Muslim African-American Activism:

Abstract

Muslim African-Americans today form a significant proportion in the American Muslim population. They stand among the three largest Muslim groups in the country, and they have had a significant presence in the history of the U.S. From the first day they arrived in America, they have endured a lot of hardships. Despite their strong commitment to their faith and African traditions they were forced into Christianity and assimilation in a way to obey the white hegemony. Muslim African-Americans are distributed in different places across the U.S. and despite the fact that the majority are poor, live in the suburbs or ghettoes, they stood up to face all the harsh living conditions. By the twentieth century they initiated a wave of reconverting to Islam as way to refuse the oppression and the racism they faced. In that period African-American Muslims under the leading of the Nation of Islam became the government’s main proponents. They utilized their own ways and methods to fight the segregation and the injustice of the American Society. This period also marked the emergence of strong and charismatic figures, who came to play a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. A new struggle was at the doors waiting for them after the 9/11 attacks, as Muslims they became once again a target for the hatred and the bias of the Americans. The experiences they had gone through in the Civil Rights period had shaped their activism and reaction to this backlash. Muslim African-Americans had also led the fight against Islamophobia to protect their beliefs and religions. They were the first to call for unification of efforts of all Muslims, their struggle made them aware not to neglect any minority and work for the better of all Muslims. This great population made a name for itself as a symbol of strong resistance.