#nbamuslims 500: Where are you From? The Stolen Legacies of African-American Muslims

Last updated on: September 25, 2015 at 7:10 pm by NbAMuslims

#nbamuslims 500: Where are you From? The Stolen Legacies of African-American Muslims 2015-09-25T19:10:25-04:00 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.

I entered the gas station, prepared to fill my car’s tank and my two little ones’ bellies. The attendant’s gaze fell upon me, and he looked puzzled. I recognized the expression on his face as the one I typically get from many of my fellow Muslims who see my black skin and dress and begin to wonder what I am supposed to be. Consequently, I prepared for the typical barrage of questions that accompany such quizzical faces. The gas station attendant did not disappoint my anticipation.

The attendant shyly inquired, “Where are you from?”

I responded, “America.” I knew my answer would not be satisfactory, but I was more concerned about getting back to the car, the road, and my life.

The attendant inquired further.

“I mean, before that? Where are your parents from,” he asked with more urgency.

I answered, “America. I am African-American.”

The well-intentioned man became more confused. I spent the rest of the conversation trying to explain to him that I am part of a heritage wounded and broken by slavery, and my Islamic identity extends from African-Americans embracing the faith around eighty years ago. It took a few minutes, but he seemed to grasp my explanation and we each parted a little more culturally enlightened.

In a similar interaction decades ago, black activist and author James Baldwin received the same question – “Where are you from?” Like me, Baldwin tried to explain the disconnect African-Americans have in their heritages resulting from the country’s slave system. He finally informed his questioner that he did not know because his, “entry into America was a Bill of Sale, and that stops you from going any further” (Baldwin’s Nigger).

Many African-Americans are descendants of slaves. Like Baldwin, we have interrupted lineages, with only bills of sale and livestock books to mark our ancestry. That is because instead of human beings, black bodies were like chattel and traded as components of white husbandry, which robbed them and their descendants of the cultural ties that could make them fully aware of who they were and are. Thus, blemishes of ambiguity stain the histories of millions of African-Americans, confusing people from other cultures. Hence, the puzzled look on the gas attendant’s face. Inquiries about the generational connections that African-Americans are supposed to have are fruitless because there are unbridgeable chasms that swallowed up their traditions and help dehumanize and disconnect them from the rest of the global civilization. As a result, African-Americans continue to struggle to frame a heritage that is consistently derided for the absence of legacies long stolen from them and tossed over the sides of slave ships.

The gas attendant helped me realize that for many Muslims, the idea that someone is unable to identify to one’s heritage is completely alien, which makes understanding the African-American and African-American Muslim cultural experience a challenge. However, in order to develop a cohesive American Muslim Ummah, Muslims must engage in understanding the cultural nuances contained in our varying backgrounds, which is essential to valuing each other as human beings. Once that is accomplished, the ways that slavery and colonialism continue to affect our social experiences can be appreciated and the work to end the oppression stemming from them effectively combatted.

#nbamuslims 500

Race/Ethnicity

African Americans

African-American Muslims

Black Americans

Black Muslims

Previous Post

September 23, 2015

Eid Mubaarak from NbA Muslims

Next Post

September 27, 2015 Mastic Muslims Celebrate `Eid, Diversity - Americas - News - OnIslam.net

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

Which prophet bought a field to symbolize hope for Israel's future?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hosea Ezekiel Jeremiah Isaiah