‘I never considered a non-Arab equal to me,’ a sister once remarked. ‘I
know it’s wrong, but in the place I grew up in, that was how we grew up
thinking.’ She had grown up in a country considered "Islamic".
Islam is the most anti-racist and anti-prejudicial way of life. Islamic
history testifies to the openness Muslims have shown towards people of
different cultures and religions. Within their own ranks, sincere and
practicing Muslims have always kept their hearts and minds open to
their
brethren, no matter what their background.
Yet, there is a problem in the Ummah today. Prejudices are not the
problems
of others. They have become the very sad reality amongst a number of
Muslims as well.
This is not just on the level of small minority Muslim communities in
non-Muslim lands. It is also a problem in "Islamic" countries as well.
Years of nationalism in theory and practice have diminished the
powerful
universality Muslims cherished in their societies.
First the bad news
Laws and customs
There are a number of countries in the Muslim world, in which racism
and
prejudice are in full swing and justified by laws or social customs.
These
seek to exclude and shun on the basis of ethnicity and in some cases,
race.
For instance, in certain countries, it is not permissible for children
to
study at a post-secondary level, even if their parents have been living
or
working in the country for a number of years. This is usually because
of
their national origin.
In other countries, discrimination is used to exclude those who are not
the
original inhabitants of the land from citizenship.
Discrimination extends to the field of employment as well. In some
"Islamic" countries, workers of one national origin are paid less than
others although they may excel in their skills, education, and
experience.
It has been noted that a white or black person carrying an American
passport gets better pay than a person of Asian origin carrying the
same
passport.
Written and unwritten laws in some Arab countries prohibit Arab women
from
marrying a non-Arab.
Attitudes and words
The discrimination is not reserved to laws though. It’s not difficult
to
hear an uncommon racial epithet used among some Muslims, ignorant or
negligent of the Quran and Sunnah’s condemnation of backbiting, slander
and
mockery.
Marriage
We know the Prophet married women across ethnic lines, and therefore,
in
Islam, there is no ethnic bar to marriage. He also made it very clear,
in
his last Khutba, that superiority in Islam is not based on blackness,
whiteness, Arabness or the lack of it.
Contrast this with, for instance, the Hindu caste system, under which
inter-caste marriage is prohibited.
Sadly, such Hindu notions still influence a number of ignorant Muslims
in
South Asia who will not, for instance, marry outside if they are Syed
(claim lineage to the Prophet), Shaikh (a business community) or across
tribal lines if they come from the "Khans," "Moghuls" or "Jats".
While some Muslims may justify this as simply a measure to ensure
compatibility between husband and wife, it is Islamically incorrect to
discriminate upright Muslims on this basis.
The Masjid or Islamic center
There have been some isolated cases in which Muslims who have felt so
excluded at specific mosques called anti-discrimination hotlines to
complain.
Alhamdu lillah, all Masjids are open to all people and no Masjid has
racial
policies. However, racially divided neighborhoods result in an
ethnically
dominant Masjid type. Usually, negative attitudes of some and language
specific Masjid programs cause miscommunication. This is because some
people want to make sure their mother tongue survives in America.
...and the good news
The prayer: a lesson in Muslim unity
Five times a day, every day, Muslims of every cultural and ethnic
background stand shoulder to shoulder. There is no issue of who stands
where based on their color or ethnicity.
On a larger level, to remember that millions of Muslims, everywhere of
all
shapes, colors, sizes, countries, etc. all face the same place to pray,
five times a day, is incredible. Yet this lesson not just in Muslim
unity,
but in ethno-national harmony, is usually overlooked.
The mosque: open to all despite problems
Alhamdu lillah, one problem Muslims do not have is membership-exclusive
mosques. Any Muslim can pray in any mosque. While those individual
Muslims
with racism and prejudice in their hearts and minds may not treat them
well, they will not exclude them physically from attending or praying
in
any mosque, anywhere.
A brother from the United Kingdom who converted to Islam once mentioned
how
on a trip to apartheid-era South Africa, while he found black and white
churches, he did not encounter black and non-black mosques. That made
him
start thinking about this curious phenomenon, and he eventually
accepted
Islam.
Muslims united in pain
With the latest headlines focused on Chechnya, Muslims in America and
abroad have generously donated to help their oppressed brothers and
sisters
there.
There is a keen understanding amongst many Muslims that when it comes
to
oppression, it doesn’t matter if you’re a black Muslim, a white Muslim,
a
Kosovar Muslim, a Chechen Muslim, a Kashmiri Muslim or a Somali Muslim,
you
are suffering.
Imams often make Dua for oppressed Muslims they have never met, no
matter
what their skin color. Muslims pray along in sympathy and support.
Here is another clear example of Muslim unity. All we need to do is now
pray and help all human beings who are suffering whether Muslim or not.
Muslim American leaders are diverse
Can you name the top four speakers and leaders amongst Muslims in
America
today?
If you can, you’ll realize that all four are of different racial and
linguistic backgrounds. They are invited to Muslim gatherings
regularly, no
matter what the ethnic background of the audience.
These four leaders are: Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African American Muslim;
Dr.
Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian Muslim; Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, a Sudanese
Muslim,
and Imam Hamza Yusuf, a Caucasian American Muslim.
This shows that a Muslim leader is respected for his knowledge and
commitment to the Deen by most Muslims, not his background.
Marriage: the litmus test
All that said though, the real test of openness to other cultures is
marriage. Islam and a growing number of Muslims pass there with flying
colors.
As mentioned above, we know the Prophet married women across ethnic
lines.
Muslims, whether in the Muslim world or in North America, are following
his
example more often today.
So you’ll find an African or Caucasian-American convert married to an
Arab,
Indo-Pakistani or Malaysian; you’ll find an Indian married to a
Palestinian; you’ll find a Kashmiri married to an Arab-American, and on
and
on.
There is a keen and growing understanding amongst a number of Muslims,
in
line with Islam, that what unites hearts and people is Islam, not skin
color, ethnicity or territory.
Sincerity, knowledge, forgiveness are the cure
Curing the disease of racism takes time. It also takes humility,
sincerity
and requires seeking out the right guidance. It means admitting we were
or
are wrong, sincerely repenting and making a concrete effort to change.
While the planet's approximately 1.2 billion Muslims do have their
share of
problems with each other, Alhamdu lillah, we still have the tools to
eradicate the cancer of racism and prejudice in our midst. Let’s begin
the
process with ourselves, and then help them Ummah do the same.
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