Towards a definition of Black Islam in America

In order to have any productive discussion on this matter, one has to define who are Black Muslims. This question is fraught with tension, but it holds promises for solidarity as well. Both talks at college campuses I attended on this theme neatly skirt clear of calling out the Nation of Islam as non-Muslims, although in doing so, both speakers inadvertently highlight the higher authority of Sunni Islam in the contemporary U.S. discourse around Islam. Politcal scientist Fanar Haddad (2014) has linked critical race theory's notion that people with privileged skin color adopt stances of "color-blindness," while Sunnis have a similar "sect-blindness." Sunni Muslims often subsitute their experience as the universal experience, with claims such as "We are all Muslims." Shi'as and other "sects" are much more aware of their Otherness. Br. Sharif Nasir honored his family's roots in Nation of Islam, but also stressed that it was necessary for his eventual road to Sunni Islam. After Br. Sharif Nasir's talk, I found myself asking, while Islam may benefit from rehabilitating the legacy of Malcolm X, how does Nation of Islam (NOI) figure into our understanding of the black radical tradition? Are we doing justice to the latter in our attempts to narrate a teleogy from NOI to (Sunni) Islam? 

My facebook post on Sharif Nasir at Harvard University

The anthropologist of the two speakers, Dr. Donna Auston, did give credit for NOI for having contributed to the BLM movement in cities such as Baltimore, yet how can one even speak of Black Islam if there is no clear definition? The khutba (sermon) at Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) did not evade this question, since their religious authority is in direct competition with NOI in America. (A presumably NOI brother was yelling at people who were on their to the mosque last Friday, asking why they wore western clothes to worship and why they did not bond together as a "nation.")

The imam of the sermon commemorated Malcolm X’s decision to convert at the risk of ostracization. In calling out “Christian-supremacy” (words of Dr. Auston) in the US, there are also forms of hegemony and hierarchy that we must be wary of. Dr. Auston's work does explore the complexities of living as black and Muslim in America, such as being both impoverished but also under the radar in terms of discussion. Yet her framework is largely a liberal one, in which the assumption is that media exposure would lead to the betterment of events. If poverty and lack of food is at the center of the Black Islamic experience, as she emphasized throughout the talk, then a more leftist and socialist orientation should be adopted in the research methods. Black Lives Matter has addressed the issue of capital and exploitation since the years of its movement aftermath. I think the same can be adopted in critiquing the predicament of Islamophobia, which Dr. Auston rightly pointed out to be an "industry" rather than just an opinion. 

In terms of who is an American Muslim, I personally am in favore of a more fluid definition, rather than a Sunni-centric one. This is a work in progess, and I do not have all the answers. At the same time, there are so many historical events that need to be unpacked for building true and long-lasting solidarity. I look forward to such efforts made by Sharif Nasir, whose well-researched documentary on the assassination of Malcolm X is due to come out this year.