12 Issues and Stories that Captured the American Muslim Communities in 2016

December: Lingering Trump, Syria and anti-Black Remarks at RIS 2016

In the last month of 2016, articles about a looming Trump presidency and the dire situation in Aleppo, Syria were on the minds of Muslims and covered on Altmuslim. But it was the remarks of Sheikh Hamza Yusuf at RIS 2016 (Reviving the Islamic Spirit) conference that shaped the end of the month. Many Black (and nonBlack) Muslims took offence to the sheikh’s comments about the Black Lives Matter movement and the “breakdown” of the Black family. In this article by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, she argued that the silence of nonBlacks on Sheikh Hamza’s remarks were harmful to Black Muslims: “I resent the notion that I, and others like me, are somehow not as enlightened if we fight back against such forces. Your spiritual lens is a critical lens that censures my people for demanding basic human dignity. It is a lens through which we have never been viewed as fully human but rather characters in parables whose only purpose is to teach you a moral lesson.”

So, what will be the dominating stories of 2017 as the Trump presidency begins and as conflict continues to rage in Syria, Palestine and in other parts of the world? Whatever the stories and issues are, Altmuslim will continue to try and provide alternative, unique and insightful coverage.