Over the past few months, I have come to the conclusion that urban Muslim communities – unlike suburban/progressive ones – need structure and order in order to survive into the next generation. I came to this conclusion once I noticed that the Muslims of America has been more successful at staying together and keeping their children Muslim than other groups that did not use bayah and have rigid social structure.
Many urban Muslims convert in jail and come from chaotic backgrounds where force is generally needed to get them to work with each other because they come from areas where you can’t trust anyone. In these types of neighborhoods, “civic society” is rare and the city government and police are hopelessly corrupt and lackadaisical. There is not even a pretense of “neighborhood”. So how can one build a community a social structure when one hasn’t seen it?
Many of these individuals (including myself) are drawn to Islam because they are told of a rigid social order that contrasts greatly with the mess they grew up in. Further, because of the backgrounds of urban Muslims, they often NEED discipline and stricter moral guidance in order to maintain a connection to the community. Otherwise there will be no community because many of us before Islam know NOTHING about social structure, it is important for it to be established in the Jama’ah.
So what has happened in the past 8-9 years to discourage this system amongst urban Muslims? The current power structure in the Muslim community is opposed to this version of Islam as this runs contrary to the progressive image they want to portray to the wider society. They are loathe to see pictures of pseudo-militant, disciplined black Muslims that sometimes take matters against criminal elements in their own hands to secure their communities.
They care so little about the welfare of their fellow Muslims in the urban core that they would rather see them lose all social structure that made them successful than to be embarrassed by them in the media. So the leadership expects for urban communities which are filled with people that have no background in community building to function like a suburban community filled with highly educated individuals and has a multi-million dollar annual budget.
In the rigid structure of MOA, Jamil al-Amin, Sabuqun and other communities we see that the children get married at young ages to each other and the family ties are strengthened in the entire Jama’ah.
One cannot pretend that there is one reality for Muslims in America and that the social model being advanced by the progressives, mainstream organizations, and institutes is a one size fits all. In the rush to sell the American-Muslim community as ” moderate and harmless” people have been more than willing to neglect dawah and kick those to the curb who come across as too edgy and this more often than not is the urban Muslim.
It is as if some in our community are trying to erase this segment of our community from existence and when they talk about the American-Muslim community urban Muslims are an afterthought ( if even that). The view of the mainstream is that they will select a few leaders from the urban community (mostly black) and pay them to speak at conventions, co-opt them, and then not have to worry about any real issues in the community.
Meanwhile, a fire is burning in the urban Muslim community fueled by the breakdown of the family, apostasy, drug usage, criminality, and depression. Some who come from this community would prefer that we ignore these issues because of their own issues and not wanting to be associated with this underclass of the American-Muslim community; but the future of Muslim children is more important than protecting the self-image of a small percentage of bourgeois Muslims.
We must also recognize that the major mainstream Muslim organizations, the progressives and the institutes not only have no plan on how to help urban Muslims; for the most part they have no desire. What is needed for urban Muslims is an uncompromising profession of the Truth of the Quran and Sunnah, brotherhood and unity based on the Sunnah, leadership from within the community that is strong and uncompromising, and a program tailored to the needs of the people.
Urban Muslims respect the Haqq and do not want it watered down. This runs contrary to what you will see from many in the mainstream whose ultimate goal is to be accepted by this society so many will say in priavte they belive one thing; but will say another thing to the media or change their opinion to meet with the times- that is the kind of weakness that urban Muslims will not respect.
The foundation was set in America for such Muslim organizations decades ago with the creation of the Dar al Islam Movement ( later the MOA and the Community of Jamil al-Amin), The Islamic Party, and countless other local groups such as the one I came through via Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Basheer. What all of these groups had in common was leadership, discipline, brotherhood, and they were all revolutionary protest movements against the norms of this society. Today, the mainstream and progressive Muslims would like to take this history out of our community and tell the children that their way is the only way, if you want to survive in America you have to get down with the program; but the mainstream program was never meant for and will never work for urban Muslims.
What weakened the traditional structures was first the Salafi Dawah which rapidly grew in the 1990′s and pulled from the ranks of many of these groups but did not establish any structure or institutions. So, when the Salafis imploded Muslim refugees found nowhere to go and no one to support them and one only needs to look at the children today ( ” the dawah babies”) and how many of them are astray to see the result of the failure of the Salafis to provide structure and bayah.
