Voices of Islam (242 page)

‘‘Their focus is different than ours,’’ Imam Sultan said of South Asian lead- ers in Chicago.
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He sees his community’s focus as ‘‘bringing all humanity the clarity of religion,’’ whereas he does not see South Asian Muslim leaders in Chicago making it a priority to teach Islam as a means of empowering peo- ple. He clarified, ‘‘I’m not saying that they are not interested in that, but it seems that a lot of them are just trying to fit in the main America: They are trying to show Americans that I’m like you, not terrorists. We don’t have to do that. Our history in this country has qualified us whereas they have to con- stantly prove themselves.’’ His comments suggest different experiences of oppression among American Muslims: South Asians are profiled and treated as terrorists while African Americans are not. However, African Americans

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continue to fight race and class injustices in their communities. Their differ- ent struggles produce very different types of activist work: ‘‘Most of their masjids and homes are in the suburbs, nice and pretty,’’ Imam Sultan said about the neighborhoods of South Asians. ‘‘Out there, they don’t have to deal with the problems that we have. They don’t have to try to save all our people—I don’t mean save [literally] because Allah is the only one who makes Muslims— but I mean they don’t stay in the community to lend a hand.’’

The kind of Islamic activism, or cultural capital, to which Imam Sultan refers has roots in the NOI. The strategy of the Nation of Islam, using Islam to improve the general welfare of African American communities at the same time that it gained thousands of converts, best illustrates what I call ‘‘
da‘wa
for the people,’’ inviting people to Islam by caring for communities.
Da‘wa
literally means ‘‘invitation,’’ understood as invitation to Islam. The Qur’an urges Muslims to invite others to Islam through beautiful and intelligent dialogue.
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Da‘wa
represents a shared vision, yet the different contexts in which Muslims carry out this duty, in poor, black neighborhoods or affluent, white suburbs, create boundaries within the Umma.

Geographic location inhibits South Asians from committing to the African American vision of
da‘wa
work, making cooperation with South Asian Muslims frustrating for Imam Sultan. A member of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which is dominated by South Asians, he recalled his response to an agenda item in one council session to discuss how to better relations with African American Muslims: ‘‘The Qur’an has already addressed that, and it really bothers me that they don’t know that. It bothers me that they would want us to come way out there to talk about how to help African American Muslims,’’ referring to how the council meet- ings usually took place in the suburbs, ‘‘when our problem is in the inner city, where the majority of Muslims and the people who need help are. The religion of Islam comes to free all humanity, but specifically the oppressed.’’ Hence, Imam Sultan sees
da‘wa
as a form of bringing justice, and helping the oppressed change their state. As Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya wrote, ‘‘God has sent His Messengers and revealed His Books so that people may establish
qist
[justice].’’
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If South Asian Muslims were concerned about justice for the oppressed, Imam Sultan believes, they would already have good relations with African American Muslims by working alongside them in the inner city.

Of all the Imams that I interviewed, Imam Abdullah was the most critical of South Asians for their limited
da‘wa
in the inner city. As if to address South Asians, Imam Abdullah asked, ‘‘What part have you played in contrib- uting toward this wave of people coming toward Islam?’’ He noted how all American Muslims like to advertise the fact that ‘‘the fastest growing religion in America is Islam,’’ yet it is African Americans who are the ones converting more than any other group. He went further, racializing the issue by framing
da‘wa
within black–white residential divides: ‘‘If it was a bunch of white folks converting, then we could say, ‘Oh, the immigrants are out there living with

