The relationship between African Americans and Muslim Immigrants

Dr. Aslam Abdullah
If one wants to describe the nature of the relationship between Muslim American immigrants and African American Muslims one can use two words, "uneasy and insecure.
Regardless of the hugs, or the praise they offer to each other or the work they share, the fact is that socially, culturally, and politically as well as financially they behave as two distinct entities where race predominantly plays an important role. Even among immigrants from Africa, the socio-economic and political relations are determined differently.
If anyone wants to have a quick understanding of the nature of the relationship between the two communities, one may ask the following questions from the members of the two communities?
1. How many Muslim immigrant families have allowed their sons or daughters to have matrimonial relations with African American Muslims? Of course, there are some examples, but when you look into the details you find that some were solemnized for the purpose of getting green cards.
2. How many Muslims have opened their business in predominantly African American communities? Of course, many, but most of these are liquor and smoke stores.
3. How many African American leaders are invited to give Friday sermons on a regular basis in an immigrant dominated community? Not many.
4. How many African American Muslims in proportion to their population represent Muslims through organizations such as CAIR, MPAC, ISNA or ICNA or ITNA or MAS. You can point out to a few, but compared to their total number their participation is insignificant in immigrant dominated organizations. The same can be true about African American organizations. How many immigrants you would find in an African American dominated Masjid.
5. How many African Americans you find in the big conventions organized by major Muslim organization when you compare their participation with their population. There are only a few.
6. How many immigrant controlled Islamic centers have any program to rehabilitate African Americans in their own communities. Of course, when some of them are in prison, they are showered with the Quran, caps, scarfs and prayer rugs beside demands from the authorities to serve them halal food. But once they come out of the prison, not many masajid (mosques) or Islamic centers are willing to offer them any real support.
7. How many groups that seek active conversion among African Americans are willing to go beyond initial conversion? 
8. How many African Americans-Muslims are willing to socially and culturally integrate with the general Muslim community by asserting their presence in their gatherings? Not many
The data on all these issues is anecdotal but sufficient enough to form some basic assumptions.
1. They have a token relationship and at almost non-existent at social, economic and political levels.
2. The two communities feel insecure in their relations with each other.
Immigrant Muslims
Immigrant Muslims, by and large, mostly in their private gatherings, do not relate and do not want to with African American Muslims beyond the masajid or through some relief work in their localities, etc. Even most relief organizations operated by immigrant Muslims created in the name of Islam are focused on Muslims abroad and not in the USA. They are more concerned about Muslims in Pakistan or Afghanistan or Palestine, but the African American Muslims, especially those who have been in incarceration. Not many fundraisers are organized to seek help for the local Muslim communities. Obviously, Islam does not discriminate people on the basis of their origin, but Muslim organizations through their choice of serving the foreign Muslims have given the impression that in their view the life and dignity, as well as the needs of African American Muslims, are of less importance than Muslims in Somalia, Palestine, Kashmir, Pakistan or Iraq. How much of the relief organizations' budget is spent on African American needs in the US, not much.
Immigrant Muslims by and large feel that that financial and social status should be the basis of relationship. African Americans belong to lower or poorer economic groups and are not as educated as many of them are, hence they cannot identify with them socially.
Many in the immigrant Muslim community also feel that African American Muslims, in general, lack a proper understanding the faith, hence they cannot be elevated to a position of religious leadership. The often criticize them for faulty pronunciation or non adherence to some of the rituals.
African Americans
African American Muslims consider immigrant inexperienced, often arrogant and insensitive to their history and culture. They think that immigrants are bending backward to become part of a society that was genocidal and barbaric to them. They feel that immigrants do not understand the politics and culture of the country. 
In order to prove their commitment to Islam, and their dedication to the Muslim community the African American Muslims adopt the cultural practices of the Muslim community they usually attend the prayers with. They would immediately start dressing a long dress imitating the Arab culture or shalwar Qamez (trouser and shirt) imitating the Pakistani culture and would equate with piety and sincerity. They would use the Arabic phrases regularly regardless of their relevance. They would occasionally repeat the ahadith in English they may have heard from those who helped them discover Islam. The first question after taking shahadah (an article of faith) that many African Americans ask is "where can I buy the long dress or thob" They would often compare the western society with an imaginary Islamic society where Muslims are dominant. They would often refer to the United States as a country that promoted slavery but would be reluctant to refer to Muslim slave owners in general.
Many African Americans believe that immigrant Muslims have compromised their faith and initiated innovations that were not sanctioned by the faith. Their religious perspective in analyzing Muslims is often influenced by the group that helped them come closer to Islam. In this respect, at one point in time, the Saudi religious teachers were at the forefront. So those African Americans who are influenced by Saudi religious teachers would react to immigrant Muslims in a different manner if they do not happen to be from their school of thought. Those who accepted Islam through MAS or Tablighi or any other group would pursue the official line of that group. Ironically, all of them would have so much apathy towards each other that they would refuse to join each other's religious gatherings.
In both communities, the insecurity has reached to a level where, any time there is a difference of opinions the African American Muslims, in general, would say "you immigrants do not understand America and Islam and immigrants would tell them, "you are biased towards America and you do not understand Islam fully.
The fact that none of the two communities have ever made any effort to develop open communications between the two on each others sensitivities. Their leaders take a sadistic pleasure in criticizing each other in their private gathering and then coming to the stage and talking about unity in an artificial manner that can be discerned easily.
African Americans make up to some 35 percent of Muslim population, but in masajid that number is visible only in areas where African American Muslims re dominated. South Asians are about 35 percent as well. Arabs are 17 percent and the rest are from other ethnic and cultural groups. It is apparent that when the two communities leadership is often seen together, it is more for cosmetic reasons than anything else.
Even among the younger generation, this issue has not been tackled appropriately. Look at the number of interracial marriage among the children of immigrants and African American Muslims and you found not much progress there. Look at the number of emerging Muslim leaders in the Muslim Students Association and you would not find much progress.
Obviously, this issue deserves to be given a priority by Muslim leaders if they really want to have a meaningful presence of Islam and Muslims in the US. If not , the uneasy and insecure relations may reach to a point where the two communities would  have such a wide gap that they would be considered to separate religious communities.

