By Imam Saffet Catovic

Jan/Feb 25

On September 24, 2024, the State of Missouri committed an irreversible and grievous act: it executed Marcellus Williams, a black man who maintained his innocence until his last breath. 

Imam Marcellus “Khalifah” Williams’ unjust execution starkly highlights the systemic racism and deep-seated biases that plague the American judicial system – issues rooted in a painful history of discrimination against African Americans. While the United States has made strides toward justice, this tragedy serves as a poignant reminder of the distance we still must cover in dismantling the legacy of racial inequality that persists in our society.

Despite compelling evidence suggesting his innocence, Williams – wrongfully convicted of a 1989 rape and murder – was denied clemency, even as the prosecuting attorney and the victim’s family appealed for the execution to be halted. This heartbreaking outcome underscores a system that often prioritizes punishment over justice, silencing the voices that seek truth, healing and accountability.

Disproportionate Incarceration Rates

Williams’ plight is not an isolated incident; it reflects a broader pattern of racial injustice in the United States. According to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), African Americans are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of white Americans. In 2021, black men made up approximately 33% of the male prison population, despite comprising only 6% of the U.S. population. This stark disparity reveals a system that disproportionately targets black individuals.

A study by the Prison Policy Initiative found that black Americans are more likely to be sentenced to prison than white Americans for similar offenses. For instance, black individuals receive sentences that are, on average, 19.1% longer than those given to their white counterparts for the same crimes. This disparity is further exacerbated by racial profiling, which leads to higher arrest rates and, consequently, higher incarceration rates among black communities.

Judicial Miscarriages and the Innocence Project

The Innocence Project highlights another layer of injustice: wrongful convictions. According to their data, over 70% of the 375 DNA exonerations in the U.S. involved people of color. Racial bias in jury selection and prosecutorial decisions significantly contributes to these miscarriages of justice. For example, a study by the Equal Justice Initiative found that Black defendants are more likely to be wrongfully convicted than white defendants, with the risk of wrongful conviction being 2.5 times higher for Black individuals.

In many cases, these wrongful convictions arise from faulty witness identifications, coerced confessions, and/or prosecutorial misconduct. The Innocence Project reports that mistaken eyewitness identification contributes to nearly 75% of wrongful convictions. Furthermore, the prevalence of implicit bias among jurors can result in unfair judgments against black defendants, leading to longer sentences and, in extreme cases, the death penalty as in the case of Imam Marcellus Williams.

In Williams’ case, the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office filed a 63-page motion to vacate his 2001 conviction for the killing of a journalist in her home. The prosecutor noted new DNA evidence that exonerated Williams along with  growing doubts about the credibility of key witnesses heaped upon violations of Williams’  constitutional rights during his trial.  Among these were ineffective counsel provided to Williams and racially discriminatory jury selection all of which prompted the reviewing attorney to request the circuit court to “correct this manifest injustice”.

The Death Penalty and Racial Disparities

Williams’s execution  exemplifies the racial inequities present in the judicial system. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, black defendants are more likely to receive the death penalty than white defendants. In fact, a 2019 study found that Black individuals made up 41% of those on death row, despite representing only 13% of the U.S. population. Moreover, cases involving white victims are more likely to result in a death sentence for black defendants, highlighting a racial bias that permeates capital punishment.

Imam Williams’ execution is a tragic example of how this bias can manifest. His trial, along with mountains of statistical evidence cataloguing judicial discrimination in the U.S., indicates a deeply flawed process that often prioritizes racial bias over justice. His unjust death at the hands of the State of Missouri raises important questions about the integrity of a system that allows such stark disparities to continue. 

The Role of Systemic Racism

The injustices faced by individuals like Williams stem from a complex web of systemic racism, which manifests through structural and institutional biases. Racism is not merely an individual prejudice but a pervasive system that impacts policies, practices, and social norms. As Ruth King explains in Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out, racism is a societal “heart disease” that can only be addressed through awareness and education.

Culturally enforced norms rooted in the past of wrongful enslavement of Africans continue to fuel structural and institutional racism today. For instance, racial profiling and discriminatory policing practices contribute to the over-policing of black communities. A 2020 American Civil Liberties Union report states that black individuals are three times more likely to be stopped by police than white individuals despite similar rates of drug use and other criminal activity across racial groups.

