Hat tip to Khalifa for passing this on. And while we may be occupied with more-than-earthly matters today, perhaps we can take a look at this over the next couple of days and reflect upon it. I have a few thoughts of my own I will share on it shortly.

“When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him to stand here or go yonder. He will find his “proper place” and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary. ….History shows that it does not matter who is in power…those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they did in the beginning.” – Dr. Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro.

Let me say from the outset that if you’re faint of heart or easily ruffled, pardon my having included you on this note. One would think that in quoting a social commentary from 1933 that its ideas would be anachronistic or at least irrelevant by 2010, but I find that as an African American Muslim its words ring disturbingly poignant and applicable. Between the Muslim world and America, and between history and orthodoxy, African American Muslims are in a social purgatory of agenda and mission…of identity and relevancy..and between citizenship and complacency.

Let me clarify my use of the term purgatory. Social Purgatory: Living effectively in no sphere of mainstream society whether religious/spiritual, professional, economic, or cultural. .. And belonging neither comfortably or whole-heartedly to the African American community or the broader Muslim community. We stand on the fence at a time of key transition. Imam W.D. Mohammed (rahmah of Allah be upon him) has passed away. Imam Jamil is likely to die in prison, we had to scrape to raise funds for Imam Siraj’s health care, and many of us are an arm-span from FBI watch-lists or already on it. Every time a domestic attack occurs we pray that it isn’t a Muslim. Then we pray that it isn’t an African American Muslim. And then we deliver our “that has nothing to do with Islam” speech on cue. That, my brothers and sisters, is something of a purgatory in itself.

We cannot afford to turn a blind eye or merely a snide comment to the pathologies that exist among us. The dogmas and isms that we tolerate… No, this is the chasm through which opponents readily attack and before that, these are the anchors that narrow our Islam. These pathologies are too many and complex to elucidate here, but suffice it to say they range from misapplication of polygamy to dysfunctional views of our very American-ness and citizenship. We constantly frame our troubles as being from without. Well my motivation in writing this is that I believe quite the opposite. They are from within. (more…)

“What do we want? What is the thing we are after? As it was phrased last night it had a certain truth: We want to be Americans, full-fledged Americans, with all the rights of other American citizens. But is that all? Do we want simply to be Americans? Once in a while through all of us there flashes some clairvoyance, some clear idea, of what America really is. We who are dark can see America in a way that white Americans cannot. And seeing our country thus, are we satisfied with its present goals and ideals?” – W. E. B. Du Bois, “Criteria of Negro Art”.

The above is a quote from the masterful W. E. B. Du Bois, which I felt adeptly described the current situation that Muslims in general, and Blackamericans Muslims in specific, find themselves in. In the wake of the much-ado-about-nothingness of ISNA 2009, I see nor feel any clear articulation of what it is we as a Muslim community are after. Muslim leadership is either woefully silent or ignorant of the question. Yet, it is a question we must ask ourselves. As Muslims, are we after a fully-fledged American existence, with all its rights and privileges therein? And if we answer in the affirmative, then how might we best accomplish this task. It is here, at this cross roads that I feel the double-consciousness of my own people, namely Blackamericans, and the unique perspective we may be able to lend to this circumstance. Not only can we as Blackamericans see America in ways that that our Whiteamerican counterparts cannot [the latest issue with Professor Gates should illuminate this fact], but we can also shed unique clairvoyance on America for our immigrant brothers and sisters as well.

In a way, this puts a new twist on the idea of “double-consciousness”. In doing so, Blackamerican Muslims could be poised to help articulate and navigate this precarious existence we have all arrived at. Yet we falter at the starting gate, mainly due to an alternative form of double-consciousnesses, one that is rooted in a struggle for Muslim authenticity where many are torn between being authentically black/American and authentically Muslim. In the end, though, if we can over come some of these obstacles, we may, as an entire Muslim community, be able to ask some very important questions of ourselves and our existence, not the least of which is: upon looking at American and seeing it as it currently is, are we and can we be satisfied with its present goals and ideals? These are the questions for a people who are grounded, who have a vested interest in not solely the survival of America, but its prosperity in general, and how that equates a prosperity for the American Muslim community in specific. 

If Islam in America is to survive, it must avoid two major pitfalls. One, is that of being domesticated by the state/dominant culture in which Islam is no longer free to voice a critical opinion, be it a supportive one at a critical juncture, or admonish or even condem the actions of that very same state/dominent culture with efficacy. The other is that while in attempting to evade domestication, it must not render itself foreign and or inconsequential. This latter part’s success will greatly depend in part on whether or not American Muslims can solidify their identity here, navigating the tightrope of Tradition and prudent opportunism.

