HARLEM WORLD

 

HARLEM WORLD 🌎

*For the mainstream American Muslim community The Afro-American community is such a resilient and inspirational pillar of American society, often overlooked and seldom discussed within the broader American Dawah scene. Studying African American history should be mandatory as part of Islamic studies in the US. Muslims should engage and be more present in spaces where discussion and debate about social inequality is raised in direct relation to the African American people. It's wildly disconcerting to see that this isn't a priority for the mainstream Dawah establishment in the US, which is ambivalent and apathetic to this glaring reality, focusing instead on issues related to LGBT rights or social debates of an international dimension. Charity always begins at home. America cannot resolve her problems at home nor abroad without addressing the demands and struggles of this community. You cannot begin a meaningful dialogue with the American establishment by pointing her to problems abroad while ignoring her transgressions and neglect right next door. If even half the effort and attention channeled towards American transgression abroad was redirected towards the issues plaguing the African American community, then massive social reform could be realised which may eventually pave the way for greater reform at an international level. Charity must always begin at home. It's a crying shame to see just how far the African-American Muslim voice has been dampened even within the mainstream American Muslim circuit. It is a truth seldom spoken of, but it is a truth nevertheless. Even during his lifetime, Malcolm was always boycotted and severely shunned by the mainstream Muslim community right up until his death when not a single Masjid or Imam was willing to be associated with him at the time, several Muslim communities questioned his Islam and refused to invite him anywhere. Ironically, today - his legacy is evoked when it has become politically convenient and fashionable as a status symbol. Malcolm was just one of many. We could go on and on with examples such as these during the 60s-70s, yet the African American community continues to be the most receptive when it comes to embracing the message of Islam. Through their music, iconic cultural influence and popular liberation struggles - the message of Islam has often been projected and conveyed to the rest of America and to the world at large. African American history has long captivated my attention, having read virtually every memoir and book written by key ideologues in the struggle and hearing their voices in a wilderness of confusion and struggle. More effort needs to be made to bridge the gap between immigrant Muslims in America and the African American community. No progress will be possible until that (socio economic) bridge is restored. In my own personal study and view, the African American community is a signpost for the rest of America (and the world at large). They experience social challenges and calamities long before anyone else (30-50 years to be more precise) while also wielding a tremendous amount of Global cultural influence. If the message of Islam were to be combined with the experiences and locked potential of the African American struggle, things would begin to change tremendously. Malcolm understood this and was on the path towards awakening the black, brown and Muslim world in pursuit of this vision, but he didn't have the opportunity to see it through Muslims of America still have an opportunity to continue his work, but it is not as glossy and high-end as giving lectures at prestigious universities before middle and upper class students and professors. Dawah towards the African American community is gritty, it's raw and it's not "corporate" enough, but as long as the mainstream American Muslim community continues to turn a blind eye to this matter, nothing will improve. So many other things for us to see Things to be, our history - So full of Tragedy and Misery.... Muslim America, your future Khalids and Umars are running the streets in Harlem and Queens, experiencing the daily realities of American inequity and in desperate need of the liberating influence of Islam. They are not sitting in some lecture hall at Berkeley or in California- sipping on a cinnamon latte while virtue signalling and pontificating about injustices abroad. The solution is not always to turn towards the dominant society in a bid to forge alliances with white power (let's be honest, that is where most of your Dawah effort is concentrated. Seeking the hand of Upper class white American), turn instead to those who are most receptive and in need of Islam because radical positive change always begins with the downtrodden in society, not the powerful and dominant sections. The current situation in Gaza is very pertinent and several parallels can be drawn, for those who think beyond what is apparent.