Another example of these systemic and systematic racial injustices is that of Imam Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown), a prominent Muslim American leader and civil rights activist. He gained recognition in the 1960s as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and later as chairman of the Black Panther Party. In 2002, Imam Jamil was convicted of murdering a sheriff’s deputy in Atlanta, Georgia., a crime he has consistently denied committing.

His case further underscores systemic racism and failures within the criminal justice system. Many observers argue that his conviction was influenced by racial bias, including the context of his activism and the prejudiced perceptions of black leaders at the time. According to a report from the Center for Constitutional Rights, Imam Jamil’s trial was also marked by significant irregularities, including inadequate legal representation and questionable witness testimonies. 

Moreover, the prosecution’s reliance on racial stereotypes and the media’s portrayal of him as a violent radical contributed to a biased narrative that overshadowed the evidence. The racial dynamics at play in his case exemplify how the justice system can disproportionately affect African Americans, particularly those with a history of activism. This highlights a broader pattern of injustice, where race and social standing significantly influence legal outcomes.

Building Solidarity in the Fight for Justice

As an organization dedicated to supporting African American Muslims, Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) recognizes that the Muslim community is intertwined with this struggle. They must come together to address these injustices and advocate for reform within the judicial system. The fight for justice is not solely the responsibility of marginalized communities; it requires solidarity from all who seek equity and fairness.

In the wake of tragedies like Williams’ execution, we are reminded of the ongoing work needed to combat systemic racism, judicial inequities, and social injustices. All people must continue to raise awareness, educate themselves and others, and stand in solidarity with those affected by these injustices.

Williams’ case serves as a painful reminder of the systemic injustices that persist in the American judicial system. As one reflects on his life and the injustices he faced, one must remain resolute in their vision for an America where justice, equality, and compassion reign. The statistics surrounding racial disparities in incarceration, wrongful convictions, and the death penalty underscore the urgent need for reform.

Believers are commanded in the Quran, “O you who believe, be upright for God, and be bearers of witness with justice!” (5:8), They are further commented, “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both” (4:135).

In the spirit of justice, let all people unite against these injustices, hold accountable those who perpetuate them, and work toward a judicial system that serves all individuals fairly. Together, all people can strive for an America that embodies the principles of fairness, compassion, and the unwavering protection of innocent lives.

Imam Saffet Catovic is director of UN Operations for Justice For All and board member of MANA.

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By: Wendy Díaz

Jan/Feb 25

In the September 10, 2024 U.S. presidential debate, both the Democratic and Republican nominees took turns taking shots at one another during primetime. One of the more outrageous claims made during the debate came from Republican nominee and current president, Donald Trump, who alleged that Haitian immigrants in towns like Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs. This outlandish claim went viral resulting in internet memes, reels, and even catchy musical parodies. But this false assertion was not the first-time that Latin America immigrants became the subject of contentious debate. In his first foray into presidential candidacy, Trump, speaking at Trump Tower in Manhattan on June 16, 2015, claimed, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. . . They’re sending people with a lot of problems. . . They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.” Such inflammatory and hateful rhetoric fuels Hispanophobia, an irrational fear, hatred, or bias against people of Hispanic or Latino origins.

Among Muslim Americans, the ummah is diverse; various ethnic groups coexist under the banner of Islam. However, just because Islam emphasizes equality does not mean that prejudice is nonexistent amongst Muslims. In a society where leading politicians fan the flames of bigotry, it is common to see the same type of prejudice manifested in religious spaces. For Latino Muslims, these prejudices can take various forms, from microaggressions to the lack of inclusion of Latinos in leadership or decision-making roles within Islamic institutions. 

Prejudices often come from a lack of understanding or exposure and Muslims from immigrant backgrounds may be less familiar with Latin Americans compared with other American communities. Stereotypes about Latino Muslims often contribute to a limited perception of their role within the community, including assumptions about their level of religiosity, education, and/or their socioeconomic status. Likewise, the broader American Muslim community may experience separation from their Latino neighbors due to competition for communal resources, differences in historical struggles, and/or misunderstandings stemming from linguistic barriers.

