Faith and Football: The Abdullah Brothers

The nutritional plan I think was great. Are there any other changes that you have been able to bring to your organizations because of your faith?

Hamza -- They alert me when there is a dish in the meal room that contains pork. And I am very appreciative of that.

Husain -- I haven’t made any dramatic changes. I can say everyone is more aware of Islam and everyone has numerous questions that they want to ask. I am happy with that small difference because many people have a negative perception of Islam and they don’t know the first thing about it. So I don’t mind when people come up to me and want to bounce questions off of me. I always tell them that I am still learning myself and an imam would give them a far better or more in depth answer; but I always try my best.

Outside of the difficulties surrounding Ramadan and training camp, are there any other common challenges your work and faith have caused?

Hamza -- Not really. Our organization does a great job of being respectful to all individuals, knowing we all come from different social, spiritual, and religious backgrounds.

Husain -- For me, no; I go to work, then head home. I try and keep myself out of trouble by not being places where I know I shouldn’t be. That way I can do right by God, my family, and myself.

How are your actions affected on and off the field, being a Muslim? Do you feel that you are viewed as ambassadors of the Muslim-American community?

Hamza -- I understand that I may be the only Muslim that someone comes across so I want to make sure I’m a good example of how a Muslim is. I definitely feel as though we are representatives of Islam. And we welcome that. I understand I have made mistakes in the past but I want to show people that as a human being you can make mistakes and come back from it stronger as long as you have God on your side.

Husain -- I just always try to be a Muslim. Everything I do I know God is watching so I try my best to act accordingly. People who see me on and off the field won’t think different of me because I am the same. I feel that every Muslim is a representative. Hamza and I may be looked at a little closer because of our profession but the responsibility is on the Ummah as a whole. I embrace it. I may not feel like I am the best one for the job because I know numerous Muslim brothers and sisters that are more knowledgeable than I and I look up to them. But I will take up ownership. God put me in this situation for a reason so I pray that he guides me and helps me make the best choices.

What are your feelings in regard to the negativity that is prevalent in the mass media today of black men, Muslim men, and athletes?

Hamza -- The media is something we as people need to be careful with. We can’t take everything we see and hear as 100% truth. That’s what I love about Twitter. Now you can hear it right from the ‘horse’s mouth'. We can eliminate the he said, she said and just report the ‘Truth’.

Husain -- The media is very tricky. They will put anything out there that has the ‘Wow factor’. Whatever sells, that’s what they are reporting. Gossip has become major news. You never open a newspaper and feel good about yourself and the world. I do understand that the world can be cruel and corrupt but, instead of focusing on every single negative, we can be talking about positives. Numerous people do charitable deeds -- report on the schoolteacher who has been impacting kids’ lives for twenty-plus years, or the family who spends their leisure time helping out the elderly.

I would like for the media to focus on a few more positive stories. When you see a Muslim man in the media it’s typically about terrorism. I can see why people view Islam the way they do because it seems to get a significant amount of negative press. There are over a billion Muslims in the world and the media does not show any of these faces except the ones they choose to, typically those associated with terrorism.

Black men in the media are typically high profile people such as athletes, movie stars, and musicians. Some things can be negative and some positive, it just depends on who’s writing your story that day. The one thing I do not like about being an athlete is how people put you on a pedestal. I understand we can do things physically that others can’t and would love to, but we are people just like everyone else. The media loves building people up as a person above all others and as soon as something goes wrong they come crashing down on that same person who was celebrated the day before. I find it sad actually.