The Salafis were able to pull from the ranks of the existing organizations and decimate them in the field of dawah because of knowledge. Salafi Imams and teachers were well-versed, were good in Arabic, and many had studied in Saudi Arabia, Yemen or Egypt. The older movements had organization and structure but for the most part no knowledge. The people wanted to learn and there was no one to teach so the Salafis filled a void.
What is needed today is a tough “take no-prisoners” urban Muslim organization that can combine the structure and commitment of the earlier groups while en-cooperating the knowledge of the later groups. This would go a long way to addressing the needs of many urban Muslims.
Umar you are correct in your evaluation of the American Muslim community. I grew up amongst “urban Muslims” in Brooklyn and spent six years attending Imam Jamil’s mosque in Atlanta.
I’ve also lived amongst suburban Muslims in Florida.
The mentality is totally different. Muslims at Masjid Taqwa in Brooklyn and the Community Mosque in Atlanta, know and accept the fact that they are under surveillance.
Their leaders have also been the focus of public scrutiny or government investigations.
That makes for a different way of approaching things.
I believe both communities have something to offer. The urban Muslims have the benefit of deeper, American roots, and the knowledge of how this society really works.
And the suburban communities have more stability and funds to prepare future generations.
Alright, i just “escaped”/lost my long post, so i will make a summary. There is a third option here. I did the hood-da`wah for much of the 90′s. I am not optimistic about the prospects. For one, the inner cities are going to continue to decay: economically and more significantly, morally. Also, many people (Muslims) in the ghetto thrive off of the drama and do NOT want anythin better for their kids.
The suburban model is not practical. Economically, most African-American Muslims can’t afford it. Although the decadence isn’t in your face as much as in the inner city, there is only a thin veneer between the appearance of “normality/morality” and deviance in the ‘burbs. Also, as we so often see, many Muslim youth go thru severe identity crisises and just get lost in American society.
The third option is: “Keepin’ it Country.” I moved to the South upon returning to the States, for i didn’t have a lot of optimism that the inner-city could produce a culture of Muslims who could go on to become players in influencing American/global institutions (for the sake of furthering the interests of Islam). The joke here is that we need a generation of educated and refined (Muslim) Cartwright boys (from the old TV show “Bonanza”). We need you men (and women) who are accustomed to the hardships and ruggedness of rural living. We need strong and courageous Muslims (not spoiled weak suburban brats)–who are not caught up in rash/reckless ghetto nihilism.
In a rural setting the youth would have precious time just to sit down and REFLECT. They could potentially live in an environment (in their formative years) where they are totally absorbed in an Islamic culture–memorizing multiple juz’ of Qur’an, thousands of Hadiths, and traditional books in the Islamic sciences. Additionally they could learn to be relatively self-suficient–they could learn how to grow gardens, raise animals, hunt, fish, and learn numerous immediately practical trade skills that could generate money (and if need be, enable a young man to marry). At the same time, they study Western classics–from an Islamic perspective–not to become infatuated with the “West,” but to understand the culture and the kind of people they are dealing with. Inshaa’ Allah, you could produce Muslims who understand and are highly critcal of the “West,” but also know how to survive and out maneuver the opponents of Islam. (One of the greatest challenges for Muslims in America is equiping the next generation with an education that will enable them to defend themselves intellectually in an increasingly secular/atheistic society.)
Also, the cost of living/land is cheaper in rural America (areas nearby go for about $1,000-$500 an acre–100 acres is approximately 75 football fields of land). The fact is Muslims with children in the inner city, that is, Muslims who actually want a better quality of life for their children, need to GET OUT! As we can see with the HIGH attrition rate to drugs, criminality, incarceration, illegitmacy, and even apostasy amongst second generation AA Muslims, it is not practical to think that things are going to get better (especially, when the morals of the general society are in a free fall.
Anyway, that’s my abbreviated take on the situation.
I usually don’t agree with some of your posts and labels, but I have to say, this is an excellent post. I agree that the large, popular Muslim organizations (though they do other good things) never address of even acknowledge the plight of Muslims that live in urban areas, even though the majority of the nation’s Muslims live in urban areas.
Abu Ibrahim,
I have spent a lot of time at both masjids. Both have changed a lot, Masjid-at-Taqwa switching from a predominantly African-American Masjid to a more transient African Masjid and the West End Masjid suffering from the loss of Imam Jamil.
Both kinds of masjids have their benefit; but what will work for one community will not work for the other.
SwarthMoor,
You are correct in that the suburban model is only good for those who can afford to live there which is some, but not most, urban Muslims ( and of course there are people, such as myself, who just don’t like living in suburbia).