The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding’s (ISPU) American Muslim Poll 2019 survey showed that Latino Muslims are the fastest growing group of Muslims, making up 8% of the Muslim American landscape. Yet despite the growing number of Latino Muslims, discrimination and lack of awareness about the Islamic influence on Latin America persists. Many Latino Muslims find themselves having to navigate a space where they are either assumed to be newcomers to the faith or perceived as less authoritative in Islamic matters because of their cultural background. This erasure of Latino Muslim identity reinforces the idea that Islamic knowledge and leadership are reserved for certain ethnic groups, a misconception that runs counter to the universal message of Islam. Additionally, language barriers can exacerbate these feelings of exclusion when resources are unavailable in Spanish, leaving Latino Muslims feeling discouraged and disconnected.

To combat Hispanophobia, Muslims everywhere should be reminder of Islam’s teachings on racial equality. In the Prophet Muhammad’ final sermon (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) he declared that no Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab and vice versa demonstrating that racial and ethnic biases are alien to Islam. To continue to resist Hispanophobia, this message must be regularly reinforced, not only during the Friday sermon but through everyday interactions. 

Islam’s Historical Ties to Latin America

The historical presence of Muslims in places like the Iberian Peninsula (where Muslims ruled from 711 to 1492) profoundly influenced art, architecture, language, and culture throughout Latin America.  But connections between Islam and Latin America go beyond the Iberian Peninsula. North and West Africa also played significant roles in shaping Latin American history, particularly through the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which brought enslaved Africans, including many Muslims, to the Americas. This African Muslim influence, deliberately erased by colonial powers, left its mark on cultural and spiritual practices throughout the Americas. Additionally, waves of South Asian and Middle Eastern immigration to Latin America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries introduced additional Islamic influences, as migrants from countries like India, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine became integral parts of Latin American society. These migrations continue to this day, contributing to the presence of millions of Muslims in Latin America. 

Currently, Latino Muslim organizations are serving their communities in Islamic centers, as Latino imams, and as Muslims activists, contributing positively to the American Muslim community. These contributions must be acknowledged and celebrated as they provide models of leadership, activism, and scholarship that enrich the broader Muslim American discourse while also combating Hispanophobia throughout the country. By educating Muslim Americans on these shared historical and cultural links, we can foster a greater sense of connection between Latino Muslims and the rest of the ummah.

Growing Visibility

Every year, there are Latino Muslim events in New York, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, and beyond, reflecting the Latino Muslim community’s vibrant growth across the U.S. These events range from cultural celebrations to conferences and educational seminars, providing spaces for Latino Muslims to connect, learn, and contribute to the ummah. In parallel, new organizations continue to emerge and to serve their communities through social work, dawah, education, and publishing. Organizations such as the Latina Muslim Foundation in San Diego, Ojalá Foundation in Chicago, the Latin American Institute of Muslim Women (ILMM) in Atlanta, and IslaminSpanish in Houston are examples of Latino-led initiatives dedicated to outreach, community development, and educational programs.

Additionally, Islamic educational institutions in the U.S. such as Zaytuna College, Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Qalam Institute, and Mishkah University, have seen an increase in Latino representation among their student bodies. Students attending these institutions are actively engaging with Islamic scholarship gaining the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to their communities. Upon completion of their studies, these students, will have mastered  Arabic and become familiar with sacred Islamic texts. They can then  return to their communities to teach and provide guidance grounded in both Islamic tradition and a Latino cultural understanding.

Allies and Friends

Latinos and Muslims often live side by side in cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, and San Diego. Naturally, this proximity leads to interactions and shared experiences through positive curiosity and productive dialogue. As a result, many Latinos in the United States can explore  Islam through their relationships with Muslim neighbors, friends, classmates, and co-workers. In these environments, exposure to Islamic practices and values becomes a catalyst for Latinos to explore the faith more deeply.

It is no surprise, therefore, that cities with the largest Muslim populations also have the highest numbers of Latino Muslim converts. Active community outreach, dawah efforts, and resources like Spanish language Quran translations have helped bridge the gap for those interested in learning about Islam. Organizations like IslaminSpanish in Houston provide vital support for Latino converts, making the transition smoother by offering culturally relevant guidance. This growing connection between Muslims and Latinos, particularly in cities with large Muslim communities, is driving a notable rise in Latino Muslim conversions.

