There are numerous evidences that Moslems from Spain and the Western Africa appeared in America at least five centuries before Columbus did, in particular, during rule of the caliph Abdul-Rahman III Umayyad (929 961).
The historian and geographer Abu-al-Hasan Ali ibn Al-Huseyn Al-Masudi (871-957) wrote in his book “Gold Placers and Mines of Jewelry” that during the rule of the Caliph of Spain Abdulla Ibn Muhammad (888-912), Hashhash ibn Saed ibn Asvad - a Moslem from Cordoba - floated from Delba (Palos) in 889 year, crossed the Atlantic, reached the unknown territory (Ard Majhoola) and come back with incredible treasures.
Leo Wiener, a well-known American historian, a linguist, a specialist in the problems of linguistic interference, from the Harvard University wrote in his book “Africa and America Discovery” (1920) that Columbus knew perfectly well about presence of representatives of the tribe Mandinka in the New World, and that they had spread along the Caribbean basin and territories accessible to them.
In 1920s Leo Wiener composed three volumes of linguistic coincidence in the languages of Indians and Africans. One more volume was added by the Frenchman G.Covais in 1930. Thorough studying of lexicon of various languages led Wiener to the conclusion that “the African influence on the American continent could not appear before XI century as many Mandinka words in the Pre-Columbian layers of the American Indian languages possess obvious traces of the Arabian influence”.
When Hernan Cortes invaded Mexico, his call was “Santiago Matamoros!” (Saint Jago, beat moors!). Here it would be necessary to tell that Saint Jago (Apostle Jacob, Jago-Moorstruggler) to whom soldiers addressed, was one of the most significant saints of the Catholic church structures of Latin America. This apostle sacrificed all his life for the war with moors and Mamelukes, appearing in front of Christian armies and helping to kill Moslems, - basically, in America.
I.I.Komarova writes in her book that after Baiano’s death, the leader of the Islamic opposition in Panama Spaniards initiated efforts to destroy any mention of Islam. Modern Panama history books try not to mention the fact of Islamic presence at the early period of the country history.
A Catholic priest Juan Lorente directly argues that the Saint Inquisition has withdrawn ALL books about America. The history of the continent exploration, as a matter of fact, was entirely rewritten and changed.