The danger in suburbia ( and I use suburbia very loosely because some of the worst ghettos are in suburbs and this is a trend that will continue to increase) is Americanization and just going mainstream and forgetting the deen as suburbia is not conducive to alternative identity.
Going country is an option and I am actually thinking about getting a group of Muslims together to buy some land in Southern Illinois or Missouri.
This is something the MOA did decades ago and they have “lands’” throughout America most notbaly Islamburgh in upstate New York.
However, I do not believe in everyone leaving the cites because someone has to establish dawah and schools in the inner-cities. There are also problems that rise from isolation as with everything.
Badr,
Read me long enough you will find something to love and hate. You are right the big organizations do some things right and have much that is good about them, they are just not set up to deal with urban Muslims and they may even think urban Muslims destroy their image.
Good, incisive post, brother umar. Luv the language, brother Swath (‘burb’, ‘Cartwright brothers!’).
SKVER HASIDIM
Hijrah into the Country sounds wise. Skva hasidim moved to up-state New York. They went ‘Green’. A certain spokesperson emerged from their ranks, a giant intellectual, with a sea-deep perception of Torah & a Nietzschian perception of American Nihilism.
Mayer Schiller may not be for everyone, but its Muslim men with his understanding of tradition & the shallow values of the ‘now’ which shld be cultivated in a green environment.
Salaams:
I live in rural Pennsylvania. Here is the scene in most places like this: You have a hospital where Pakistanis and some Arabs come to work as doctors. Throw in a few Pakistani and Arab college professors. Then us urban folks settle in the same place. The result is a total divide down the middle in the masjid. Those with the money send it “home” and those who need it still suffer. Those with the money are in charge of the masjids, and sometimes it is hard to do things unless they permit you to. After Ramadan, when wondering what to do with the zakat-ul-fitr money, one of the “leaders” remarked, “there aren’t any poor Muslims here.” WTF! Open your eyes!
The country/rural thing works if an entire community moves, even if it is a small community, along with some stronge leadership with it, and some self-determination to live differently. And there must be “some” resources that accompany the move.
In my area, many Muslims are coming from NJ, NY, and Philly, settling into Section 8 housing and doing the same thing here that they did in the city.
They wonder why they get arrested for stealing a pack of cigarettes here when they get let go in Philly. Or why they can’t scream and yell in the center of a sleepy little rural town without attracting police attention.
If the mentality doesn’t change, nothing changes. This was alluded to in the post.
Safiyyah,
I have been out to that area and spent time with brothers in Wilkes-Barre, Allentown and White Hall. Also, my wife briefly lives in Williamssport as a girl ( the family home was burned down btw).
I know the divide that you speak of and not to sound like a separatist but I think you have to look at it like the immigrants are doing their thing and we are doing ours and maybe we will get together for Eid but other than that we reside on different planets.
People, not buildings make the ghetto. So if the people don’t change they’ll just be doing whatever they did in Philly or NYC in PA and that’s the same all over the country and that’s why their are suburban ghettos across American now.
Jami,
Not to sound corny, but before getting wrapped up in the urban da`wah scene (which, in spite of my complaints, i did gain a lot of experience from it), i had in mind the idea of developing an environmentally friendly/health conscious Muslim community in a rural area. Many Muslims are woefully lacking in the area of environmental conservation and in the importance of health/exercise and wholesome diets. Now, these matters have become increasingly “trendy” in some Muslim circles (largely because many are simply following what the mainstream has embraced it). Muslims, however, should have been on the forefront of these movements decades ago.
Umar/Safiyyah,
There is a difference between going country in the North and in the South. In the rural North, you are talking about virtually NO DA`WAH with the local folks. You might get a straggler here or there over a decade. Unlike in the North where African-Americans are packed into ghettoes (urban or suburban), in the South, you have substantial numbers of black folk who live in the country. They have deep roots to the land, and unlike what comes to the minds of many yankees, the black folks, in many cases are better off than their Northern tribesmen. Many, for instance, own land (and i ain’t talkin’ about a rowhouse with a “yard” in front). They are the judges and mayors of towns and have a level of power (and numbers) that i have never seen in the North (outside urban areas).
(I mention African-Americans, in particular, because they still tend to gravitate to Islam. Also, in the South, the families tend to be somewhat more stable, and potentially, if one person becomes Muslims, a large portion of the family may become Muslim. Also, there is a growing Mexican/Central American population in the rural South.)
