AboutIslam: How can Muslim culture generally be more inclusive of black Muslims i.e. what would you like to see?
Sheikh Michael Mumisa: Whose “Muslim culture”? Do you mean South Asian Muslim culture? If that is what you mean, it is not my culture.
My family and people have been Muslims for centuries. We’re Black Muslims who trace their culture back to the early period of Islam, long before there were Muslims in South Asia and other parts of the Arab world. When I hear “Muslim culture,” I see my grandmother and grandfather preparing Ramadan meals the same way their parents and grandparents taught them.
I see my father reciting the Qur’an and telling me how he learned it from his own father and mother, and that they in turn learned it from their parents the same way, going back generations. That is my Muslim culture, and it is Black. It is the Black Muslim culture that my ancestors fought and died to protect from British, Portuguese, and German colonialism.
OA: “Hmnn, this is a tough one. Muslim culture generally revolves around the mosques, and mosques are traditionally founded by people of similar background/ethnicity. So, you will find mosques being described as Bangladeshi mosque or Pakistani mosque, or Nigerian mosque, and those people run the mosques. Inclusivity can be improved by including people from different backgrounds in the board that run the mosques, conducting Jumu`ah service in English & Arabic rather than the founding member’s native language.
The Muslim Council of Britain is also making efforts towards recognizing and including Black Muslims in Muslim Culture. I attended and photographed a conference for the MCB last year which touched on many of the topics around this issue.
Monir EA: “Better education all round. I think the older generation tended to live within their own circles, but there is more mixing now. We need more open spaces like Rumi’s cave as mosques tend to be places of worship, not meeting. Also, think various professional and cultural groups breaking down barriers.”
Surajudeen Babatunde Raji: “Muslim culture can be more inclusive of Black Muslims through education. As accurately put by Habeeb Akande, a writer and historian, when non-black Muslims refer to the contribution of black people in Islam, they speak about servitude, of lowly figures who rose out of their abject poverty to become ‘honorable’ Muslims. It’s almost a back-handed compliment.
The story of Bilal, for instance, should not tell the story of only a slave, but also as a governor of Syria and his immense contributions to Islam. This perhaps is in line with black history, or lack of it, as a whole.”
AboutIslam: Do you follow this year’s Black Muslim Renaissance Festival?
Sheikh Michael Mumisa: “The Black Muslim Family Festival is just part of a Muslim tradition as old as Islam itself. There were regular African majalis and festivals in the Masjid of the Prophet during his lifetime. He even attended one of them. Islam did not come to erase but celebrate people’s diverse cultures. Non-Black Muslim communities and organizations in the West have been actively trying to erase and suppress Black and African Muslim cultures.
This is something the Prophet Muhammad would have opposed. If you study hadith, you find that he loved different cultures and was always trying to learn more about them. He even encouraged his young companions (Sahaba) to find time to learn and understand different languages and cultures.”
OA: “No, I wasn’t aware of it. But it is good to see, and I will be making an effort to tune in. I think it is important for these kinds of festivals to take place to give people, particularly younger Muslims a sense of belonging and pride in being who they are. It is important for organizers of such events to also target all ethnic groups for attendance rather than just Black Muslims after all awareness is most beneficial if it is inter-racial.”
Monir EA: “Haven’t heard about it until now, but think it’s a great idea MsA!“
Surajudeen Babatunde Raji: This is the first time I am seeing this portal. Masha Allah. Great to see a forum amplifying the global Black Muslim community.
Pages: 1 2