By Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Racism is alive and robust, regardless of how Muslim intellectuals and leaders have denied its growth for decades. Some 3 million Americans identify with Islam. Sixty-five percent come immigrant communities, mostly from Asia and 40 percent from North and South America, with the majority from the United States.
Black Muslims often described as African Americans are 35 percent of the Muslim population. South Asians, mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, make 33 percent of the community. Twenty percent from the Arabic-speaking countries and 12 percent are from Southeast Asian, South, and North American and European countries.
A cursory look at the board of Muslim organizations, Masajid, and centers reveals that 93 percent of them comprise non-black Muslims. In relief organizations, the overwhelming majority comes from Arab and South Asian communities. In civil rights organizations, 95 percent of leadership is in the hands of non-black Muslims. Only when ugly incidents like the one we all witnessed in Minneapolis where a white police officer slowly and painfully murdered George Floyd, the immigrant leaders gather some black Muslim leaders to create the impression of a united Muslim American community. Even there, it is the immigrant community leadership that finds the audacity to advise black Muslims on how to deal with racism prevailing in the country.
Most black Muslims live in inner cities, and most immigrant Muslims live in suburbs and middle-class neighborhoods. Most immigrant Muslims have a per capita income higher than the national average, while most black Muslims earn less than the national average.
Muslim relief organizations collect funds from Muslim Americans and spend the bulk of that in foreign countries throwing some dollars here and there among black Muslims.
Most Islamic centers have Imams and Khateeb from Arab and South Asian countries. Only rarely one finds black Muslim scholars or speakers and Khateeb in mosques built mainly by immigrant communities.
A white Muslim khateeb and scholar is more popular in the community than a black Muslim scholar and speaker.
In social gatherings and annual Muslim conventions by major Islamic groups, immigrants Muslims outnumber black Muslims by two to ten. In social relationships, the two communities stay apart, each living within its racial boundaries.
Muslim organizations and Islamic centers spend more resources discussing issues about Muslims elsewhere than addressing the problems of black Muslims in inner cities. Even in February, the month of black history, not many Islamic centers bring up the issue.
Saudi Arabia influenced Salafis to make inroads in the black community to win them by opening its religious institutions in Medina and Makkah to many black Imams. But it was superficial as it did not result in any social relationship among the Arabs and black Muslims.
Not to mention liquor and tobacco shops owned by many Muslims in inner cities where most of the employees came from non-black communities.
None of these issues faced by black Muslims, such as poverty, homelessness, lack of adequate education, unemployment, drugs, and violence, have figured prominently in Muslim American groups.
The gap is widening every year, and there is no serious effort to bring the two communities together at the grassroots levels.
If all this is not rooted in race, then what is it?
Black Muslims make the most resilient community in the world. No other Muslim community suffered persecution as it did in its more than 400 years of history in the Americas. Captured, sold and bought as slaves by merchants including Muslims, humiliated, beaten, raped, and killed, and forced to change their religion, the black Muslims continued to show their commitment to faith by following it in their way within their circumstances.
It is this history that immigrant Muslims have failed to acknowledge and recognize. They did not do it during civil rights when not many Muslim immigrants participated in the March human dignity. Ask an average mosque goer about it, and he or she would draw a blank. In libraries, if there are any, in Islamic centers, there is hardly any book on black Muslims. It is hard to find a black Muslim magazine in any immigrant-run center.
The general attitude of immigrant Muslim leadership reflects insensitive to black Muslim culture and issues. Stereotypes about blacks prevalent among Caucasians are also commonplace among Muslims. Many view blacks as violent, criminals, poorly mannered, drug-influenced, and lacking “true” Islamic knowledge.
As long as this reality continues to exist, racism would continue to exist in mosques and Islamic centers. It is a major crisis that the community faces. One way to overcome this crisis is to train Muslim leaders in anti-racism. Such training is essential for anyone on the board of mosques or Islamic centers. Ninety-nine percent of Muslim leaders and activists do not have this training.
They assume that by citing the Quran on race relations and quoting the Prophet that no Arab has superiority over non-Arabs and no white is superior to blacks, they might hide the latent racism that community lives every day.
We have to acknowledge that racism is a significant issue in the Muslim community, and without a leadership training in anti-racism, we will not conquer it internally. We might keep on showing that we are against racism while wearing the mask of Islam and hiding behind God and his messenger.
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The author is a US based Islamic scholar of Indian origin.
Thanks to AA for showing a mirror to the Muslim leadership on the Race issue. I am sure instead of looking at the ugly face they are more likely to smash the mirror. A similar situation prevails in our subcontinent where the original Racism; Casteism rules the ethos of the Muslim gentry who have positioned themselves as the natural leaders of the community. One of the most circulated books amongst Sunnis is BAHISHTEE ZEVAR which preaches Casteism brazenly in the crudest manner.
So, Bahasti Zewar is The Divine Book” Sunni Muslims follow? What a shitty argument!!!
By the way, you haven’t provided any quote from the Book to prove your claim, which shows that there isn’t any and you’re just pulling things out of Your ass to shit the comments sections.
In serious academic debate to use words like ‘shitty’ only shows that the user is bereft of argument. It was never claimed that BZ was “Divine Book” for Sunnis but a popular book (in many cases an essential part of the dowry) that determines the world-view of Sunnis. It had had hundreds of editions published by number of publishers. It is available for free download also. It is to be read and believed how crudely and brazenly Casteism is being preached and justified. Please read pages 193-94 in part 4 of it, I am pasting the link below:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/ec369rfhorj5rja/bihishti_zewar_urdu_part_4.pdf/file
Riyadhus Saaliheen is authentic, no mixture bhel-puri….