The culture is different (although, admittedly, it is become more degenerate largely because of the influence of ghetto culture thru the media). The values that are suppose to be part of Islamic life, such as, honesty, integrity, hard work, good manners, neighborliness, and good character, in general are still deeply appreciated in the South. As far as whites are concerned, besides the urban liberals and academic types who may live in some small college towns, middle-America types tend to be pretty unsophisticated in their racism and xenophobia. At the same time, in the South, b/c the white folks still believe in Christianity, you can do da`wah with them via the avenue of family values (and having good character in general).
With all that said i do not to paint an idyllic or idealistic picture of the South. We have A LOT of Sugar Ditch Negro Pagans who are still hung up on the cross and at least psychologically (and sometimes literally), out in the fields bent over picking cotton. And rednecks are rednecks. Nonetheless, i can’t imagine ever returning to the ghetto da`wah scene and dealing with the BEDLAM of the place (it’s simply not for me–and i know wanting to get forty acres and a horse isn’t for everyone, either).
The -’people, not buildings make the ghetto’-point is suggestive. But in the end two things usually, like a couple, go together.
Satmar Hasidim & Kiyras Joel
As in most things, our theistic cousins have been there before us. Satmar sect (very anti-Zionist) moved to the small town of Kiyras Joel. And in the 50s.
But local residents split, or remained and fought a legal war against the strange-looking men in ‘black’. They fled the cities, perhaps belonging to an earlier wave of Irish & Italian immigrants, but with the fear that the inner city, full of blacks, was not a home for an American family.
The Satmar, like the Skver in New Villiage, were said to live on welfare, shifty, lazy, bringing the ills of the city into the country. People dont’ change; and in hasidic terms, giving their emphasis on children & scholarship, welfare is ‘ideal’.
But such groups come to the country with the history of the Shetles behind them. The fiddler on the roof landscape is actually Jewish.
I’m unsure why Afro-American Muslims, a classic country people, can not be taught to live where most of their ancestors lived. If they changed once, they can change again.
Swath, my dear brother, I think, as usual, we may be on the same page.
As you know, I’m in England, and the geo-politics, is like your Yankee North. White flight is an escape from urban immigrants-increasingly mentioned as ‘Muslims’.
We are left with the bad housing and-from your end-a 50 cent culture (a quick way for Muslim & black & white urban youth to absorb a ‘culture’). To move into country, is to move into small town bigotry & regions where the army recruits for places like Afghanistan.
Green:
Muslims seldom lead. They shld hv bin green a long time ago. Weight issues are big in the Arab world. I don’t think they cycle. They are on the old Modernising model, the one Europe ditiched a few decades ago. Even on race issues: OB stunt had its Saudi’s version with Adil Kalbani (Imam of Masjid Al Haraam).
The South, as you note, has the right dynamics for such a project to work. Maybe the rich Muslim States cld see the use of a Muslims rural enclaves, with small country towns, in the West. The early Wahhbis were placed in hijahs, functioning like hasidic hasidic Sheteles.
Asalamu alaykum,
Umar:
I would like to thank you for this interesting post. Your analysis about American Muslim affairs is always spot on.
Since we both came out of some of the same madness we can agree that for us hood rats a good taste of disipline and support is one of the main reasons we accepted Islam; after tauhid of course.
The question remains though, since the days of Malik al-Shabaz, what has the indigenous Muslim brought to the table? We rant and rave about the immigrants, but how many centers, schools and facilities have we built for our communities? And let’s not get started on how we treat our sisters! Dr. Jackson’s points are fine, but how many of us can even afford to buy his books or take an ALIM course? It is good to be critical, but we suck at offering real solutions; our mouth are open, but are legs are stuck to the ground.
Sadly, many of our students of knowledge came back with ideas the served to destroy our relationships and create strife amongst us that did not exist before. Swatmoorth would have never been so consistent in attacking the Salafis, although it seems he has a very superficial understanding of a segment of that community, unless he contracted that virus from an overseas spring. However, almost every post on his site is a violent rampage against those who he says, “Think God is some type of UFO.”
On the other end we have people like T.R.O.I.D who spend every moment attacking those who follow the khalaf. Point, why the hell do we let this define our existence in the West? Did any of us accept Islam because of this? So how on earth can we expect our homies to sit and listen to us rant about the 20 sifat, the wasatiyah, tajsim and istiwa? In short, we are failing. So we can bang with mujasima, but we can’t keep people from smoking crack and selling their bodies for drugs? Those converts who have been kept safe from this are like Will Smith in I am Legend and if you aint maliki, you aint even got the dog to keep your company.
