Black Roots

Recently, Imam Zaid Shakir, one of the most respected American born Islamic scholars, made a rare two-day visit to San Diego for a special public speaking engagement at San Diego State University.

The topic of the forum was Islam and its Influence on Black America and was sponsored by the Logan Islamic Community Center.

Mosque Timbuktu - Africa

Imam Zaid spoke entirely without notes to a large crowd of Muslim and non-Muslim attendees, relating to them with his characteristic earthiness and incomparable insight. He detailed the long and little known history of how the religion of Islam came to America with the very first African slaves and how in subsequent centuries it has shaped the African American identity and their struggle for justice.

The first Hijira to Abyssinia more than 1400 years ago, and the subsequent conversion of the Abyssinian Nagus, was the beginning of the spread of Islam throughout the African continent. By the advent of the Slave Trade, the majority of the West African ports from which slaves were bound, sold and transported to the New World were almost entirely Muslim. It is estimated that 30% of all the slaves who made it to the New World were Muslim, dispelling the persistent myth that African Americans were first introduced to authentic Islam only recently and by immigrants.

"If we traced our roots back, chances are we will find Muslims." said Imam Zaid.

He fired off names that were new to much of the audience, but are documented in Western history books of West African slaves who were Hafiz of Quran, literate, fluent in Arabic and thoroughly trained in traditional Islamic sciences. Ayub Bin Suleiman was one such slave who eventually won his freedom and wrote his life story in a famous 'slave narrative'.

But within 2 or 3 generations of the prohibition of the importation of new African slaves, Islam began to slowly vanish amongst blacks, and a mass conversion to Christianity ensued. It wasn't until a spirit of pan-Africanism came to North America in the late 19th Century did blacks once again experience an interest in ancestry and ancestral religions, bringing Islam back to the fore. Imam Zaid Shakir explains that many blacks "Saw the people who were murdering and oppressing us and that they were always marching under the sign of the cross. Thus Islam seemed a better alternative."

For nearly 3 hours the Imam took audience members down the winding road of black history and faith -- from the earliest pseudo-Islamic movements to the first black and authentically Sunni communities establishing themselves in the 1930's, the same period that saw the rise of perhaps the most famous pseudo-Islamic movement. The Nation of Islam.

Thus, Africans living in America and their descendents have always had a strong Islamic influence. When asked why, Imam Zaid answers quickly, "A big problem here in America for African American has always been identity because the old tribal identity was broken there's no mandinka's, fulani's, no hausa-nothing. In terms of tribal identity there's only the 'African American', and even that is contested. At times it's been 'colored', another time it's 'negro', another time it's "Black", another time it's 'African American'. So identity has always been challenged, lacking cultural identity, lacking national identity in terms of identifying with a particular African nation and not being fully accepted in America in many instances. If anyone disputes this, I guess you didn't listen to Imus. But Islam transcends all of that. So in Islam it doesn't matter if you belong to this tribe or that tribe. None of this is relevant. What's relevant is your humanity and your morality. Who you are is based on your morality. Your national and ethnic identity is to recognize that Allah created all of us from that single pair whether you accept that as Adam and & Eve, or as -couple X'. ...and that gives instant identity so I don't have to worry about that anymore. So for a people struggling with identity, a people struggling with establishing roots, it provides a tremendous source."

Another positive, according to Imam Zaid, is that Islam provides a theological basis that gives a person the motivation to struggle against oppressive institutions. This aspect is a natural extension of the religion, not a part of some conscious theological movement such as Liberation Theology. "A librerationalist strain is embedded within the religion which is why the Muslims made such bad slaves when they were brought here. Similarly, Islam counters the vestiges of racism which exists in society. Who I am is not based on my physical features. 'God doesn't look at your external forms nor wealth.' So immediately the two strongest basis for discrimination between human beings -- race and economic status -- are negated. "

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Imam Zaid Shakir, born in Berkley, California accepted Islam in 1977. He holds a B.A. in International Relations with honors from American University and an MA in Political Science from Rutgers University. He has spent more than 8 years studying traditional Islamic sciences throughout the Muslim world. He is universally regarded as a leading voice on Islam and African-American issues and as a visionary leader in the emergence of an Islamic community and tradition that is indigenous to America. He serves as a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California where he teaches Arabic, Islamic Law, History and Islamic Spirituality.

San Diego Quest