Mohammedans of the region feel about the appropriation of the name of the Messenger of Allah by an infidel Indian — is it an insult or a compliment?