Black Muslim History is American History

 

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in the Islamic Networks Group blog. The mission of ING is to "promote peace among all, by fostering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Muslims and other faith-based, racial/ethnic, and cultural communities, through teaching, learning, and engaging across differences."

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Black Muslim History is American History

By Rahimeh Ramezany, Program Manager at Islamic Networks Group

“And among the signs of God is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and colors. Indeed, in that are signs for those who know.” (Qur’an 49:13)

Greetings of peace,

Rahimeh Ramezany

On May 25, 2020 an African American man by the name of George Floyd was murdered by law enforcement. This event was followed by the greatest push for change this millennial has witnessed in her lifetime. The world watched as protests took place across the United States to express the rage and grief felt at yet another innocent life needlessly taken from his family and community, and we witnessed organizations, schools, businesses, and houses of worship that had never touched the topic of racism at long last take an internal look at the state of their relations with peoples of African descent.  

It has now been over 8 months since then, and we find ourselves celebrating, honoring, and commemorating another Black History Month. As a non-Black American Muslim, who is both a child of an immigrant and a descendent of 17th century colonizers, what does Black History Month mean to people like me? The answer is quite simple. Black history is American history, and Black Muslim history is American history.

Twenty-eight percent of the Muslim American population is of African descent, but as non-Black Muslim Americans, do we know the history of the great African American writers, inventors, thinkers, and doers, both Muslim and non-Muslim? Do we still operate under the false understanding that Muslims first came to this country in the mid-1900’s with a wave of Middle Eastern immigrants? Do we live up to Islam’s inclusive and equitable values in our spaces?

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