Islam for the People
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them. They are giving them
da‘wa
.’’’ Yet ‘‘white folks aren’t coming into this religion like African Americans,’’ Imam Abdullah stated with invincible con- viction. ‘‘Are African Americans converting because immigrants have utilized their resources and gone into the inner city building masjids and helping them get jobs and opportunities? No! It’s not any of that. It’s just straight from Allah,
subhanahu wa ta‘ala
[glorified and exalted], guiding the African American to Islam.’’
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Other African American male voices, however, temper Imam Abdullah’s criticism as they acknowledge the inner-city
da‘wa
work of South Asians. Shakir Lewis, a young Muslim of African American and Anglo background, works at the Reading Room, a
da‘wa
center neighboring the Muslim Community Center, which is majority South Asian, on the North Side. Employed by a South Asian immigrant who owns the Reading Room, Shakir recognizes South Asian leaders who specifi lly encourage work in African American communities. However, he has noticed how South Asians some- times privilege Anglo converts over African Americans. They believe that ‘‘white people will be good for us,’’ meaning that whites will help to enhance the image of Islam in America. But Shakir believes that a
da‘wa
movement in white neighborhoods would fail: ‘‘I’ve seen very few white Americans that are receptive to Islam, who don’t give you hell for being a Muslim.’’
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As for whites who have converted, he insists that they have done very little for establishing Islam in America: ‘‘All the real American leaders are either Pakistani or African American, and the greater number are African American: Jamil Al-Amin, Warith Deen Mohammed, Siraj Wahaj, or Malcolm X. Name me any of them who are white.’’
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African Americans surpass others, Shakir believes because ‘‘they have that fire. They all may not be extremely educated, but their fire usurps the fact that they are not educated.’’ Yet, some South Asians dismiss the value of uneducated African American converts. This disregard becomes especially apparent when South Asians give ‘‘less priority’’ to prison
da‘wa
and think that inmates ‘‘don’t need advanced things about Islam.’’ In the American context, the Islamic concept of
da‘wa
takes on meanings of empowerment and restoration for oppressed people. African American Muslims hold this as the highest form of cultural capital and measure how other ethnic Muslims uphold Qur’anic ideals of justice on the basis of the extent to which they pursue
da‘wa
‘‘for the people.’’

INSPIRING CULTURAL CAPITAL IN THE NEXT GENERATION

American Muslim activists hope that
da‘wa
‘‘for the people’’ will increas- ingly become a shared Islamic ethic among the next generations of American Muslims. One group that has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to developing Muslim youth activism is IMAN (literally translated as ‘‘faith’’),

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the Inner City Muslim Action Network. IMAN,
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established by a group of DePaul University Muslim students in 1995, is known for bringing together Muslims of diverse ethnic backgrounds (African American, Arab, Anglo American, Latino, South Asian, and others) more than any other organiza- tion in the Chicago Umma. Aspiring to alleviate poverty and suffering in Chicago’s inner city, IMAN offers to the larger non-Muslim community services ranging from after-school tutoring programs, to computer classes, and a free health clinic. Through its vision—‘‘to see the Muslim community in North America work with others to lead the whole of our society beyond innumerable barriers to social justice and human dignity’’—IMAN continues the legacy of using Islam to benefit society.

IMAN’s executive director is Rami Nashashibi, a Palestinian American in his late twenties. Never before had I met a second-generation immigrant as passionate about African American issues as he. He is equally passionate about exposing race and class prejudice among immigrants. He is greatly admired in the Chicago Umma, especially among young Muslims. His lectures are brilliant and captivating. His persona embodies ethnic movement and dialogue in the Umma and the determination to inspire others to cross borders. Below, I capture his charisma and passion as he delivers a lecture sponsored by the organization ‘‘Muslim Youth of Chicago.’’ His audience consists of first- and second-generation immigrant Muslims

Rami talked about IMAN and the organization’s work in the inner city, describing substandard housing and educational resources in low-income African American, Latino, and Arab neighborhoods. ‘‘Having never had to live in the projects,’’ he referred to his privilege, but he focused more on the blessing to work in an environment with inner-city Muslims who have ‘‘suffered the legacy of racism and oppression and have risen to honorable ranks to inspire’’ more privileged Muslims to use Islam to transform and enhance their lives.
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Rami talked about immigrants and their children finding a place in American society, but place in his terms did not mean fi ing acceptance among the white majority. Rather it meant raising consciousness about poor communities and doing something about it: ‘‘We have a place in America, a place not simply black and white, cut and dry, but a place of active work,
da‘wa,
getting involved to do something about your environment.’’ He chal- lenged the mostly immigrant Muslim audience to do something about pov- erty and racism by uniting with Muslims from different race and class backgrounds: ‘‘This is your Umma. It is one Umma. Never underestimate a concept that unites beyond ethnicity, class, and race
...
. It is a lofty ideal but Muslims have championed this concept for 1400 years.’’ American Mus- lims commonly refer to themselves as an Umma, he noted, but they fail to live up to the concept: ‘‘Post 9/11, we have no more time for slogans. We have to be real about this thing.’’