Secondly, our communities have a history of violence, from the death of Malcolm, the Hanafi Muslim group, the death of Br. Bilal in NYC almost 40 years ago, the Dar and the Fuqara, and in recent years the salafi sufi and salafi on salafi wars have sapped our strength. Living in a community is good, but often it gets cultish and we see folks return to the way of old: acting tough and, at times, getting militant in a way that works to undermine our place in the West.
Also, we have a strong propensity to seek our identity and guidance from the East. While we need to maintain our relations with the international community, the final call (no pun intended) needs to be called by our scholars; those who live amongst us and speak our language. Sadly, we have yet to agree on any group of scholars because of our own divisions and find ourselves like little orphan Annie. Do you think a hardcore Zaytuna convert is gonna roll with Dr. Bilal Phillips? Do you think a salafi cat is gonna roll with Imam Zaid? MANA is no different than the other organizations. Do they have a transparent policy? How long has Ihsan Bagby been in charge there, 10 years? Was he voted in?
Where was the American Muslim when Imam Siraj couldn’t pay his bills? Was it not the immigrants who stepped up? There was no massive drive by us to help him?
In short, we can live anywhere, but if our hearts and minds aren’t right, it aint gonna matter period. And for that reason many of us have pulled back, made our ‘Ebada and said s$*# the community I’m going solo.
M’amun Wilson
I agree soo much with M’amun Wilson!!
While a lot of mistakes have been made, I don’t think that indigenous Muslims get the credit they deserve in making it possible for the immigrants to come on out and show their Islam. The brothers in the Dar paved the way and made it normal to wear a thobe, wear beards and kufis and practice Islam openly and proudly.
I think that is what Umar was trying to do by looking back at some of the successful elements of the old groups. They were able to sustain their children remaining Muslim at a higher rate and keep their movements going whereas we have seen many contemporary efforts like MANA just fizzle out because of the lack of structure and discipline we saw in the earlier times
This was unintentional. The original intent was to take our Islam to the next level. What happened was that the many different students of knowledge were taught from many different, competing agendas/sects that manifested itself in the strife you mentioned. I’m not even sure if it was avoidable given that these students of knowledge are told by their respective scholars about the dangers of their rival groups. Also, don’t forget that many of the immigrants came with this flavor and taught many new Muslims this strife as well. The sufis were extremely anti-wahhabi and the salafis were extremely anti-sufi. (And ALL are anti-shiah)
We were told to “go learn Islam”. As Dr. Jackson said, the immigrants represented the “real” Islam because they came from Muslim countries. Can you blame us for looking at Muslims and Muslim countries as the model for how to practice Islam? They have had this deen for over 1000 years. It just made sense. It was not until much later that we found out that this was a mistake. Then on top of that, there was the fact that indigenous Muslims wanted to be as different as possible from the NOI.
Many of the things the old Islamic movements did would be considered to be “cultish”, but these things kept them together as well, as mentioned by Umar. The acting “militant” and “tough” is what drew MANY to Islam in the first place. Now in today’s times, it undermines our “place in the West”. In the old days, new Muslims REJECTED the idea that they were even American and accepting Islam was a way of doing that. They saw themselves as living in America, but not as a part of it. Now the narrative is that Muslims should actively SEEK a place in the West.
This is no accident. See Dr. Jackson’s book on the immigrants being more authentic.
And if Muslim countries are any indicator, then we never will – short of a dictatorship that decrees who the scholars are. We are simply a reflection in many ways of what is overseas, especially since most of our community comes from overseas. Each sub-group has a group of scholars they refer to and respect. Just like you mentioned
Indigenous Muslims just don’t have the money that immigrant Muslims have. Even MANA does 99% of its fund raising in the immigrant community.
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Salamu’alaykum,
American Muslims need to get off their ego’s high horses and realize that they are not anything special.
Once we accept that, I don’t think it will be a surprise to come to the conclusion that what worked for 1400 years to keep Islam intact (whether it was against Communist oppression or outright genocide), is definitely going to work for us.
This is one obvious truth which people who belong to Sufi Orders have known for some time.
It’s time for the idea of the ‘independent’ ‘scholarly’ Muslim to go out the window.
It doesn’t work, it never has, and it never will.
That is the real Bida of today’s age.
Ali:
Spot on akhi.
