Both Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali are global icons, among the most influential Muslims of the past centuries. Islam for Malcolm X and Ali was not just an empty set of rituals as it is treated among many Muslim communities. Islam to Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali was alive, energetic, and it motivated them to strive for a better world. They carried themselves with confidence and conviction; they had a mission, goal, and ambitions. What was it that made Muhammad... Read more
Led by Donald Trump, the theme of this year’s Republican national convention “Make America Safe Again” is an objective that Muslims must play a pivotal role in achieving. From Trump’s proposed advocacy to ban Muslim Immigration to Newt Gingrich’s call to deport Muslims, Muslims are continuously framed as a threat to national security. The Muslim community has a serious issue with radicals who utilize extremist beliefs, motivating them to commit grotesque acts of violence completely unfit for the twenty-first... Read more
“Sister Tynetta Dynear would speak beautifully of the Muslim women’s powerful, vital contributions, of the Muslim women’s roles in our Nation’s efforts to raise the physical, mental, moral, social, and political condition of America’s black people.”’ – Malcolm X Who Malcolm X knew as Sister Tynetta Dynear, I knew as Tynetta Muhammad, she spoke eloquently and boldly against the oppression of black people. Her voice was capable of captivating entire audiences and reaching their soul and inspiring them to action.... Read more
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has perpetrated Islamophobic fears by calling for a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States due to concerns about terrorism, when Black Muslims such as Omar Ibn Said, Bilal Muhammad, Abdurrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori, and Ayuba Suileiman Diallo were forcibly brought to America against their will and terrorized on U.S. soil. If the aim of a ban on Muslims is to get rid of the Muslim presence in America, the action is futile as the... Read more
Alton Sterling and Philando Castil are only the most recent victims of the anti-black terrorism so prevalent in the United States. For the descendants of black slaves forcibly brought to America against their will, the violence they continue to experience is recurring and unending. Blacks live in a world of complete horror in which they have to endure constant police killings and watch as the judicial system lets the murderers of black people off without any punishment. With the dawn of... Read more
As I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts for work, a friend of mine told me that Louis Farrakhan would be in the city speaking. Of course, I had to attend because this was the community that I spent my childhood years in. I took a cab from the Harvard Campus where I am working to Mosque Number #11. When I arrived at the Mosque, a brother told me, “Hakeem, the last time I saw you I thought you were going... Read more
When I visit my grandmother in New-Orleans, I attend a Mosque that belongs to the community of Imam Warrith Deen Muhammad. On Sundays, the brothers cook and make free breakfast for the people in the neighborhood and I usually accompany them. One of the brothers told me he was a former captain in the Nation of Islam and had came to Islam in prison. During the breakfast, I began discussing so many topics such as Islamic Spain, the detrimental impact of usury,... Read more
(Editorial Note: In the Hip-Hop Halaqas series, we will examine how Islamic thought can answer theological questions posed by contemporary hip-hop artists.) “Your kid is hungry, you ain’t got no money, What’s the reason?” – Nas The deadly impact of poverty in America remains disproportionately concentrated in black communities. 23% of black families live below the poverty line. Throughout the inner-cities of America, single black mothers often struggle to afford rent, food, and a myriad of other everyday basic needs.... Read more
Ramadan Support for Current and Former Black Muslim Political Prisoners This #BlackMuslimRamadan, show solidarity with Black Muslim political prisoners, who have been incarcerated for bravely and heroically challenging the racial caste system that Blacks were and continued to be subjected to in America. This Ramadan we are calling upon the Muslim community to reach out to such political prisoners. Write Ramadan letters of support, support their Parole campaigns, and/or donate to the social causes of Black Muslim political prisoners.... Read more
“I need to know if I can attend the university to test myself against the best students in the world,” states Kunta Kinta, in the recently remade Roots mini-series, airing on the History Channel. As an aspiring student of knowledge, Kunta Kinta seeks to study at Timbuktu, a prominent Islamic university that once existed in West Africa. Unfortunately, his ambitions as a student of knowledge at Timbuktu never came to fruition, as he was kidnapped and taken to the Americas.... Read more
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