Yes unfortunately racism is rampant due to ignorance of reading authentic books, rather taking knowledge from doubtful books and Ulema e soo like Moulvi Saad, etc.
A racist, habitual liar, oppressor, Muslim betrayer, luxurious lifestyle, is Not true Muslim in eyes of Allah, hence the Corona punishment.
The earlier Muslims understand, the better for them.
Otherwise Allah will replace them with excellent educated European converts.
Racism is same like maintaining caste system. Muslims criticize Hindus for caste system but the truth is muslims have severe caste system than hindus. The castes like Sunni, Shia, Ahmedi, Bohra etc cannot co-exist together. ISIS killed around 1.5 lac muslims in middle east mainly Shia.. The war between Iran (Sunni) & Iran (Shia) killed around 10 lac muslims. In Pakistan Sunni terrorists kill Shia & Ahmedi. Also, muslims have formed countries based upon caste.. for example Saudi is a Sunni country where as Iran is Shia.. Thus, muslim caste system is prevailing all over the world & acting as threat to humanity in general.
Your figures are all from WhatsApp University of paid BJP IT cell troll army.
Racism in Muslims is nothing compared to devilish Brahminical supremacist Manuwadi caste system, which considers 40% Indian Schedule castes as not even human beings.
shia sunni are not castes,they are sects within islam like shavites vaishnavites shaktists smartists naturalists etc in hindus,mahayana theravada vajrayana etc in buddhism,catholism protestanism orthodxism etc in christianity.Moreover they are matter of belief, not something related to a hierarchial system encouraged by one’s religion in which some persons are born high classed and some as low.
There’s no serious academic debate. It was a casual comment and a casual reply. Also, as regards to BZ “preaching” casteism, I get it. It does create misunderstanding.But you must realize the ground reality. And that is Indian Muslims are heavily influenced by caste system and there are Caste stratification in the Indian Muslim community. This ground Reality wasn’t CREATED by Bahasti Zewar (are you claiming that?). This reality exists among Indian Muslims as part of their culture in India ( it’s certainly reprehensible). The author of the book dealth with reality and laid out guidelines of KUFU(MARRIAGE COMPATIBILITY IN ISLAM) among Muslims in India. Why blame author and his book when it is simply dealing with the Reality in the context of Marriage.
Is author of delicious mixture”bhel-puri Bahishti Zewar” Almighty Allah or a Prophet so as to not make mistakes?
Wake up blind Bhakt, bhel-puri books and doubtful mixture Deeni knowledge may be delicious but it is very harmful for health of the Ummah.
Hazrat e Bilal e Habsi rehmatullahalai is our master, I am not a black person but I consider myself as a slave of Hazrat e Bilal e Habsi rahmatullahi. Mamsa musa too is our master.
Only Almighty Allah is our Master,
Hazrat Bilal Radhiallanhu is a hero, and
the Prophets are our human guides teaching us how to implement Quraan and sunnah into our actual lives sincerely and truthfully!
Lol “castes of sunnis and shia.” That’s how you inkw the person who is speaking is an idiot with a low IQ, and an agenda against Islam.
Muslims are racist. Simple as. Just hypocritical jokers who spout on about others being racist when they are. A muslim has just broke up with me. We were both happy together but he cannot be with me because his dad will not allow him to get with a non muslim. I read that Allah does not discriminate and all this rubbish but who are they to tell people that they have to be with someone of the same religion. They don’t like racism yet they are.
@Carly hawthorne aka Hindu street rat
You are an idiot Islamophobe who doesn’t get it. Muslims don’t date, the man you were with fooled you. His father did the right thing. Muslims can’t marry non-Muslims…nothing to do with racism, it’s that simple. Who are you to tell Muslims anything about their religion? Get over yourself, no ones cares for your rubbish.
What’s wrong with you!? I’ve seen plenty of muslims marry non muslims, plus you say you don’t discriminate against other races.
What his father did is simply racist and nothing more than that.
Do you even know what racism definition is based on? It’s when you discriminate against another race and don’t treat them as an equal.
You people have no right asking for equality if you yourselves don’t treat others with equality as well.
Did you mother never teach you to treat others as you would want to be treated? It’s basic etiquette
To all those saying that caste system is tyrannical or terrible, Indian Muslims continue to hold on to their castes even after conversion. For a very simple reason, play the victim card and benefit from reservation. Complaining about caste system, but yet even today , I see no muslims who are in general or OC category. Muslims call hindus castiest, yet avail reservation using the very same caste system. This is nothing but hypocrisy and shows why no one takes muslims in India seriously.
You also show descriminations to other groups in your own religion, then why you question about this descriminations. Muslim descriminate others for their non muslim behaviours only and expect them to be on right path which Allah showed to th them.
Muslim people are racist in fact their is no bigger racist then the Muslims and Hindus.
Muslims can be extremely racist to Africans…I have had the worst and most racist comments from Muslim men, more racist and crude than white Europeans. They themselves had brown skin. Unfortunately, racism and misogyny are common in the middle east. Yet, these same racists will expect to be protected from racism. I have also met very friendly Muslims too so I’m not saying this applies to all Muslims.