Racism in Our Ranks

Does racism really exist in Muslim communities? According to an ISPU poll, the answer is yes. Black Muslims are just as likely to experience racism from their own faith community as Black Americans are from their own faith communities (i.e. other Christians), with both groups more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination from the general public. In 2017, 60% of American Muslims reported some level of religious discrimination within the past year and that most non-white Muslims described experiencing some sort of racial discrimination in that same year. Imagine that atop all these offenses, Black Muslims, who represent 1/3 of the Muslims in America, also experience such treatment from their fellow Muslims. That should alarm us, because masājid are meant to be sanctuaries that protect us from forgetting Allah, and from forgetting our equality in front of Him. This talk demonstrates examples of racism within our communities and identifies steps to take to eliminate it.