The month of July finds the United States thrown into turmoil, yet again, over instances of policemen fatally shooting black men.
The deaths of Alton Sterling on July 5 in Louisiana and of Philando Castile in Minnesota the following day — both at the hands of law enforcement officers — were captured on video and posted online for the world to see.
The incidents re-opened wounds that have been festering since the fatal shooting by police of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown in Missouri in August of 2014 and rekindled a nationwide debate about racism and criminal justice.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is one of many people who believe that racism was a factor in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile. “Nobody should be shot and killed in Minnesota for a tail light being out of function,” Mr. Dayton said in a news conference. “Would this have happened if those passengers and the driver were white? I don’t think it would’ve.”
Statistics seem to indicate that race does play a part in police use of deadly force. In an analysis from 2015, The Washington Post concluded “that black men were seven times more likely than white men to die by police gunfire while unarmed.”
In the wake of the recent shootings, thousands of protesters united in cities around the nation to decry what they believe is an unfair and racially biased criminal justice system. In Dallas, Texas, a peaceful protest on July 7 ended in bloodshed and death when a sniper identified as Micah Johnson killed 5 police officers and wounded at least 10 more.
Imam Omar Suleiman of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center, who was born in New Orleans, was at the demonstration in Dallas when the shooting started. “I went out there to support a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I think there’s no doubt that black lives have not mattered, or have not been treated with the same dignity as other lives, for a very long time,” the imam said in an interview with PRI.
Right before the shooting started, Suleiman had been shaking hands with police officers and thanking them for doing a fine job. Then a hail of bullets from the sniper interrupted the peaceful protest. “It seemed like an eternity of gunshots,” Suleiman said. “Hours and hours of gunshots.”
With the senseless deaths of so many police officers and civilians, many Americans felt compelled to choose sides. Should they support their country’s law enforcement, or should they back groups like #BlackLivesMatter, an activist movement that campaigns against violence against black people?
On social media, many Muslim Americans chimed in with their opinions. Some Muslim Americans work in law enforcement or have police officers in their families. They can sympathize with the difficult split-second decisions that police must make. Others align themselves firmly with #BlackLivesMatter and demand that U.S. law enforcement weed out the corruption and racism that is inherent in the system.
Muslims’ balanced reactions
Linda Sarsour, a racial justice and civil rights activist from Brooklyn, New York, expressed a middle ground that many Muslims could relate to. She posted on Facebook on July 7, “Yes, it’s possible. You can be just as outraged over the murder of Black people by cops as you are over the murder of cops. Don’t ask people to make a choice. Life is life.”
Andrea Tally, a Michigan-born convert to Islam, has a unique perspective on the issue. “As a Muslim, as an American, as a daughter of parents and step-parents in law enforcement, as a white woman, as someone who grew up in a white, Christian community, as someone who counts among her closest friends Africans as well as many people of color, the events in Minnesota and Louisiana, and the many events before them, cause me considerable pain and confusion.”
“On the one hand,” says Tally, “I have my parents who have never, thankfully, shot or killed another person. They are fair. They do not jump to conclusions. They take the time to gather information, facts. They have both worked undercover and have both been in difficult and sometimes life-threatening situations. While I don’t agree with every belief they hold, I do believe in their intention to try and do what’s best for our town, country, and worldwide community. Understandably, they feel defensive when it feel as if all of law enforcement is being made out to be villainous due to the deadly actions of a few.”
“On the other hand,” continues Tally, “As a Muslim I know what it feels like to be targeted due to a perceived threat based on nothing but fear and bias. I have experienced it and seen it too many times firsthand in the Muslim community. My white privilege, which I firmly believe in as an institution, has not led me to feel the pains of racism. But my headscarf has led countless haters to make me, and many who I love and hold dear, into targets.”
Alifa Ahmad, a business consultant in California, believes that the Muslim community in the U.S. has a duty to stand with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. “Muslims should be actively participating if not leading the community in peaceful standing up against this oppression. It’s our job to stand up against injustice and oppression. We are Muslims by praying five times a day and fasting in Ramadhan. We can only become the best ummah as intended by our characters and actions.”
Whether or not they choose to participate in demonstrations or protests; whether or not they ally themselves with #BlackLivesMatter, law enforcement, or other activist groups, Muslim Americans have a duty to consider their country’s problems seriously and to help however possible. Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said,
“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, “O Allah’s Messenger (PBUH)! It is alright to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet (PBUH) said, “By preventing him from oppressing others.” (Sahih Bukhari)