The ISPU report, “Latino Attitudes Toward American Muslims and Islam,” revealed a nuanced view that can serve as a foundation for fostering understanding and collaboration between Latino and Muslim communities. It indicates that Latinos generally exhibit lower levels of Islamophobia compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Participants in the study frequently identified commonalities between their immigrant experiences and those of American Muslims, to include aspirations for liberty, a desire for financial stability, and a better life for future generations. Moreover, the report highlights the importance of personal interactions in shaping positive attitudes and identifies many Latinos reporting meaningful relationships with Muslim Americans. 

The report goes on to suggest that educational initiatives providing foundational knowledge about Islam can significantly alter perceptions. For example, when participants were exposed to information about the pillars of Islam and the experiences of Muslim women, they were more likely to view Islam as a faith with similarities to their own beliefs. By amplifying Latino voices and experiences in mosque activities and leadership, Islamic communities can cultivate a more inclusive atmosphere that honors diversity and promotes unity. 

Suggested Ways to Build Relationships

Building fruitful relationships with the Latin American community, starts with creating spaces for open dialogue and meaningful interactions. Mosques and Islamic organizations can play a pivotal role in this process by hosting cultural exchanges, offering Spanish language resources, and engaging in outreach specifically tailored to Latino communities. Inviting Latino Muslim speakers and subject-matter experts to Islamic conferences, educational events, and community gatherings also ensures that the voices and contributions of Latino Muslims are amplified and celebrated. Additionally, sponsoring Latino Muslim students and volunteers to pursue Islamic education, locally or abroad, helps empower the next generation of leaders, scholars, and community advocates. These efforts can combat the isolation that Latino Muslims may feel and build solidarity with non-Muslims who may harbor misconceptions about Islam. By focusing on shared values, Muslims can build bridges that dismantle prejudice and highlight the diversity that strengthens the ummah.

Addressing Hispanophobia within the Muslim community requires intentional efforts to reflect on our own biases and to take active steps to uplift Latino Muslims. When we create communities that honor the diversity of the ummah and actively work to erase prejudices, we can not only better represent Islam’s values but also build more inclusive, empowered, and united Muslim communities. The findings from the ISPU research emphasize this potential for collaboration and cooperation. By recognizing shared experiences and fostering open dialogue, we can combat not only Hispanophobia and build a more cohesive and resilient community where all individuals, regardless of their background, can thrive together in mutual respect and understanding.

Wendy Díaz, a Puerto Rican Muslim writer, poet, translator, and children’s book author, is the Spanish content coordinator for ICNA-WhyIslam. She is also the co-founder of Hablamos Islam, a nonprofit organization that produces educational resources about Islam in the Spanish language.

The post Addressing Hispanophobia and Embracing Our Latino Neighbors appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Marium Zahra

Jan/Feb 25

After Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims across the country faced hate crimes and bigotry. There was an increase in racist attacks, and xenophobia against people who identified as Muslim, came from Muslim countries, or simply looked brown. 

Consequently, the years following 9/11 have been a time of distress, fear, and discrimination for Muslims. But in recent years, as blatant Islamophobic  bigotry is correctly acknowledged as socially unacceptable, this open discrimination has been transformed into microaggressions across the country, especially in school classrooms. 

Microaggressions are a form of inconspicuous discrimination. These are behaviors, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile or negative attitudes toward culturally marginalized groups. In classrooms, microaggressions can look like small jabs or pointed comments singling out the race, religion, or ethnicity of a student or a group of students. These remarks often stem from  essentializing misconceptions, presumptions, and/or stereotypes.

With the rise of Islamophobia in recent months due to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Muslim high school students living in the West feel the effects in their everyday lives. Many no longer view school as a safe place to learn and grow. Instead, classrooms are tainted with discrete discrimination from peers and sometimes even administration and teachers. For example, Muslim students, especially women and girls across the country, deal with a condescending view of Islam that casts them as oppressed and forced by religious commandment. These stereotypes are both deeply harmful and based on incorrect, orientalist tropes. 

