Posted on 01/23/2005 1:23:04 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
CAIRO , January 23 (IslamOnline.net) – A perusal through the annals of American history brings back bittersweet memories for African American Muslims, who pride themselves on being the indigenous people of this country and lament the loss of the Islamic heritage throughout ages.
“Not only were there African Muslims who were here in America as explorers before Christopher Columbus, but a third of the African slaves who were brought here during the slave trade were Muslims,” Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid told The Seattle Times Saturday, January 22.
“We, the indigenous Muslims of America, particularly the African Americans, are still waking up from a 400-year coma.”
Abdur-Rashid acrimoniously recalled how his Muslim ancestors were brought to America as slaves and forced to convert to Christianity.
“We suffered psychic and blunt-force trauma to the head, and forgot everything, including who we are and what we are. We were told, 'Your name is not Ahmed, your name is Charlie. You don't worship Allah. You worship Jesus,'” he told the paper.
“But this could not erase the genetic code. So lo (sic) and behold, 400 years later ... our historical memory as Muslims is being rebooted,” added Abdur-Rashid, who was born a Baptist.
Stereotypes
Many African American Muslims further decry the prevailing stereotypes that their community was mainly made up of criminals, as some of them embrace Islam in prison.
“I have never been in prison except in my work as a chaplain,” said Abdur-Rashid.
“And I have people in leadership in my mosque who are college professors, and I also have people who are ex-offenders.”
African American Muslims also feel offended by affiliating the whole community with the Nation of Islam, especially that estimates showed that only a few thousands of some two million African American Muslims follow the group’s tenets.
Leading Muslim scholars have ruled that “the teachings of the Nation of Islam were extremely far from mainstream Islam in many matters especially those of doctrine”.
The Seattle Times said that the community is keen on playing an active role in developing American society.
It cited one of their famous mosques, the Islamic Brotherhood in New York, as a case in point with boy scout meetings, breast-cancer fund-raising and programs to combat AIDS and homelessness.
“Many here see Islam not just as a path to salvation but also as a social-action program and an authentic expression of black American identity,” the paper commented.
Marginalized
Many African American Muslims also complain about being marginalized not only by American society but, alas, by Muslim immigrants from Arab and southeast Asian countries.
“We are the single largest Muslim community in America . Yet the media often relegates us to the margins,” said Amir Al-Islam, a professor of Islamic Studies at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York.
He further regretted that other Muslim communities in the States treat African American Muslims as less authentic despite the fact that they have been practicing Islam for decades in the country.
“Muslim organizations from the immigrant community often view us as new Muslims who are seen as not proficient in the Islamic canons and, therefore, lacking in authenticity,” Al-Islam told the paper.
Abdur-Rashid added that the marginalization of his community was very much evident in the presidential election.
A number of major US Muslim groups gave a “qualified endorsement” to Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry, calling on Muslims to vote for him.
“There was no consultation whatsoever with those of us who have any history in this land. And then, to project their collective decision as representative of all Muslims in America was an insult,” Abdur-Rashid said.
“As Ralph Ellison would say, we are the invisible Muslims in this country,” Al-Islam concluded.
what a bunch of BS. not even public schools could be this far off????
They are conveniently ignoring the fact that muslim slave traders captured their ancestors and sold them into slavery. Some are still doing it, which doesn't seem to bother these idiots.
If you're thinking of getting in touch with your inner Muslim, you may as well go back to sleep...that train has left the station.
Yep, there are tales told how the Vikings were terrified of those African Muslums and their seagoing cruise lines.< /sarcasm off>
I do not know one way or the other as to whether his second statement is true. It may be true, it may be a lie; but the first statement is so glarinly false; anything he says from that point is in question.
Well.....who is preventing them from returning to Africa/Arabia and practising their filthy faith/religion?
Blacks have to thank the Arab traders for slavery. The Arabs were the ones who introduced Europeans to the slave trade in Africa. Let us see the liberal blacks fight for reparations against the muslims/arabs.
Oppressed, depressed, and discrimination are often synonyms for shameless laziness in liberal America.
This is so stupid, even the towel that wipes his butt has more synaptic activity.
Of course, anybody that stupid has to be a Moo-slime.
This is as good as the Russians used to be. I bet they invented the light bulb too.
** start **
In possibly the most famous and politically-potent South Park episode of all, one of the four children starring in the show is gulled into joining NAMBLA, deceived by the fine sounding rhetoric:
NAMBLA Leader: ...Our forefathers came to this country because… they believed in an idea. An idea called "freedom." They wanted to live in a place where a group couldn't be prosecuted for their beliefs. Where a person can live the way he chooses to live. [Stan, Kyle, and Cartman look at each other] You see us as being perverted because we're different from you. People are afraid of us, because they don't understand. And sometimes it's easier to persecute than to understand. [Stan and Kyle look at each other, then at the NAMBLA leader]
Kyle: Dude. You have sex with children.
NAMBLA Leader: We are human. Most of us didn't even choose to be attracted to young boys. We were born that way. We can't help the way we are, and if you all can't understand that, well, then, I guess you'll just have to put us away. [shots of the agents, then the Brando look-alikes, then Stan and Kyle, who look at each other, then at the NAMBLA leader]
Kyle: [slowly, for emphasis] Dude. You have sex with children.
Stan: Yeah. You know, we believe in equality for everybody, and tolerance, and all that gay stuff, but dude, f*** you.
Kyle: Seriously.
** end**
Like the South Park "kids" looking clear eyed at the perversion of human nature in the form of NAMBLA Islam seems to be just as perverted as it says, among many things, "dude, it's OK to cut other people's heads off".
Seriously....
I had some Muslim (Pakistani) classmates in highschool. They were very moderate young women (no headscarves, non-violent, tolerant of other religions, encouraged by their parents to pursue education, etc). They said flat-out that Nation of Islam folks are not Muslims and that other moderate Muslims in this country consider NoI an embarrassment.
and it is the Muslims in the Sudan that are murdering the Christian Sudanese......what have they got to say about that...Muslims are just war like and can't confide in civilized thought......I should say Muslim extremist .....
I have at least 12 Muslim friends that I can count and none of them are any where's near what some people think "all" muslims are like. Get them the hell out of the mideast or Africa or Asia and they don't condone violence anymore than you or I............
Complain, complain, complain...
I guess you haven't done much lately if all you have to brag about is some historically unverifiable accomplishment from over 500 years ago.
Oh man! This is just about the stupidest thing I've ever read and that is saying a lot. He has a "historical memory" of being a Muslim? I wonder if he has a historical memory of when the Arabs rode into north Africa and forced everybody to convert at sword point?
Always good for a laugh - as though studying the Koran will help explain all the internal inconsistancies of Islam while providing for proper guidance for among all of the small details of everyday life such as: how to handle the various kinds of wet dreams (as found on ask the Imam websites).
Bunch of Crap!!
No, not cruise liners. The Vikings were fearful of the Muslim aircraft carriers. They launched the planes that were used earlier (in Pharonic days) to buzz the pyramids. This was after the white devils came about as a result of an scientific experiment gone wrong at the hands of Yakub. You can read all about it in the writings of the honorable Elijah Muhammad and his disciple the Ayatollah Farrakhan.
Coming to a public school near you!
Just in case anyone is curious as to where this idea came from, archaeologists found some large busts (as in the sculpture) of people with African features. These were made by the Olmecs. Here is a good source of information and photos of the statues, if anyone is interested. http://www.hope-of-israel.org/olmec.htm APf
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.