March 3, 2007

Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States, particularly among African Americans, who are undeterred by the government's increased scrutiny of Muslims since the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to a Reuters article.

Muslim converts from the American black community say they embraced the Islamic religion because of the disciplines of its prayers, its emphasis on worshippers' submission to Allah (SWT) and its affinity with people who are oppressed.

Some black Muslim converts are also suspicious of the U.S. government's warnings about the emergence of new enemies since the 9/11 attacks because of memories of how authorities demonized civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. As a result, they are willing to embrace Islam as a legitimate alternative to Christianity, the majority religion among U.S. blacks.

A new black Muslim convert in Atlanta told Reuters he embraced Islam when he visited Africa for the first time. After reading the holy Qur'an, Mark King says he realized that its blessed teachings were similar to his own beliefs, not least in fighting injustice.

"For young African Americans, there is some attraction to learning about traditions that have been associated with resistance to European imperialism," said King, who has adopted the name Bilal Mansa since his conversion.

The history of Islam in the United States dates back to the 18th century, with the first Muslim inhabitants. The sizeable Muslim community in the U.S. has increased greatly over the past one hundred years, mainly due to the increase in the number of Muslim immigrants, and the high rate of Americans who convert to Islam.

According to Reuters, many black Americans converted to Islam during the civil rights era, when Malcolm X helped popularize the Nation of Islam, attracting many prominent blacks such as boxer Muhammad Ali. Islam still attracts many well known black Americans such as rapper Scarface, who recently embraced the noble religion.

But the influence of the Nation of Islam has declined with the emergence of an association of mosques led by Warith Deen Muhammad, the son of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, who died in 1975.

"Fastest-growing religion"

"Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions among black Americans", said Lawrence Mamiya, professor of religion at Vassar College.

There are more than 2 million black Muslims in the United States, he said while acknowledging that there are no exact figures.

According to wikipedia, up to one-third of American Muslims are African Americans who converted to Islam during the last seventy years.

The growing number of Muslim converts "is not viewed (by authorities) as a threat because the figures are small and once we get past the war on terror and all the negative images then it will continue to spread," Mamiya added.

Aminah McCloud, religious studies professor at DePaul University in Chicago, says black Americans usually attend mosques not frequented by Muslims from immigrant backgrounds despite sharing common beliefs.

Imams in Atlanta, a U.S. center for black Muslims, said they were subjected to less scrutiny than Muslims from the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.

Islam's history among black American was recently discussed by imam Nadim Ali during a Friday sermon at the Community Masjid of Atlanta.

Imam Ali recounted several stories of Muslim slaves brought to the U.S. from Africa who struggled to hold on to their faith in the face of slaveholders' opposition.

If Muslims could remain true to Islam under slavery, we should follow their example, he said.

"You are talking about people who were cut off from their roots .... Islam reconnects you with Africa and with other parts of the world," Imam Ali added.

Those who attend the Masjid of Atlanta told Reuters that its clerics teach them that there is no distinction between Sunni and Shia Islam. The imams also urge Muslims to find work, stay free from crime and drugs and maintain stable family lives.

But Imam Ali suspects the mosque is bugged and infiltrated by informers, in part because its clerics are skeptical about U.S. policies since September 11.

"They (the government) unplug black people and plug in Arabs or Muslims. They unplug Arabs and plug in communists. America needs war to maintain its economic status," he said.

African American find roots in Islam despite US Islamophobic policies

Unfazed by growing Islamophobia and increasing discrimination against Muslims in post-9/11 America, an increasing number of African Americans is finding solace, and roots in Islam. "Islam reconnects you with Africa and with other parts of the world so your peoplehood transcends race," Nadim Ali, the imam of the Community Masjid in one of Atlanta's oldest and poorest neighborhoods, told Reuters on Sunday, February 25.
During a recent Friday sermon in the street-corner mosque, Ali recounted stories from history of Muslim slaves brought from Africa who struggled to uphold their faith in the face of slaveholders' opposition.

If Muslims could remain true to Islam under slavery, you should follow their example, he told a tentative congregation of men and women who sat separately on the mosque floor.

Some blacks are also suspicious of the US government warnings about the emergence of new enemies since 9/11 because of memories of how the establishment demonized civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

Ali told Reuters he assumed the mosque was bugged and infiltrated by informers.

"They (the government) unplug black people and plug in Arabs or Muslims. They unplug Arabs and plug in communists. America needs war to maintain its economic status," he said.

But imams in Atlanta, a US center for black Muslims, said they were subjected to less scrutiny than Muslims from the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.

Since the 9/11 attacks, American Muslims have become sensitized to an erosion of their civil rights, with a prevailing belief that America was targeting their faith.

There is no scientific number of American Muslims but the largely used figure is seven million.

An estimated 20,000 people in the United States embrace to Islam every year.

Fasting Growing 

Mark King, who wears his hair in dreadlocks, embraced Islam after visiting Africa for the first time.

He read the holy Qur'an in Gambia and realized its teaching chimed with his own beliefs, not least in fighting injustice.

"For young African Americans, there is some attraction to learning about traditions that have been associated with resistance to European imperialism," said King, who has adopted the name Bilal Mansa since his reversion.

African Americans are taking the full brunt of racism in the US, with estimates showing the community has the worst unemployment and housing crises in the country.

Reverts within the black community say they are attracted to the disciplines of prayer, the emphasis within Islam on submission to God and the religion's affinity with people who are oppressed.

They view Islam as a legitimate alternative to Christianity, the majority religion among US blacks.

"It is one of the fastest-growing religions in America," said Lawrence Mamiya, professor of religion at Vassar College.

He said there were up to 2 million black US Muslims but acknowledged there are no precise figures.

There are up to 37 million African Americans in the US, representing 12.3% of the population.

"It's not viewed (by authorities) as a threat because the numbers are small and once we get past the war on terror and all the negative images then it will continue to spread," said Mamiya.

Democrat Keith Ellison, an African-American, recently made history becoming the first American Muslim elected to Congress after defeating his two contenders in Minneapolis and securing a seat in the 435-member House of Representatives.

Jack Ellis, the mayor of Macon in Georgia state, has recently revealed embracing Islam after years of soul-searching.

Ellis said he studied the Qur'an for years and found his destination in Islam following a trip to the African country of Senegal, noting that Islam was practiced by his ancestors before they were brought to North America as slaves.