As the brutal murder of George Floyd motivated weeks of unrest and protest amongst those seeking justice and reform, the actions of non-black Muslim communities to support the voices of Black Americans have not gone without notice. The transformation of a community that supported politicians whose policies were harmful to the Black community1 to one that has stood united in their stance against systemic racism is commendable. On a personal level, the messages of support and care I received from peers and the social media posts from Muslim-Americans in support of Black lives showed me the growth of the community. However, these acts are woefully inadequate to ensure real change within our community. Many of these statements of support ring hollow when posted by institutions that have a track record of overlooking or perpetuating racism against Black Muslims in their communities.
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ
“And We have certainly honored the children of Adam…” (Qur’an 17:70)
While honor, salvation, and blessings are found through Islam, Allah (ﷻ) has also bestowed dignity on us through our humanity, and any attempts to erase that reality speak to a misunderstanding of the words of our Lord. The inconsistency from the non-Black Muslim community stems from a broader issue, a “colorblindness” that seeks to erase the Blackness of the members of Masjid congregations. In my experiences with discussing race in Islam, many Muslims revealed their erroneous belief that Islam’s call for equality amongst races must be achieved by the erasure of the Black Muslim identity. This echoes the often-caricatured masjid Imam that states, “Look past the color of their skin, and look at their heart.” This attempted “sanitization” of their fellow Muslims’ race prevents them from understanding the racism in their own community.
لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” (Qur’an 9:128)
Complaints of racism from community members necessitate an earnest attempt from the community and its leaders to listen — truly listen; not just to respond, but to understand and to empathize. Our community’s inability to empathize with Black Muslims is evident in many forms, from silencing the voices of Black Muslims, to the seemingly innocent, but just as damaging, need for non-Black Muslims to tie their people’s struggle to that of Black Americans. While the injustices caused by oppressors around the world are often linked and require us to speak up and act together, there is a fine line between solidarity and co-opting a movement.
I ask: Is your emotional capacity to feel for the struggle of Black Americans limited by your ability to center yourself in that struggle? Do Black lives only matter to the extent that “All Oppression Matters”?
This “colorblindness” permeates the talking points of masjid community members and is indicative of an inability to see the internal problems within Muslim spaces. Recycled platitudes that outwardly speak of community support for Black people have the opposite effect. Citing the status of Bilal (radi Allahu ‘anhu, may Allah be pleased with him) and Khutbat ul-Wada’ 2 (the Prophet’s [ﷺ] Last Sermon) as a sign of Islam’s stance against racism silences the real grievances of Black Muslims, and results in placing their grievances at odds with Islam. Comments such as, “Islam abolished racism 1400 years ago” frame the actions of the community as religious. These statements, at best, alienate Black Muslims from their community, and at worst, push Black Muslims away from the masjid, and even away from the religion entirely.
By hosting events with the police, CIA, and FBI, in addition to making congregants feel unsafe given law enforcement’s treatment of Black people, they undo much of the work that members of their own community do to fight systemic racism. Specifically, these events turn sacred spaces into platforms for the State to broadcast its propaganda. Using this platform, these State institutions can further propagate the false narrative that systemic issues, like racism, can be resolved on a case by case basis. Masājid claim to host these events to “hear both sides”; they are being impartial by effectively choosing to support those outside groups instead of their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters – many of whom are well-versed and more educated on these matters than Masjid boards and Imams.
The racism within our sacred spaces requires direct action. However, action must be taken in a way that centers the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the Qur’an. For those non-Black Muslims cognizant of the racism within our community and willing to change this reality, know that your role is one of extreme importance. But it is one that must follow a Prophetic model of administering change. We must avoid using the moral compass of the spiritually broken to guide our calls for justice.
The Prophetic Model for Administering Change
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” (Qur’an 33:21)
Step 1: Learn
It is essential that anyone striving to fix the issues within their community learn as much as they can about the reality of racism, its history, and its manifestations. There are many great organizations and people whose work should frequent the bookshelves and computers of those willing to learn. Educating others requires us to be able to properly articulate the positions for which we are advocating.
Racial slurs and hate crimes are easily recognizable, but much of the racism in our sacred spaces is nuanced and often only noticed by those who experience it. Learn about systemic racism, internalized racism, white privilege, and colorism3 while also focusing on the theological responses to oppression. Let us not allow our good intentions to be the only thing guiding us. Well-intentioned, but ignorant people can often cause more harm than good. The fight for equality in our community necessitates that we seek knowledge indefinitely.
Step 2: Working Within Our Network
The advent of Islam brought with it a fundamental shift from the norms of Jahiliyya4. Islam brought radical social elements of racial and social equality. These aspects of the religion would, at times, pose more of a problem than the theological message5.
