While working for the Missouri Republican, he was appointed (in September, 1887) by President Cleveland to be Consular Representative to the Philippines at the U.S. office at Manila.

In 1886 Webb was introduced to Islam by the works of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement.

A local businessman, Hajee Abdulla Arab, a follower of Ghulam Ahmad, saw these letters and travelled to Manila to see Webb.

[4] Although Webb encountered some hostility because of his beliefs, the American press that reported on his activities did not question his patriotism, but dubbed him instead "the Yankee Mohammedan".

Webb visited Poona, Bombay, Calcutta, Hyderabad, and Madras and gave speeches in each town.

He viewed Muslims who were blindly imitating the West, adopting its style of clothing, and abandoning their own as servile and unworthy of their rich heritage.

He saw them as far removed from a genuine Islamic ethos, stating: "The only Mohammedans in all the East who drink intoxicating beverages are those who have been educated in England and wear European clothes.

This company published his writings, including his magnum opus Islam in America, which comprised eight chapters: Along with this venture he started the organ of the American Muslim Propagation Movement called Moslem World.

Many of America's most prominent thinkers heard him speak on the Islamic Faith, including Mark Twain.

Throughout the rest of America he started study circles in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Newark, Manhattan, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.

He was appointed the Honorary Turkish Consul in New York by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.