As sallam Alaikum, My Dear Brother,
Thank you for posting this article. I am an African american Muslim who reverted to Islam almost 10 years ago. It is good to see the US media finally writing good articles about the African Americans who are reimbracing Islam in the US. Historically, we have a great connection with Islam. Many of our great great grandparents were brought to the US as Slaves from all over African (not just Western Africa). The unofficail numbers say that almost 90% of the slaves brought from Africa were Muslim. There is a great deal of documentation to prove this through Slave narratives and other artifacts found from this time period. Inshallah, the word will continue to spread in the African American community about the greatness of Islam. Mas salaama Rashid Ali Dubai, UAE --- "ishaq arashi"@yahoo.com wrote: > ISLAM FLOURISHES AMONG U.S. BLACKS > Matthew Bigg, Reuters > http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN2121536220070225 > > ATLANTA (Reuters) - Islam is growing fast among > African Americans, who > are undeterred by increased scrutiny of Muslims in > the United States > since the September 11 attacks, according to imams > and experts. > > Converts within the black community say they are > attracted to the > disciplines of prayer, the emphasis within Islam on > submission to God > and the religion's affinity with people who are > oppressed. > > Some blacks are also suspicious of U.S. government > warnings about the > emergence of new enemies since the 2001 attacks > because of memories of > how the establishment demonized civil rights leaders > Martin Luther > King and Malcolm X. > > As a result, they are willing to view Islam as a > legitimate > alternative to Christianity, the majority religion > among U.S. blacks. > > "It is one of the fastest-growing religions in > America," said Lawrence > Mamiya, professor of religion at Vassar College, > speaking of Islam > among black Americans. > > He said there were up to 2 million black U.S. > Muslims but acknowledged > there are no precise figures. > > "It's not viewed (by authorities) as a threat > because the numbers are > small and once we get past the war on terror and all > the negative > images then it will continue to spread." > > Black Americans typically attend mosques separate > from Muslims from > immigrant backgrounds despite sharing common > beliefs, according to > Aminah McCloud, religious studies professor at > DePaul University in > Chicago. > > But imams in Atlanta, a U.S. center for black > Muslims, said they were > subjected to less scrutiny than Muslims from the > Middle East and > Indian sub-continent. > > RAP BROWN'S MOSQUE > > Many blacks converted during the civil rights era, > when Malcolm X > helped popularize the Nation of Islam, attracting > boxer Muhammad Ali > among others. Islam still attracts prominent blacks > such as rapper > Scarface, a recent convert. > > But the Nation of Islam has declined as a force at > the expense of an > association of mosques led by Warith Deen Muhammad, > the son of Nation > of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, who died in 1975. > > At a street-corner mosque in one of Atlanta's oldest > and poorest > neighborhoods, a recent Friday sermon illustrated > the power of the > history of Islam in the United States for blacks. > > Men and women sat separately on the mosque floor, > heads covered, as > cleric Nadim Ali recounted stories from history of > Muslim slaves > brought from Africa who struggled to uphold their > faith in the face of > slaveholders' opposition. > > If Muslims could remain true to Islam under slavery, > the audience > should follow their example, Ali said at the > Community Masjid of > Atlanta in the city's West End district. > > "You are talking about a people who were cut off > from their roots .... > Islam reconnects you with Africa and with other > parts of the world so > your peoplehood transcends race," Ali said later in > an interview. > > The mosque has a direct link to a slice of black > history. It was > founded by H. Rap Brown, a one-time member of the > 1960s Black Panthers > group. Brown became a Muslim in prison in the 1970s > and changed his > name to Jamil al-Amin. > > He was convicted for allegedly killing a sheriff's > deputy in Georgia > in March 2000 and is serving a sentence of life > without parole, but in > his absence the mosque has continued what Ali said > was the low-profile > work of building a local Muslim community. > > CONVERSION > > The mosque teaches there was no distinction between > Sunni and Shi'ite > within Islam, according to people who attend > regularly. Sermons urged > Muslims to find work, stay free from crime and drugs > and maintain > stable family lives. > > Ali said he assumed the mosque was bugged and > infiltrated by > informers, in part because its leaders remained > skeptical about U.S. > policies since September 11. > > "They (the government) unplug black people and plug > in Arabs or > Muslims. They unplug Arabs and plug in communists. > America needs war > to maintain its economic status," he said. > > The larger Masjid of al-Islam mosque in another > mainly black > neighborhood of Atlanta is part of Warith Deen > Muhammad's group. Its > imam, Plemon el-Amin, said he was involved with > local interfaith work > as well as with a local Islamic school. > > One recent Friday, Mark King, a new convert, and > hundreds of others at > the mosque listened to a preacher urge Muslims to > seek God through the > Koran. Followers of other faiths should seek God > through their own > holy books, the preacher said. > > King, who wears his hair in dreadlocks, converted > after visiting > Africa for the first time and in Gambia read the > Koran and realized > its teaching chimed with his own beliefs, not least > in fighting injustice. > > "For young African Americans, there is some > attraction to learning > about traditions that have been associated with > resistance to European > imperialism," said King, who has adopted the name > Bilal Mansa since > his conversion. > > ********************************************************************* > > WORLD VIEW NEWS SERVICE > ____________________________________________________________________________________Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7
