Black Mystery Month
This past February, our Community hosted Imam Siraj Wahaj, a prolific Muslim activist and Imam from New York. It was a good time for me personally, because I know Siraj and have been able to hang out with him a bit whenever he comes to town. Whenever I go to New York I visit his masjid and always catch him in town for Jumuah Salat and or to be kidnapped by him for a few hours to chew the fat, trash talk about hoops or to be treated for lunch.
He came this time to CO in order to host a fundraiser for the Fort Collins New Masjid project - a worthy cause and a successful event that raised about $100k.
During his keynote speech, Siraj asked, "Does anyone know what month this is?"
It was a question that made me both smile at where Siraj was going in his speech and cringe at knowing what the answers would - and would not - be.
On cue, Muslims shouted, "February!"
"No!", was Siraj's reply.
"Ashura!", came another reply. It was wrong since the day before started the (second) Islamic month of Safar - but even that wasn't the month that Siraj was looking for.
Soon came the sound of crickets and head scratching...
..And all I could do was shake my head in disappointment - a feeling that I am sure the scattering of African American Muslims present in the hotel banquet room felt as they sat amid the hundreds of Muslims from varying and foreign ethnic backgrounds and countries.
I thought about shouting the answer, but, no - that's too easy. And I was hoping the answer would come quickly from any one of the non-Black brothers and sisters in attendance. After a few agonizing moments, I fought the urge to answer, only because my voice would certainly bear in inflection of frustration, maybe even anger...so I held off.
Finally, the answer came from a couple people, Siraj acknowledged and used the point to highlight the importance of unity and embrace of American culture and history as an underscore.
I thought to myself, why is my community so ignorant and oft-times prejudiced about my own ethnic culture? And in light of this sad reality, is my community really my community?
I couldn't help recall my daughter telling me how she attended a gathering where an Arab sister was berated by another for naming her child "Bilal" because it was a "Black name".
After 9/11, some opined that foreign-cultured Muslims, having now to go thru increased prejudice, the Patriot Act, and airport stoppages, now know how Black people feel. To that I have always pointed that nothing could be further from the truth - and I hope that my brothers and sisters never have to go thru what my ancestors did with chattel slavery, subhuman treatment, lynching, and oppression. I hope they never experience having to eat pig intestines as a staple and then learning to love it as a delicacy. I hope they never get pulled over for being in a white neighborhood or that half of the prison population is made up of Muslim males from other countries or their descendents.
Earlier tonight, Barack Obama pointed out the need to confront racial issues in this country in order to ultimately move past them. (More about his speech in another post)
No better advice can be given to the Muslim community in this country or in my State.
So, here's to Black History Month. At some point, it won't stay such a mystery.
He came this time to CO in order to host a fundraiser for the Fort Collins New Masjid project - a worthy cause and a successful event that raised about $100k.
During his keynote speech, Siraj asked, "Does anyone know what month this is?"
It was a question that made me both smile at where Siraj was going in his speech and cringe at knowing what the answers would - and would not - be.
On cue, Muslims shouted, "February!"
"No!", was Siraj's reply.
"Ashura!", came another reply. It was wrong since the day before started the (second) Islamic month of Safar - but even that wasn't the month that Siraj was looking for.
Soon came the sound of crickets and head scratching...
..And all I could do was shake my head in disappointment - a feeling that I am sure the scattering of African American Muslims present in the hotel banquet room felt as they sat amid the hundreds of Muslims from varying and foreign ethnic backgrounds and countries.
I thought about shouting the answer, but, no - that's too easy. And I was hoping the answer would come quickly from any one of the non-Black brothers and sisters in attendance. After a few agonizing moments, I fought the urge to answer, only because my voice would certainly bear in inflection of frustration, maybe even anger...so I held off.
Finally, the answer came from a couple people, Siraj acknowledged and used the point to highlight the importance of unity and embrace of American culture and history as an underscore.
I thought to myself, why is my community so ignorant and oft-times prejudiced about my own ethnic culture? And in light of this sad reality, is my community really my community?
I couldn't help recall my daughter telling me how she attended a gathering where an Arab sister was berated by another for naming her child "Bilal" because it was a "Black name".
After 9/11, some opined that foreign-cultured Muslims, having now to go thru increased prejudice, the Patriot Act, and airport stoppages, now know how Black people feel. To that I have always pointed that nothing could be further from the truth - and I hope that my brothers and sisters never have to go thru what my ancestors did with chattel slavery, subhuman treatment, lynching, and oppression. I hope they never experience having to eat pig intestines as a staple and then learning to love it as a delicacy. I hope they never get pulled over for being in a white neighborhood or that half of the prison population is made up of Muslim males from other countries or their descendents.
Earlier tonight, Barack Obama pointed out the need to confront racial issues in this country in order to ultimately move past them. (More about his speech in another post)
No better advice can be given to the Muslim community in this country or in my State.
So, here's to Black History Month. At some point, it won't stay such a mystery.
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