Islam began at the home of Prophet (ﷺ). The first Muslims were Khadija, Zaid, Ali and Abu Bakr (R), all of whom were either his (ﷺ) family members or, in the case of Abu Bakr (R), his closest friend. It continued to spread through private gatherings until Muslims in Makkah reached a critical mass, after which they became public with their calls to Islam. We should take from this effective example and begin with our parents, siblings, uncles, and aunts. Allyship requires work behind the scenes. These conversations might be difficult to have, but real change is uncomfortable.
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنكَ شَيْئًا
“[Mention] when he said to his father, “O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?” (Qur’an 19:42)
However, our conversations must be grounded in kindness and humility. We must strive to embody the humility shown by the Prophet Ibrahim (‘alayhi as-salam, peace be upon him) in his conversations with his father. Ibrahim’s (AS) father would make and sell idols for worship, the greatest transgression against Allah (ﷻ); yet Ibrahim (AS) spoke kindly and gently to his father.
لا يَبْلُغُ عَبْدٌ حَقِيقَةَ الإِيمَانِ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِلنَّاسِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ
“The servant does not attain the truth of faith until he loves for people what he loves for himself of goodness.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 238)6
We should, in all our righteous anger and frustration, want goodness for our family and community. Wokeness should not be accompanied with feelings of self-grandeur. We hurt the cause we claim to champion through our arrogance.
Advising family members, especially those who are our elders, requires sensitivity. We must be firm in our stance for justice while at the same time making sure we do not damage our relationships with our family and friends. There lies a tendency in those who have recently become “woke” to racism to be impatient with those who are not. The impatience we have with others speaks to our short-term memory. Why are we so willing to forgive our past ignorance but unable to grant others the same license?
The Prophetic model for change requires us to teach our brothers and sisters until we reach the critical mass necessary to enact large-scale change. So, let us be patient, be kind, and be mindful of our intentions constantly.
Step 3: Demand Change
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.” (Qur’an 3:104)
The final step of this model of change requires that a critical mass be reached – enough to call for reform within our religious spaces. Individual calls for reform often leave congregants feeling alone and powerless, but just as racism is an institutional evil, its eradication must be done through institutional change.
For some sacred spaces, the change might be training and education of members and leaders; for other spaces, more radical work might be required. For many masājid, the standard board structure should be altered to allow for direct consequences for community leaders who perpetuate a culture of racism. Events on race should be planned with the approval and input of community members, and there must be efforts made to diversify leadership to avoid an echo chamber of ideas. These are just some of the changes that should be enacted to rid our sacred spaces of racism.
Final Thoughts
The death of George Floyd and the weeks of civil unrest that followed should serve as a catalyst for a much-needed change in the way that our sacred spaces function. The example left to us by our Prophet (ﷺ) teaches us to work within our small social group and grow until our demands for change cannot be ignored. We must listen to and amplify the voices of our marginalized community members, and finally, we must center Allah (ﷻ) in all our efforts and ensure that we hold firm to our community.
Photo credit: Ahmad El Khatib
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1. Point of note: The reason for this departure from the Republican party has more to do with 9/11 and foreign policy than an increased desire to support the Black community. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/essay-how-the-republican-party-alienated-the-once-reliable-muslim-voting-bloc/2012/11/15/23e2af70-2da5-11e2-9ac2-1c61452669c3_story.html
2. Jabir ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us during the middle of the day at the end of the pilgrimage in the farewell sermon. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “O people, your Lord is one and your father Adam is one. There is no virtue of an Arab over a foreigner, nor a foreigner over an Arab, and neither white over black nor black over white, except by righteousness. Have I not delivered the message?” They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Let the witness inform those who are absent.” (Imam Al-Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Imān 4706)
3. For a good set of articles regarding this topic, see the American Learning Institutes for Muslims blog post entitled “George Floyd – Theological Response” by Chaplain Abdul-Malik Merchant, as well as the article entitled “Discussing Controversy” by Shaykh Ubaydullah Evans.
4. Jahiliyyah refers to the state of ignorance that the people of Arabia were in before the revelation of Islam.
5. “And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and afternoon.” (Qur’an 18:28) This verse was revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ) in response to an ultimatum given to the Prophet by the Quraysh. They stated they would accept Islam as long as the Prophet (ﷺ) banned the likes of Bilal, Ammar ibn Yassir and Ibn Masu’d (R) from sitting with them. This incident was relayed from Ibn Saads, Kitāb aṭ-Tabaqāt al-Kabīr.
6. Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 238, Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani: https://abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2012/10/29/reality-faith-love-others/
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