And finally, if all of the above can be actualized, we may finally be able to begin the meaninful aspect of our growth and journey as Muslims in this part of the world. Many of the ills we see in the society that we would condem for moral reasons could finally be done so with real social weight and capital, versus the hollow words of dogmatic arm chair generals. If our goal is to change society, to make a more just and moral society not simply for the perpetuating of secular values but because that is what is most pleasing to God, then we will have to alter our entire game plan.

So I ask, are we satisfied with our present goals and ideals?

47th & Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia – Obama celebration

Recently, as perhaps some of you have seen, I have been shifting the focus on this blog – refining its focus to concentrate more specifically on the religious phenomenon of Islam in America. A great deal of my writings pertain to the process of the indiginization of Islam in America. This post may depart from that slightly, though if I think you read closely enough, you will see its correlation.

No – this is not a post on how the 44th President of the United States is a secret Muslim. Barack Hussein Obama is not a Muslim. While his family may have roots in the historical Muslim world, he himself is not a Muslim. And that’s ok. As former general Colin Powell pointed out to us in his interview at Meet The Press, it should not matter that he is or isn’t Muslim.

And while it has been clearly established that President Obama is not a Muslim, this election, truly historic for America and her citizens, has presented the possibility as real. What I mean here is that for two hundred-plus of years, the United States of America has been dominated by one type of political figure: the white Christian Male. And as I stated above, the Christian part has not changed, but the white part most certainly has.

One of my greatest hopes from this election wasn’t that President Obama was going to solve the economic, environmental and other crisises that were are having. No one man can do all that. But that his election would bring about a much need psychological change to this country and perhaps even the world. To be sure, the type of change I speak of is subtle. But for the four hundred-plus years that Blackamericans have been in this country, we have never seen, let alone in recent generations, truly envisioned the possibility of a black man being the president of this country. President Obama has broken that barrier. He has illustrated that however unlikely, and however difficult, you can achieve great results. After all, these are some of the very ideals that America likes to champion around the world. And while it will take some time for the cynic in me to take his guard down, I will not attempt to hide the sense of vindication I felt when Mr. Obama won this evening.

So my little message is short and simple – to my Muslim brothers here in America, we have just watched a predominantly white audience vote in a black male with a Muslim name to the highest office of the land – mind you, just seven years since 9/11 as well [not to mention that Islamophobia is still raging strong and was even used as a tactic against his campaign]. The time has come for Muslims to truly recognize the blessings that Allah has offered us here. We have been placed within reach of obtaining great goals; for us and our children’s generation. But as always, the clock is ticking. I pray we can capitalize on this great boon we’ve been handed.

And a special note to my Blackamerican brothers and sisters in Islam. Tonight we saw the hopes and dreams of many Americans, white, black, Latino, Jewish and otherwise, all cast for one man. We must recognize that we are in the position to have the greatest effect in indigenizing Islam here in America. As we saw, unprovoked, on nation TV, general Powell came out in defense of Muslims in America. We truly must reflect and make the most of the opportunities. For we have witnessed tonight that change can and will come. The only question that remains is will we reap its benfit or curse our inability to act.

And God knows best.

As Islam continues to sputter along in its American context, post-9/11, various Muslim organizations and groups seek to capture the eye of the masses [who are starting to look more and more like glazed donuts by the minute] by inviting them to “return to Tradition”. I have not noted the capitalized “T” without purpose. Tradition, as it is being marketed currently, is a mono-narrative. Moreover, one might even call it a counter-narrative to the one that is equally applied by the West to Islam/Muslims, in any given time or space. But this concept of Tradition is playing out to be more than simply going back to previously forgotten sources or methods. It is also being linked to privilege. A privilege that takes the form in not only in what economic access can provide but a privilege of ideals. A Believers’ country club, if you will. But one of the main issues with this exclusivity is not solely in the gated mental communities that it fosters but the very idea that Tradition is a panacea. That so long as what is being passed along is stamped with the seal of Tradition, it requires no further investigation, contemplation or scrutinization. But is this truly [the?] tradition? And to what point or end is this tradition to accomplish? What avenues is this tradition to navigate for us? Or are we instead being taken for a ride. Islam in America and more directly, Muslims in America are in dire need for a viable, conducive, productive, creative, indigenous Muslim culture. But how do we get to there from the pre-packaged Tradition we’re currently being offered?

As some of you read before, I had been doing a bit of light reading before heading off to ‘Umrah. Upon my return I decided to put aside some of the heavier bits in favor of what’s been published in magazine format. Two articles piqued my interest: the Summer 2008 edition of The American Scholar, with an article by William Deresiewicz entitled, Exhortation: The Disadvantage of an Elite Education, and Great Neighborhoods, by Mark Hinshaw in the January 2008 edition of Planning. American Scholar deals mostly with issues through a social science perspective, while Planning is a journal in the vein of city planning [The magazine of the American Planning Association]. The two articles are not directly linked and yet, after reading both of them, their impact in tandem drew me to consider the current state of contemporary Muslim education and direction in America [again...]. (more…)