“My peers have made fun of me for practicing salah and for wearing the hijab, mocking my religious practices,” said Homa Massood, a senior at Skyview High School in Billings, Montana. “Some self-proclaimed ‘concerned’ teachers have openly criticized my belief system, calling practices like wearing the hijab and fasting during Ramadan ‘barbaric.’” 

Hana Haque, a senior at Folsom High School in Folsom, California said she has also been attacked with religiously-motivated actions and comments that seek to demean her faith as a Muslim woman.  

“I am more often the target of sexual or lewd comments during school,” she said. “[A male student] taller and bigger than me [grabbed] my arm as I walked by his friends and his table during lunch and [called] me ‘cute’ and [asked] for my number. I wear hijab and have never seen them before in my life. I looked visibly uncomfortable.” 

For some Muslim students, like senior Suleikha Hakim of Columbus, Ohio, academic spaces are more unforgiving when they make mistakes. Discrimination is something they have become used to. 

“I can feel how differently [students] treat me compared to others,” Hakim said. “People will act normal around other people, but when it comes to me, [they’re] harsher.” 

California sophomore Syeda Ali admitted she’s used to this treatment. “Peers and elders often make these religious jabs at me, but I’ve become desensitized,” she said. 

Ali also noted the familiar feeling of being a Muslim in America, as though you should be ashamed of your culture and religion and should feel compelled to suppress your origins to feel accepted and included. 

“I was targeted as a victim of bullying at a young age due to my appearance and identity,” she said. “Growing up, there wasn’t much I could do as. . . I was pretty much an outsider.” 

Some students said that they’ve been classified with incorrect racial categories, ethnicities, or nationalities due to stereotypical assumptions from authority figures. This type of racism, whether intentional, is a result of the ignorance that many Americans have regarding Islam and/or Muslim culture and tradition. This discrete discrimination is also primarily rooted in the way Muslims have been either misrepresented or completely ignored by mainstream media. 

“Teachers and administrators often reference me in discussions about Middle Eastern countries I’m not from, like Iran or Saudi Arabia,” said Massood. “A few have even made comments about me being from ‘the desert’.”

When school officials incorrectly generalize Muslim students, it demonstrates to other students that they can make the same ignorant or harmful assumptions, all of which contribute to making the classroom an unsafe or an unwelcoming place for Muslims.

As a Pakistani American, Muslim high school student from Texas, I know firsthand how damaging microaggressions can be, and how normalized they have become. While working on a portrait of my father in class in December of 2023, an instructor approached me and asked if I “was drawing Hussein” with no other context. At the time, I didn’t even know how to react, so I brushed it off. Later, I realized my teacher had just said the first brown name he could think of. 

Throughout ninth grade, I was threatened by school coaches during Ramadan while participating in my school’s volleyball program. On an out-of-season conditioning day, I let my coach know that I could not run because I was fasting. Instead of allowing me to sit out, he implied that if I didn’t play, some of the newer girls would take my spot.

This experience showed me that my identity as a Muslimah was not respected in my school environment. And I am far from alone in these experiences. High school students across the country say that microaggressions take a toll on both their mental health and their ability to perform in school.

“The constant mockery and disrespect made me feel isolated, misunderstood, and unwelcome in spaces that should have been supportive,” said Massood. “When Muslim students are constantly questioned or belittled for their beliefs, practices, or appearance, it sends the message that their identity is something to be scrutinized.”  

Haque agreed with this sentiment. “They repress Muslim students’ personalities and silence their voices. Muslim students won’t be as comfortable if they’re constantly attacked in school,” she said. 

While microaggressions might be brushed off as harmless by teachers, administrators, or other school officials, they should not be overlooked given their detrimental effects on Muslim students. These actions make students feel like they shouldn’t participate in class discussions, that their opinions don’t matter, or that they simply don’t belong in an American classroom. Most of all, microaggressions against school-aged Muslim Americans make students feel like outcasts in environments that should be inclusive. Worse still, silent discrimination of this kind makes students feel like they can’t respond, fight back, or stick up for themselves out of fear of facing further discrimination or being labeled as overly sensitive. 

“When I reported the incident to my teacher, rather than receiving support or intervention, I was told to ‘get thicker skin.’ This lack of support from school staff only heightened my sense of vulnerability and fear for my safety as a Muslim student,” said Massood.