Yursil:
As you are a member of a cult and someone who has not studied any of the major sciences, I suggest you run back to your cave, make sujud to your sheikh, and stay quiet.
M’amun
Interesting comments from Brothers’s M’amun and Ali.
M’amun;
Since the days of Malik Shabazz what have American-Muslims established? There is a glass half full and a glass half empty to this. The bad is in major cities in America with long histories of indigenous Muslims masjids are crumbling and no schools have been built. When parents want to educate their children they send them to the immigrant run schools. Two weeks ago I was at a masjid that was relying on a suburban masjid to pay for their renovations. There is a void in an effective national umbrella organization ( MANA has not shaped up) and as a good friend of mine has said “black Islam in America is in serious trouble”.
The good thing is that because of the earlier generations a sister can walk in the hood with hijab and a brother can wear his beard at his job and take off jumma and not get fired, and Muslim kids can get home-schooled because of the earlier work of indigenous Muslims.
There is a void in our community and we often sit and complain about the immigrants. However, I do not think that the void can be filled and the situation can be changed by joining with the immigrant-dominated mainstream organizations. I feel that in order to bring about a renewal we have to recommit ourselves to earlier ideals of separation, “selective engagement” with the greater society, and the ultimate masculinity which Muslims represented.
Not one single person will ever accept Islam because of the antics of TROID. It is sad to see those who accepted Islam with such zeal now committing their energies to attacking other Muslims.
Egyptians may respect the ulama in Saudi Arabia; but at the end of the day they look to their own scholars and we should do the same.
Ali,
You are 100% correct in that people went to study overseas thinking they would bring their Islam to the next level and then bring it home to help the people. Some of this happened; but what also happened is like you pointed out we imported foreign beefs and brought them to our neighborhoods.
The immigrant organizations have two major goals in America; sustaining Islam and their culture for the future generations and advocating on behalf of issues relating to their home countries in areas of policy. In their mind both of these depend on becoming mainstream.
The progressives also have two goals; to change the religion of Islam ( therefore apostating) and joining the liberal secular-humanist establishment. They are no long term threat because their children ( if they have children) will not be Muslim.
The indigenous Muslim also wants to ensure his children are Muslim; but we have the added goal of seeing dawah to non-Muslims as an essential part of our existence. In addition are goal has not been to enter the mainstream; but to be truth-tellers to the mainstream.
M’amun,
The people being discussed in this article, and the practice of Bayah, are just as easily dismissed as ‘cultish’ and ‘living in cave’, [add usual attack on sufis here] … etc etc etc…
As Umar acknowledges, the reality is they yield results. And as I noted, they have historically yielded results in even far worse situations.
You say “in recent years the salafi sufi and salafi on salafi wars have sapped our strength. ” and then you make an obtuse comment like you did, without even knowing me. It only goes to show how far we can really go past such ‘wars’..
As for what I have studied, really … you have no idea.
first problems of a people must be placed in the proper context if you want a solution.
As it is a given fact that Black Muslims are not effectively organized nationally, one of the first questions should be who benefits from this situation? then what can be done to bring people together?
As far back as slavery (yes, I said it) the government has sought to control national unity among Black people, one of the means was by limiting communitcation and prohibiting education. And also by employing religion and entertainment to sedate and distract.
When Allah will that Black americans begin to return to Islam, this was recoginized by those corupt individuals in power, that pure Islam is a threat to a corrupt power structure.
Since the 1940s with Imam Wali Akram and Pro. Ez Al Deen Black Muslims have been trying to unite nationally, yet the government has been actively and nefariously preventing it.
Has anyone ever wondered why the NOI was granted publicity in the media other Black Muslim organizations with sounder creed, were not?
Fastward to the 1960, it is irrefutable that government actively incited murder between the black panther party and united slaves, and tried to incite violence among the black panther party and blackstone rangers, and when this didn’t work they assasinated Fred Hampton. And they tried to assasinated Imam Jamil too All in an effort to prevent national cohesion among Blacks.
All of this whole salafi/sufi/shia thing promoted in an effort to dismantle the Dar ul-Islam Movement, respect to the MIB and IPNA but the Dar was the only federated group of “national” communities.
When you speak of Bayah this is an affront to the power structure therefore you WILL BE TARGETED, no if and or buts about it.
The Dar advocated service to the communties, these salafi and sufi groups do little or nothing collectively for the community yet they collectively send directly or spend on flights overseas, tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars money that could be spent in their communities.