BLACK MUSLIM FORUM

Bismillah.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” Malcolm X

It has come to my awareness that the UK Muslim community is in dire need of education and consultancy on issues concerning Black Muslims.

Given that the last speech of the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) of all issues mentioned the White not being better than a Black or Arab and vice versa, our community is real need of historical and racial education on marginalised Black people in order to combat the problem of anti-blackness which has pervaded the ummah. Doing so is necessary for social justice as well as honouring the Prophetic message.

To my knowledge, children receiving weekend or evening Islamic schooling aren’t often exposed to the social justice component that a Muslim identity commands. Rarely are they exposed to the history of Black Muslims especially Black Muslim women which is key to breaking the cycle of anti-Blackness for the next generation.

I have wanted to set this up for a while to provide pragmatic, intuitive rather than reactionary solutions to racism, colourism and anti-blackness in our community as well as bringing awareness to people’s experiences of racial discrimination. I’d like this to be a place to develop discussion on prevention as well as cures for racial ignorance and discrimination.

Possible ventures for the future I have so far brainstormed include:

• A Think Tank / Research institute
• Supplementary schooling/workshops
• Consultancy in mosques/Islamic schools
• Educational Film/Documentaries/Youtube Channel
• Looking beyond the UK (discrimination in the EU, North Africa, The Levant, Gulf states, Asia)
• Recording and measuring anti-black incidents against Muslims
• Providing support to those affected

These are as yet quite vague and will take a lot more work and discussion to develop Insh’Allah.

**If you have had experiences of racial discrimination within the ummah, are working on a project to do with race and Islam, have ideas about how we could tackle anti-blackness or have an opinion piece to do with race and Islam please email your article or contact me on the contact page.**

For now, Peace.