Combating Microaggressions Against Muslim Students

To make matters worse, in 2024, Republican lawmakers in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina introduced anti-diversity legislation designed to repeal protections for vulnerable groups like Muslim Americans throughout the American school and university system. Predictably, the result of this legislation was that discrimination against marginalized students increased throughout the year. Now, more than ever, we must combat microaggressions against Muslim Americans in our schools.

Educators can help by promoting diversity and inclusivity inside their classrooms instead of ignoring or suppressing racial, or religious, or ethnic differences among the student body. Educators should foster an environment where every student feels like their cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds are recognized, instead of ignored. 

With the recent rise of anti-Critical Race Theory laws and book bans, it is also important to allow students to have open discussions in the classroom. Students should never be silenced for speaking out about their culture. Schools should diversify the curriculum in a way that doesn’t whitewash or antagonize the history of Muslim countries or overlook the unique contributions made by Muslim Americans.  Teachers should discuss the practices and beliefs inherent to Islam while also identifying what microaggressions look like in order to reduce these occurrences and the harm they cause. Most importantly, schools should give students the ability and confidence to take action against discrimination instead of brushing off their experiences. 

“Having a classroom that places diversity and inclusivity at the foundation is paramount. Students need to know that they are valued in their classes. It makes them feel seen, heard, and safe,” explained Rebecca Prado, an educator from El Paso, Texas. 

Microaggressions against Muslim students have been prominent and normalized in classrooms for far too long. The time to end discrimination is now.

Marium Zahra is a 16-year-old independent journalist working from the Frontera in El Paso, Texas. Marium works with local magazines, nonprofits, anthologies, and organizations that protect social justice. Her work has been seen in Business Insider, Yes!, The Nation, PrismReports, Chalkbeat, The Progressive Magazine, El Paso City Magazine, and more.

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By Jimmy E. Jones 

Jan/Feb 2024

“Except his [Lut’s] wife, who we have ascertained will be of those who will lag behind.” (15:60)

The sad story of Prophet Lut’s (‘alayhi as salaam) wife appears in all of the Abrahamic scriptures. I grew up in a Black Baptist Church in Bible Belt Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s. Consequently, after I converted to Islam in the 1970s, I was reacquainted with the powerful lesson embedded in this important narrative: No matter how righteous or God-conscious your relatives are, it’s still possible for you to be so caught up in “looking back” at what displeases God that you end up “stuck” like a pillar in the problematic past.

When it comes to race relations in the Muslim American community, it seems that many African-American Muslims and their “allies” are too fixated on “looking back” at the twin American sins of slavery and segregation. Therefore, they often do not focus on the powerful positive perspective that Islam brings to this very sensitive, politically-charged issue. Consequently, many of us are so honed in on White supremacy and Black victimhood that we remain a bit stuck in a narrative that fails to move us forward. In this article, I intend to unpack both of these concepts in a way that might facilitate building a stronger, more cohesive Muslim community.

White Supremacy 

Given my life as a young Black boy growing up in the legally segregated South, I knew White supremacy quite well. Us “colored” children attended underfunded schools using books and supplies cast off by our White counterparts across town. When I encountered a White person in downtown Roanoke, Va., I knew better than to obstruct their path or get too close. 

In addition, the racially motivated brutal murder of Emmett Till on Aug. 28, 1955, was a terrifying reminder of what happens to young boys like me who dared to violate the prevailing racial norms. Even though I was only 9 years old at the time, the horrific Jet magazine open casket picture of Till’s brutalized 14-year-old body was traumatizing. The image was so powerful that it still impacts my interactions with White women almost 70 years later. 

Such was White supremacy’s nature in a state where Whites and Blacks were jailed if they intermarried. This reality lasted up until June 12, 1967, when the U.S. Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia banned such anti-miscegenation laws nationwide. Even though White supremacy was particularly detrimental to Black people, its negative impact also affected others.

