Dr. Khabeer: A Theoretical Analysis

There is a sense of autonomy, or a feeling of independence to be who they are, a sense of racial pride, they are no longer ashamed of who they are, they are in fact proud of their culture and where they come from. For an American-Muslim person, this could mean that they will not hide their religion, and they will not tried to dress in a way that conforms to White American standards. During this stage, the person will have a strong desire to eradicate oppression in any situation, not just against their own group but against any minorities, but they are also able to display trust and liking for selective members of the dominant group, with the realization that every member from any group is an individual, and that even members of the dominant group, in this case White Americans, are also victims of racism in one form or

For this paper, I have chosen to interview an acquaintance of mine who is a devote Muslim and follower of Islam. For the sake of this assignment I will be referring to him under the pseudonym of Jack. I spoke with Jack about some wide-ranging topics discussing things such as, media, bias, stereotypes, and really in general what being a follower of Islam is like in this divided country right now. In our country, today it’s pretty apparent there is a type of fear of Muslims, so much so that 7 heavy populated Muslim countries are not permitted from entering the United States of America. I never had conversations as personal as this with Jack and I feel as if I gained a lot of insight into the types of things minorities, and especially Muslims

Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.

Growing up as a first generation Pakistani American Muslim not only came with the benefits of being exposed to different cultures, but it also came with a continuing challenge to incorporate the two cultures and my religion into the society we lived in. There was always a need to be more American, more Pakistani, while respecting the boundaries of religion. When we went to school, we weren’t American enough, when visiting Pakistan we were often labeled with the acronym ABCD- American Born Confused Desi. We were neither here, nor there. No matter how hard we tried to assimilate into the two societies, we could feel the absence of understanding and acceptance. This search for an identity not only allowed me to easily interact with people facing similar dilemmas, but it allowed me to embrace culture, religion, and people that were different.

Malcolm X, one of the most influential leaders in the Black community, transformed American values with his unfiltered statements and his determination for Black liberty and power. However, his controversial solutions concerned many, as he expressed comments that seemed intimidating, twisted, and somewhat vengeful, even though he contained honest intentions within his heart. He held many violent undertones in which made the white-folk very uncomfortable. In addition, his words caused the violent rebellions and delegitimized Martin Luther King’s non-violent resistance as a philosophy for the fool. People had claimed he was a racial segregationist, as he believed in all whites to be “devils.” He was asked questions like did he advocate violent methods to obtain liberty for blacks, as he supported Africans Rifle Clubs, and he inspired many clubs for creating violent Clubs. As Malcolm once said, “There is no such thing as a non-violent revolution.” In contrast, Malcolm denied these allegations of promoting violence, and his point of view shows the reason how and why the blacks had reacted in that manner. Later, however, Malcolm X did follow the “Honorable Elijah Mohammed,” and had always followed and believed in him. He followed the doctrines of how whites was “inherently” evil,” and could not enter Mecca, due to their skin color. Not only had that he criticized all whites for the problem of the blacks. He also called the whites on their guilty nature, so justifying the

Within the past twelve years, Islam has grown to be the second largest religion practiced around the world. Growing up, there weren’t many Muslim people that practiced Islam as there are now. Ten years ago, I would only see about one or two Muslims as I walked down the street, but now I see many more. In Philadelphia, there are more than 200,000 people who are Muslim, and 85% of those people are African-American. In this city when people see African-American Muslims who are garbed up they don’t discriminate against them. To be a Muslim in this society it causes controversy because people are constantly pointing out all of the flaws within them.

Visibly muslim, an ethnography published by Emma Tarlo, portrays the visibility of British muslims through their fashion, politics and faith (Tarlo 2010). The text is constructed in a way that allows non-muslim readers to understand the culture of the muslim faith and take a look into the culture and the hardships they face in society, all through the eyes of a non-muslim British female (Tarlo 2010). Ethnicity is presented as an outlook a community has that sets them apart from the rest, either through dress, religion, language and/or solidarity, as presented in (Davis 2014) lecture material. In Visibly Muslim the visibility of ethnicity in an urban setting is discussed, and that visibility can be due to conflicts like media visibility

Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much

The main idea of this article is to bring insight to the reader about how islam is being remolded by the youth Islamic community within America. To illustrate this revolution the author uses personal accounts from the Muslims she interviewed. One of the main elements portrayed in this article was the idea of Muslim assimilation in the modern western world. The millennials within the Muslim American community often still adhere to the basic tenants and values of their religion however they often follow the religion more loosely in order to blend the two diverse cultures. Another main point this article focused on was religious temperance to allow for a more progressive and flexible practice of the faith. Lastly this article focused on the increased acceptance and reduced judgement from family members and those who are

More specifically, changes have insidiously crept into these infrastructures and represent a troubling trend of racism and Islamophobia. This “anti-Muslim racism is…a racial infrastructure in which cultural forms and institutions interact in a complex social system of racialization” (Rana 119). This is evidenced in the government legislation, but more subversively, in the language and symbols employed by the authorities and society. These languages and symbols are disseminated through society, and “often [set] unconscious…forces that determine both our individual and collective behavior, [and] ways of perceiving, thought patterns, and values” (Kiltz 87). Moreover, they exemplify “who is important,” and reinforce the “hidden hierarchy of people” (Thomas 89,88).

The message of liberation is addressed quite often the book Islam in Black America. Unlike the scholarly articles, this book goes into depth on the subject of viewing Islam in a broader sense. This allows Curtis to include the Nation of Islam in what Sunni Muslims would consider non-traditional. By doing so, it allows Curtis to portray the Nation of Islam in regards to developing a strategy of liberation for all Muslims around the world.

According to the author and professor of religion at San Diego State University, Khaleel Mohammed, and many Muslims around the United States, Islam is progressively increasing worldwide and is soon to be the world’s largest religion. After 9/11, Americans seem to look at Muslim people a whole lot differently, and think of the Muslim religion as something completely different than what it really is. According to the author Edward Said, Muslims were mostly viewed as “oil suppliers” and nothing more, dating back about twenty years before the tragedies of September 11. In the 1997 article published by Edward Said titled, Covering Islam, he states how the Muslims were the last acceptable form of foreign culture in the west. On top of these discriminatory

It is important to note the Muslim’s perspective on integration in America. He believes that it is a way for the “white devil” to force the black man to become more and more dependant on whites. He says, “This integration business in America is a fraud. It ain’t good for the black mind and culture…also, no matter how integrated we become, white folks won’t accept us as equals. So why should we break our backs trying to mix with them, heh? To them we will always

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

This survey reveals that the problem with the Islam faith is not racial: The Muslim people are welcomed, the Islam faith is not. The violence that has been perpetrated against America, whether executed or planned, has brought to fruition religious persecution not seen since the persecution of the Jews in W.W.II. This “trust no Arab” attitude has brought shame to the Constitutional intentions of freedom of religion intended by our forefathers, and has set religious tolerance back 200 years. Looking at media representation of Muslim Americans prior to 9-11, it shows religious diversity in America, depicting Muslim America as just another religious community seeking to advance and protect their interests, not unlike other Americans. After 9-11 the media portrayed representations of threat and fear, creating boundaries between Muslims and other Americans. Such depiction transforms the identity of Muslims and American religious pluralism (Byng, M. pg. 3).