1. Jamerican Muslimah Said,

   I DO think BAM have been manipulated into supporting foreign causes. Yes, we understand suffering and aparteid. I get that. BUT issues like Palestine and Kashmir have also been framed as “important Islamic causes.” There’s no getting around that. Case and point, someone contacted me on my myspace wanting me to join a group calling for the liberation of Palestine. When I asked for more information about the group, the moderator became indignant and asked me if I was a Muslim and if I wanted to support the suffering of my fellow Muslims.

   Also, if I am devoting all of my time and energy to Palestine, Checnya, Kashmir etc. what happens to the condition of my own community? Who’s going to take care of it? Certainly not the predominately immigrant mosques. The reigning idea is that African-Americans are lazy, criminal and are irresponsible. If we wanted to do better we would. After all, look at the shining immigrant Muslim examples of advancement…

2. rahma Said,

   I do agree that these issues are often pushed as the be all and end all of muslim issues.

   But we should be avoiding stereotyping all around. That’s what really bothered me about the whole dialogue/diatribe on a singular voice. BA muslims aren’t all lazy welfare kings and queens, and immigrant muslims aren’t all the mafia set on dominating the american muslim community with backhomelandia concerns. Islamic Relief, a charity I’ve always associated with the immigrant and second generation communities (at least through their reps I’ve interacted with), does do charity work in the US. Masjid as Salaam, a predominantly immigrant mosque up in Maplewood works with a Second Harvest and Meals on Wheels. And, lots of the immigrant aunties and uncles whipped out their checkbooks and wrote checks to CAIR after the speeches on Saturday.

   Can and should more be done? Certainly! But then it should be a balance, shouldn’t it? We should work on all issues that effect muslims, including those here in the US. That was one of Keith’s points. He started his speech with just an aside appeal regarding a kindegarden in palestine that is set to be bulldozed, and then continued on to list all the issues muslims should care about - health care, the environment, crime, poverty, etc.

3. Charles Said,

   Shouldn’t we work on all issues effecting human beings?

   Is it necessary for Muslims to move in concert on all issues? My community is not just the Muslim community.

   The post at Singular Voice certainly gave Brother Dawud leverage, especially noticing his location in Michigan and this particular engagement in MN. He is dynamic, so are others who hold different views. What seems to be missing however is that we can’t bring ourselves to say one or another issue can or cannot take precedence.

   It has always been faulty for any group to approach the Civil Rights movement in tandem with their own. Blackamerican people certainly do identify with SOME who struggle, not all. For example, there is very little support in Blackamerica of ‘basic rights’ for GLBTs, for Native Americans still struggling to be recognized as legitimate tribes; Blackamericans aren’t even responding to the call of the Gullah nations on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, nor or they truly representative of immigration law reform and they are certainly quiet with regard Darfur and hardly none of them know that there are more slaves existing today in the world than there were four-hundred or so years ago. So there has to be another reason, other than ‘we empathize with suffering’, as to why Blackamerican Muslims have supported certain causes.

4. rahma Said,

   Thank you for your comments Charles. I can’t remember the exact comments Br. Dawud made before and after the empathizing part, so it may have been more than that. My mental filing system isn’t quite up to snuff when I don’t take notes.

   I wonder if, as our american muslim community matures, blocks arise akin to the different christian movements that have developed in the last century and a half. Will we have social gospel muslims vs. insular, morals dominating evangelical-esque groups?

   One thing I love about my WD Muhammad affiliated masjid is that they’re working to impliment the Mosque Cares program, which ties them to the community and empahsizes good works as part of being a muslim. I can’t count the number of khutbas various imams have given there about being involved in the community. I wonder if this program could be presented to non WD Muhammad affiliated masjids, and how receptive non BA muslims would be, especially those of us born here, wether converts of other ethnicities or children of immigrants. A lot of the socially concious non BA muslims in our community gravitate towards this masjid as it is.

5. Charles Said,

   I certainly think there will be blocks driven by different Quranic catalysts. Two fears are that we may encroach upon what some see as disunification and at the same time, there may be a tendency to oppose certain methodologies because they might not be found in Islam alone. I don’t know. It is very early in the stages. US Muslims, both converts and second-generation primarily from immigrants, are just starting to really consider other options which is weird if you recall, Muslims was back in the day, built things like animal shelters. When I explain some of the things Muslims had then my students are left scratchign their heads wondering why Muslims don’t engage with those things now. There exists this idea that if the West is doing it, then we can’t do it even though historically, at some point we used to.

   I think we have to look at traditionalism (not it alone) to find a springboard or runway. The tendency among a lot of traditionalists is to hearken backward and stay there instead of improving upon their ideals and actions.

   The programs of WD are being presented in some geographical areas and in some mosques but not others. The challenge is in reaching out to the most stubborn of us.

Add A Comment