For example, eugenics, the science of “improving the race,” became a very popular movement in the 1920s. In fact, 30+ states (led by Virginia) passed involuntary sterilization laws to rid society of “defectives” (e.g., immigrants, blind, deaf, “feeble minded”). A 1927 U.S. Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell, involved a poor young White girl that Virginia wanted to legally sterilize. This case became a major catalyst for the eugenics movement. “Liberal” Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously stated in the court’s written opinion that “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”  

These words, and the ruling in which they were contained, led to 70,000+ forced sterilizations of the “unfit,” a practice that lasted until the 1970s. All of this was done by using the authority of various state laws. This pseudoscientific movement is meticulously documented in Edwin Black’s “The War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race” (Four Walls Eight Windows: 2003). Even liberal intellectual luminaries at Harvard, Yale and Stanford were ardent advocates of this “racial improvement” effort. 

The point here is that while “White supremacy” was a powerful negative phenomenon for Black people, it was also used to suppress and murder others. For instance, lynching is usually associated with Black repression. However, according to The Stanford Daily initially, it was actually more frequently used in the western part of the country against Mexicans before and after the Reconstruction (stanforddaily.com, May 19, 2022). 

Thus, White supremacy has always been about more than just Black and White. 

Black Victimhood 

Perhaps the most stunning outcome of the de jure segregation system that I endured during my formative years was that I never considered myself a victim. The people who nurtured me at home, in school and at the High Street Baptist Church that I attended never allowed me to focus on the fact that I was treated as a second-class citizen. Instead, they insisted that I strive to be the best I could be, no matter what the circumstances. Consequently, we all understood that excellence was the standard for every one of us young Black children. 

This refuse-to-be-a-victim attitude is in stark contrast to that of some of the Black leaders and their “allies” in the Muslim American community today, who often portray us as primarily victims of White supremacy and immigrant interlopers who adopt White supremacist attitudes. Far too little emphasis is placed on the value that we currently add to the Muslim community and the broader American society. 

Racism toward us is still a real and persistent scourge in both contexts. However, if you adopt the narrative presented by many African-American Muslim leaders and their “allies,” you would think that most Muslim “immigrants” are “anti-Black” and that most Blacks are very poor.

For a more optimistic view, consider the census data used by Eugene Robinson in his stereotype-shattering book “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America” ‎ (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group: 2011). The data he references support the central thesis of the book’s first chapter: “Black America doesn’t live here anymore.” In the chapter, he asserts that by 2010, middle-class Black Americans had become the Black community’s largest segment. Racism is still a serious, deadly problem in this country. However, things have gotten a little better.

Facing Forward

If we Muslims want to avoid the fate of Prophet Lut’s(‘alayhi as salaam) wife, I strongly urge our community’s members to come together across ethnic boundaries in order to construct a more inclusive multicultural future for us and for all Americans by focusing on some Islamically inspired concepts that we all know quite well:

 • When it comes to the Qur’an and biology, there is no such thing as “race.” As pointed out in 4:1, all humans were created from a single being and its mate. Thus, “race” is indeed a social construct.

• Even though Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) clearly loved his people and place of birth, he never put his cultural allegiance above the shahada, which encourages Muslims to be in one mutually supportive community.

• A binary approach to solving the country’s racial issues (e.g., “You are either a racist or an anti-racist,” as per the currently popular author Ibram X. Kendi in his bestselling book “How to be an Antiracist”) will lead to even more racial animus. We should heed the lessons in the oft-quoted 49:13, that we are created as nations and tribes as a test of whether we can get to know one another.

• As witnesses for all humanity (2:143), Muslims are obliged to step up and have tough conversations around race that will lead to healing, rather than to increased bitterness and blaming (see Harlan Dalton’s “Racial Healing” [Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group: 1996] for an excellent discussion of how this might happen).

We should all take time to learn about the complex history of race relations in this country through books like Matthew Frye Jacobson’s “Whiteness of a Different Color” (Harvard University Press, 1999) or videos like the excellent three-part PBS series “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (2003).

Further, as a Muslim African American, I believe that we are better off if we focus on the value we bring to a situation, as opposed to acting like “victims” who need to be protected from “micro-aggressions” and be given “safe spaces.” Black victimhood is not the best response to White supremacy.

Jimmy E. Jones, DMin, is executive vice-president and professor of comparative religion and culture at The Islamic Seminary of America, Richardson, Texas.

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