Muslim Activist says Muslims are ‘Absent and Aloof’
This story in the Chicago Tribune is a sign to me that more and more Muslims and Islamic Organizations moving away from the understanding that we must be stoic and isolated from the people (strangely in the name of the Sunnah???)
“Muslims have been absent and aloof about the problems in the inner city,” he said. “We’re seen either as victims or villains. We have not been part of the larger story in transforming communities. But now we have a unique opportunity to bring together the diverse elements of our community to effect change.”
Muslim leaders and scholars agree that one of the most pressing problems in Muslim America today is the divide separating Arab and Southeast Asian immigrants, such as Nashashibi, from the growing number of African-Americans and Latinos becoming Muslims
This Immigrant/non-immigrant dichotomy in the American Muslim community in my humble opinion is moving toward a black/non-black one. I honestly think that the Latinos, who certainly have many social issues, will along with white converts be accepted into a strata along with the immigrants and their children. The African-Americans will be in the other, in a lower class. And Allah knows best
I also must say that they it is not only the immigrant Muslims that are aloof. Many American converts (of all backgrounds) adopt this approach and become almost as aloof and distant as any immigrant.
Let’s get to know our neighbors and (those that are converts) re-connect with our non-Muslim families. Some of us, myself included, have developed a myth-like status with my non-Muslim family. A sighting here or there, but noone really knows us. Time to change that.
Filed under: Muslim Isolation, Practical Solutions
In Chicago you have a group called the Inner City Muslim Action ntwork that is doing a lot of good work and they have a website
Yes, the brother in the article is the executive director of IMAN
I think things are changing as far how Muslim interact with family. When I was growing up we were not as close as we should have been with my parents non-Muslim family but when we had hard times they were there for us. Unfortunatly we forget how important family is just to survive in the world.
Now I make it an extra effort to keep in touch with my inlaws and I want to make sure my kids have a good relationship with their grandmothers. I never had that growing up and it defintely affected my social development.
I have also begun to make an extra efforts to keep in touch with my non-Muslim family. They became almost like complete strangers to me since I have been Muslim.
sadly that becomes the case with people who are born muslims but discover the deen later on in their lives. we become disconnected with our families and think of them as trying to stop us from practicing, and often we retreat into our make believe worlds. sadly this does no good, because they the true practicing of islam as a force that undervalues family structure. we do great harm through this because if really were practicing we would try to stick with our families and try to educate them, and accept the pain that they might give us.
[...] in the past, these groups had successfully religiously convinced the Blackamerican Muslims to distance themselves from the communities they grew up in. The Blackamericans Muslims had taken a back seat to the [...]