Activism

In a recent discussion with some American Muslim scholars, politics was on everyone’s mind. This is no surprise, as the pressures on the American Muslim community have never been greater, from self-admitted enemies calling for our expulsion to potential allies offering aid. Knowing how to position oneself in regards to these forces is difficult to say the least. And knowing how to deal with how other Muslims position themselves is no easier. Muslims in the West need more sophisticated instruments to help them navigate questions of political engagement and disagreement within our community. In an effort to help improve this paucity, here are three maxims to live by.

In our roles as Muslim mothers, fathers, teachers, leaders, counselors and many others, we worry. We worry about our children, our students, and all the young people already struggling in a world that tells them they are not wanted, not loved, not good enough, not American enough.

Gender and sexuality are matters that our culture is obsessed with, not our children. Children live part of almost every day in a fiction only known to them, in which they pretend to be king, dinosaur, shark, and yes—on occasion—a person of the opposite sex.

I was never raised to think about me, me, me. But in a world that has become so prevalent with tragedies, in a world where those who claim to be of my faith begin to terrorize for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom, I have begun to use “I” more and more. More, because I now feel as if I am being watched. Feel as if whatever I say is being scrutinized, whatever I wear is being judged, whatever I do is being tallied. Of the billions of Muslims in the world, I have begun to focus on I.

We do not have the luxury or the permission from Allah to isolate ourselves from those around us. While it is challenging to face the unfortunate animosity, we must be the first to follow the example being set by our faith leaders today and to step forward and be voices of tolerance, kindness, and compassion.

Racial, cultural, and social divides have been a disturbing reality in Muslim communities throughout the United States, despite the unique diversity of the American Muslim community. At the forefront of this divide are the two largest demographics of American Muslims today: indigenous African-Americans and immigrants. Since the immigration from Muslim lands began in the early 20th century, the complex, and often tense, history between the two sub-communities continues to be a barrier for second1 and third generation American Muslims trying to move the community forward in the 21st century. Though most may agree on the unity of the community as an ideal, putting it into practice requires an open, and sometimes uncomfortable, discussion.

Imam W.D. Muhammad’s ministry and mission could be summarized in the following three words: Black Souls Matter!

The imagery evoked by ISIS reveals that while they have not read the works of scholarship, they sure have watched many movies, and this time, they feature something that even Hollywood could not present: the violent imagery is now real.

Sister Sherry Khan makes an on-point analysis of what many Muslims are suffering from in silence, namely the fallout of partisan bickering between leaders. As stewards of the Muslim American community we have to take the uncomfortable task of assessing the real impact of our efforts. We live in an age in which external threats greatly outweigh our internal politics. I hope we wake up to this reality.

American Muslims, especially from the immigrant community, still struggle for relevancy because of a failure to integrate the call to Islam with the call to justice. This stems from a disservice to the legacy of Malcolm X, racism and an indifference to the Muslim convert.

With humility and deep sadness, we mourn these beautiful souls and ask Allah for strength to not fall prey to negative reactions, but to emulate the prophetic response to our loss: prayer, reciting and contemplating the Quran, standing by their families, and walking in their footsteps of positive activism for the community.

Instead of being preoccupied with the question, “how dare they insult the Prophet?”, we should ask ourselves, “how dare we insult the Prophet?”