Islam for the People
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He confronted his audience about their love for wealth and how it ‘‘deludes’’ and prevents them from helping communities of the poor in America. He reminded them of words of the Prophet Muhammad: ‘‘A man came to the Prophet,
sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
[may God bless him and grant him peace], and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, show me an act which if I do it, will cause Allah to love me and people to love me.’ He,
sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,
answered, ‘If you distance yourself from the attachment of this world, Allah will love you, and if you prevent yourself from marveling at the possessions of others, you will gain the love of people.’’’ After suggesting that the pursuit of wealth has cut immigrant Muslims off from the common people, and therefore from ‘‘the love of people,’’ he urged his audience to reflect on how the common people have not come to the aid of American Muslims who have suffered discrimination since 9/11. ‘‘In the wake of this travesty, we need to reflect on how noble Muslim charities have been shut down with no murmur, no dissent from the people.’’ Muslim charities that aid needy Muslims abroad, particularly refugees of war, were banned by the U.S. government after 9/11, accused of having ties with Al Qaeda. Referring to these Muslim charities, Rami appealed to his audience by addressing issues important to them. Before 9/11, Muslim immigrant dollars heavily supported organizations like Global Relief Foundation, Benevolence International Foundation, and the Holy Land Foundation because they aided poor Muslims ‘‘back home.’’ These transnational Umma networks helped to fight injustices against Muslims across the globe.

Rami asked his audience to ask themselves how they expect to gain support from Americans to stop injustices against Muslims around the world when Muslims do nothing for the people here. ‘‘We cannot exist in isolation from our communities. When what you do does not affect the daily lives of people, they are not going to weep for you. Why? Because you do not hit them in their hearts.’’ He addressed another central issue for immigrant Muslims: racial profiling post-9/11. He reminded his audience that racial profiling is not new; it represents ‘‘a legacy of 300 years for some people,’’ referring to African Americans. Once again, he confronted the self-interests of immigrant Muslims, stating, ‘‘and now [all of sudden, because Muslims have become the newest victims of racial profiling,] we are in an uproar.’’ In conclusion, he charged Muslims in America to uphold the values that they claim make Islam the best religion for humanity. ‘‘We cannot afford to be a community of hypocrisy
...
. We have to temper self-righteous attitudes and confront rac- ism in our Umma.’’

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AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIMS SEEK AUTONOMY IN THE AMERICAN UMMA

Much of the focus and critique discussed above has been on immigrants and how they contribute to ethnic divides in the American Umma. African American Muslims, however, also perpetuate divides in the American Umma. ‘‘We are still kind of wrapped up into our thinking that we don’t really need to integrate with immigrant communities,’’ Imam Abdullah said, critiquing his own ethnic group. ‘‘We have this ethnic solidarity vibe which is an impediment towards trying to fulfill the objective of Islam, cause this is just one brotherhood.’’
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He sees this type of ‘‘vibe’’ especially within commun- ities associated with Imam W.D. Mohammed. African American Muslims not associated with the Imam ‘‘are more inclined towards the immigrant com- munities,’’ whereas WDM Muslims ‘‘theoretically say that Muslims are all one,’’ but they do not ‘‘push to integrate with the immigrant communities.’’

The divide between immigrant and WDM Muslims becomes most visible during the annual Labor Day conventions. Every year, the WDM annual Islamic convention runs concurrently with the national convention of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), an immigrant-majority group. Five times in the last six years, these conferences have occurred in the same city: Chi- cago. An article in the Associated Press reported on the 2003 conventions: ‘‘American blacks and immigrant Muslims are holding separate conventions just three miles apart—underscoring the divide between the two groups that Muslim leaders have been struggling to bridge for years.’’
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