By Irfan Yusuf
Indeed, the complete absence of a non-migrant (or distant migrant) African-American Muslim voice in Moezzi’s book is troubling. There is much bitterness among African-American Muslims about what many see as the dominance of migrant Muslims from the Middle East and Asia in Muslim religious and community affairs. African-American Muslims – whether of the more heterodox “Nation of Islam” variety or from more mainstream denominations - are a growing force in American Islam. America’s first two Muslim Congressmen are both African-American. It seems curious that Moezzi could not find a single African-American Muslim prepared to talk about his or her faith on the record. Read more...
1 comment:
After finishing Moezzi's book, I searched around for more info and found this post. I am confused by the opening paragraph, which charges that War on Error excluded "a non-migrant (or distant migrant) African-American Muslim voice." In fact, Hafeeza (Chapter 10) is perhaps the embodiment of the type of Muslim you seek. She was born-and-bred in the United States, is African-American, and has parents who initially warmed to the Nation of Islam during a period of "burgeoning black consciousness," as Hazeeza herself put it.
You might also find Sarah's story (Chapter 5) relevant. While she is neither a non-migrant nor distant migrant, neither is she from the Middle East or Asia. She is a Sudanese Muslim, now an American citizen, and might satisfy your urge to read about an "African-American Muslim prepared to talk about his or her faith on the record."
I hope these suggestions might clear up any misconceptions your had with the book. Please consider revising your post to include reference to the chapters on Hafeeza and Sarah.
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