I came into this course moderately confident that there wasn’t much for me to “discover” about Islam in America, being an American Muslim myself. Among the earlier topics we discussed was that of slavery and its surprising connection to Islam and Muslims. It had never really occurred to me that the coasts of Africa would have been full of Muslims, and their captivity and subsequent abduction would have introduced a new continent to the faith. The story of Omar Ibn Said reminds me of the sometimes confusing nature of coexisting histories: how two historical events can happen, and even mix, simultaneously. It is interesting to me that, likely, a part of the reason that Islam is demonized in the United States is because those who introduced it to its soil were captives, and of course, anything an enslaved individual brought to the nation was demonized.
America’s second, and much more impactful, introduction to Islam was through immigration and the influx of Muslim immigrants coming to the nation in search of a better life. In a post 9/11 world, the very thought of Islam, or even brown people, brought out a hypernationalist, surveillance-oriented America that was strategically anti-Muslim. Through my writing, I never really touched on this concept, the notion of America having a strategic motivation to dislike the Arab/Muslim/Indian/brown/foreign immigrant. I firmly believe that the post 9/11 United States recognized the tremendous anti Arab sentiment and used this to create a culture that would justify wars in the Middle East.
Another tremendous misconception I carried into the course was that most of my information regarding the Nation of Islam was. I was always somewhat aware of the Nation, but I believed that they followed a fundamentally different Islam, one with scripture and word supporting afro-centric views. Only through the readings and extensive discussion and research about Malcolm X, I understand that their initial beliefs may have been flawed, charged by a mysterious figure (Elijah Muhammad) with questionable Islamic knowledge and motivation. I may have been belligerent in my initial exposure to the Nation, but I came to understand they are merely Muslims who were given information that may not have been truly authentic, their lack of Arabic doomed them to the translations and sermons of a chain of individuals leading to a chief authority who was comfortable with a title only held by the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). The Nation’s greatest symbol is arguably Malcolm X, and his awakening upon returning from Hajj displays his true misunderstanding of the faith, and how simply seeing black and white Muslims eat and pray together destroyed years of hate and ill-preachings. If Malcolm X’s experience is not indicative of the Nation of Islam, then nothing is; a group formed with a “shaky” foundation whose followers eventually came to understand the true meaning of the faith.
Wholly, I had a positive experience in the course, and my misunderstanding mixed with slight overconfidence revealed my true lack of understanding in regards to Islam’s real impact in the United States. Many people have the same experience as I, children of Muslim immigrants, and a great many have alternate experiences: I’m glad I was able to familiarize myself with a small few.
Notes: I think I could get a lot of mileage out of the Patriot Act and the implications it had for immigrants and Muslims in general. For a whole nation built on the concept of cohesiveness and unity to suddenly turn its back on a whole group of people that helped build and contribute to the success it feels today is incredible. Even the more recent Muslim ban is still mind-blowing in its capacity to alienate anyone who is deemed to be threatening to national security. summary vs input
