This is a brilliant exposé by Umema Aimen on xenophobic, racist and paternalistic attitude towards blacks as displayed by many immigrant Muslims! Even though Muslims profess Islam is against racism, many of them display anti-black racism and often become part of institutional racism in the USA. As social justice activists, we need to move beyond tokenism to real solidarity with anti-racism movement. On the individual level, racism exists in the form of derogatory terms used to describe blacks (“abd” means slave), treating them as second-class Muslims, giving them suspicious stares and showing an excessive inclination toward those with lighter skin. This bias runs so deep, especially among immigrant Muslim families, that marriage proposals from black Muslims are rejected on the basis of their dark skin alone. One Southern black man tells the story of his conversion to Islam. While he found peace in Islam’s teachings, he continues to face racism within the Muslim community just as he had from others before Islam entered his life. The language changed (from “nigger” to “zenci”), but the abuse was the same. His is a heart-wrenching tale of a man failing to find dignity and honor from the followers of justice. There is also a history of highjacking black heroes and their causes by other Muslims for organizational or self gain. During the attacks on Gaza earlier this year, parallels were drawn between Gaza and Ferguson, Mo., to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians. Hind Makki of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative explains that “all American Muslims are proud of the legacy of African American Muslim luminaries such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.” Yet, there is largely an indifference toward black causes and issues. This insensitivity reflects a lack of understanding that non-black American Muslims have of their own privilege over black Muslims — just like some white Americans. On the individual level, racism exists in the form of derogatory terms used to describe blacks (“abd” means slave), treating them as second-class Muslims, giving them suspicious stares and showing an excessive inclination toward those with lighter skin. This bias runs so deep, especially among immigrant Muslim families, that marriage proposals from black Muslims are rejected on the basis of their dark skin alone. One Southern black man tells the story of his conversion to Islam. While he found peace in Islam’s teachings, he continues to face racism within the Muslim community just as he had from others before Islam entered his life. The language changed (from “nigger” to “zenci”), but the abuse was the same. His is a heart-wrenching tale of a man failing to find dignity and honor from the followers of justice. There is also a history of highjacking black heroes and their causes by other Muslims for organizational or self gain. During the attacks on Gaza earlier this year, parallels were drawn between Gaza and Ferguson, Mo., to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians. Hind Makki of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative explains that “all American Muslims are proud of the legacy of African American Muslim luminaries such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.” Yet, there is largely an indifference toward black causes and issues. This insensitivity reflects a lack of understanding that non-black American Muslims have of their own privilege over black Muslims — just like some white Americans. washingtonpost/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/12/15/brown-garner-cases-force-muslims-to-confront-racism-within-their-communities/
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 03:16:09 +0000
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