The “Othering” of White NbA Muslims

Last updated on: August 4, 2015 at 12:20 pm by NbAMuslims

The “Othering” of White NbA Muslims 2015-08-04T12:20:59-04:00 NbAMuslims

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Layla Abdullah-Poulos

Concepts about whiteness and non-whiteness in the United States results in the deracialization of white people and places them “over” members of the country’s diverse non-white races and ethnicities.

The socio-political placement of whites outside of race in the American racial structure generates a white-other binary, wherein whiteness is juxtaposed against the “other” in order to allocate social privileges based upon a specific circumstance of birth. Once accepting Islam, many Euro-American Muslim converts experience a transition and at some level become part of the “other”, which affects how they navigate their whiteness, the American Muslim culture and the broader society.

In her blog post, Contested Whiteness: True Tales of a White Muslim Woman, Euro-American Muslim convert Deonna Kelli Sayed shares a story on how her whiteness is questioned by a white tow truck driver, during a service call, when he finds out she is Muslim. Sayed experiences some “othering” during the encounter. The tow truck driver infers that she was now another “race”, which is indicative of the racialization of Islam. He also refers to Sayed using the term “your kind”. However, Sayed still maintains some white privilege and is afforded courtesy’s indicative of her racial status. The tow truck driver encourages her to sit in his truck and freely discusses his aspirations with her, which is not something a person of color or non-white Muslim may anticipate in a similar social exchange.

The interaction between Euro-American Muslim Sayed and a non-Muslim white demonstrates how her Islamic religious social intersection affects her race. It also shows the nuances of the country’s racial structure and how the growing Euro-American Muslim population may present a significant challenge to attempts to racialize Islam in the United States.

Read Deonna Kelli Sayed’s Original Post: Contested Whiteness: True Tales of a White Muslim Woman

Race/Ethnicity

Previous Post

July 31, 2015

NbA Muslim Women Writer Releases Online Short Story Series

Next Post

August 7, 2015 NbA Muslim Woman Author is Added to Amazon's Hot New Releases

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #nbamuslims 500 #nbamuslims book review African-American Muslims Asian American Muslims Authors Speak Latinx Muslims Race/Ethnicity Sex and Gender Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where did Jacob and his family settle in Egypt?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Thebes Goshen Memphis Cairo