The Meaning of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussein  

Karbala, a town 100 miles away from Baghdad in modern-day Iraq is the killing fields where the grandson of the Prophet and his family was killed by the leader of the Ummayad dynasty and about 15 to 20 percent Muslims all over the world mourn his martyrdom. The incident took place some 61 years after the Hijra of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Medina.  They beat their chests, flagellate them, hurt them with swords and walk on burning fire to pay their tribute to him to mention a few of the actions.

But the grandson of the Prophet did not march to Karbala to inspire his followers to do that. He walked into the den of enemies to boldly declare that life is sacred, but there come moments in the life of individuals when the goals of life become more important than life itself.

The followers of Imam Hussain belittle his sacrifice by turning it into a tragedy. Imam Hussain knew that the army of 10,000 would crush him and his family. He knew that the Ummayads were not known to show mercy to those who had challenged them. He knew that if the rulers had no regard for human life they would brutalize anyone they considered their enemy. He knew his end before taking the heroic decision to challenge the despotic regime of Syria. It was not to challenge the Sunnis or to show support to the Shias. It was to stand for the principles of justice, freedom, and human dignity. It was to challenge the notion that Islam cannot be turned into a political dynasty. It was to stand for the equality of all before the divine law. It was for accountability and decency in public life.

The Ummayads had usurped the political power through force by playing Machiavelli politics. They had the resources to enlist the support of hundreds of people claiming to be scholars supporting their claim to power in the name of God and his messenger. They had turned the ahadith or the sayings of the Prophet into a political tool to justify each their political action. They had used the state treasury to win over people to their side by offering them money and in many cases, intimidating others who were not falling in line with them.

It was against this tyrannical rule, that Imam Hussain had challenged. 

The message of Karbala was to change the status quo, to challenge despotism and dictatorship and all those deviations that diminished the dignity of human beings.

It was not to inspire people to mourn and walk on burning fire in his memory. It was to stand for the neglected and the poor and political marginalized. It was not to curse but to win over the people to the cause of justice and dignity. His sacrifice was not to glorify Shia or Sunnis. It was to glorify the eternal divine emphasis on justice and freedom.

If Muslims really want to pay tribute to Imam Hussain, they should stand for the values he stood for. Let Aashoora be a day known as an International Day of Justice where Muslims, Shias, and Sunnis together make their stand against all forms of injustices known to the world, not a day of mourning. Because it is a day when Imam Hussein walked to the killing fields bravely knowing fully well his end with the determination to prove that there come moments when the goals of life become more important than life.