Stay Artistic

Years back, I had someone dear to me invited me to a sisters’ gathering” Halaqa”.
It was mainly Black African American sisters, and I was almost the only Arab nonblack attendee.
I was so honored to be invited and welcomed despite that I joined late towards the end of the meeting.

I got lost 🥲 in the area which was obviously a Black African American dominant area.

I can tell that what was displayed on Google Maps App wasn’t actually matching the reality. Unlike areas with cooperates headquarters and properties worth of millions. The GPS location where my husband dropped me off was wrong and I had to figure out the right location walking on my feet for 45 minutes later to get where the meeting was supposed to be.

On my way to the building, I was misled. I mistakenly tried to open the door of another building. The wrong building looked cool and suitable for spiritual gatherings like the one I was planning to attend. It had no signs, all glass doors. Old fashioned with lots of vintage. After I touched the door knop, and in seconds, the siren went on. It turned out that it was actually a museum. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It wasn’t hard to figure out that there is something different. Easy to realize that a Black dominant area is designed not to be exemplary. It is designed so its residents would always feel there’s something wrong and they had to live with that feeling, sense it in every step, and be it in every move.

You know that feeling when you sense there’s a hidden threat or you yourself might be a threat and there should be surveillance, there should be security, there should be someone watching because there’s something unsafe?

Exactly. That what was this area is designed to feel like. Unfortunately!

Anyways, I made it to the gathering safely. And I had a lovely discussion with sisters in faith and in community, like what I expected. It felt like a family gathering, beautiful hearts and spirits! I enjoyed listening to the Imam remarks, learning about their Dawah” call to God” activities, and I was amazed that some sisters were actually newly converted to Islam, and they have so much influence to bring more sisters to listen to the beauty of Islam.

To me, Dawah is not mainly about converting and preaching, it’s about clearing misconceptions and building a robust foundation of mutual respect and understanding.

It’s not about how much these sisters knew about their faith that brought people, it’s about their hearts and manners that made people curious to learn about their beliefs!

I’m sharing this snippet of thought to encourage people to engage in respectful discussions and authentically manage to have Black Muslims lead, advise, and share more opportunities for the sake of community building.

I know so many folks have invited me to join their programs, boards, or be in the educational team, and I politely excused myself from *any* positions in *any* Islamic educational settings, but here is my two cents:

1-Have a policy to discipline intra Muslim racism. I suggest a certain amount of community service hours in a community that’s underprivileged.

2-Eat with people and break bread with them no matter their social rank.

3-Be supportive. Hire Black Muslims. Work with them. Entrust their knowledge. Familiarity with the American culture is a valued perspective we-as immigrant Muslims can’t/shouldn’t ignore.

4-Be patient. The system was never and has never been to be equitable and just, so be prepared to allow more room for more equitable opportunities.

5-If you are an Arab/ or any other ethnic group, how do you feel about a Black African American leading you/your work? (your answer is how much racism or no racism you have in your heart).

May Allah forgive our shortcomings!

A few months back, I had this valuable discussion with Trainer Ustadha Rukayat Yaqoub about race and antiblackness.

I suggest that you listen to her advice and key points. She is working on developing curricula and she can lead your efforts to the right direction. Listen on.

If you have feedback, questions, or a comment, please don’t hesitate to reach out:

Business email: stayartisticnow@gmail.com

Or: Shama_farag@outlook.com