(Warning: Controversial subject matter. Guard your nafs if you're that juvenile or sanctimonious. Mature adult Muslims only. This is not sarcasm)
We live in an imperfect world. And human beings are not angels. Very few of us are truly saintly - and even wilayat is a Fadl that is essentially 'out of this world.'
Why am I saying this?
Racism is a sinister disease of the heart. It affects us all - particularly Muslims, who in our victimized nostalgia, love to talk about how we're Allah's gift to humankind & how Hz Bilal (ra) is our historical prophylactic against any accusations of racism. Their awareness begins and ends with paltry polemics.
I won't even bother to adorn this post with enough Islamic sprinklings to appease sensibilities in here. My blog, my decisions. Rasulullah (saw) specifically advised Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (ra) in a series of unique advices, to speak the truth, even when it is bitter. (Source: "Men around the Messenger" by Khalid Muhammad Khalid)
A bitter truth of America's racial dynamics today, is that African-American men are good for some things, and horrible at others. Even when evidence proves to the contrary. Regardless of the facts, people believe what they WANT to believe.
The Bell Curve debates in the mid 1990s alluded to this, and sought to justify our racist whispers in the corners of our subconscious. Sure, their SAT scores are just pitifully lower. They live in ghettos, sleep under drive-bys, and die as congenital criminals. Let's get some conservative think tanks to fund this 'research' so it gives our book some intellectual legitimacy! This is just the cognitive sphere of the debate.
Arguably more controversial than this, is the oft-unspoken issue of beauty, romance and sexuality. I'm sure that many Muslim males & females in this duniyah quietly wonder:
why is it that the Williams' Sisters get so much flak from the media? Would this be so, if they were blonde white twins?
Why does Serena Williams dress like that - yet, why do we not mind it as much when Sania Mirza from Hyderabad does the same? If Allah gives some more than others, does that mean fairness of complexion is a barakah, and black skin a "test", or "aesthetic fitan" from Allah (sort of like leprosy)?
why does Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise or Al Pacino look more attractive than Michael Clarke Duncan, Ving Rhames or Morgan Freeman? Why is Denzel the mainstream 'token black sex symbol' (a token only 'acknowledged' recently when he won the Best Actor award)- and not Wesley?
Why do desi matrimonials obsessively focus on fair skinned spouses, even in 2005? Why has being a Sayyid (true descendant of Rasulullah saw) been quietly likened to more lighter - and thus, more beautiful - children, as though blackness of skin means distance from our beloved Prophet? (saw) Why do lighter skinned Muslims secretly feel they're 'settling' or 'doing the dark revert' a favor, when they decide to marry a very dark skinned brother/sister?
Why do muslimas looking for husbands secretly harbor the "stud-aalim" fantasy ideal? A body and attitude like Tyson Beckford or Vin Diesel (choose your racial preference, ladies), replete with his collection of both Mens' Health issues since 1999 as well as Imam Nawawi (rh)'s commentary on Sahih Muslim, and is a mureed of Sh Nazim (ra) to boot?
Why do desis, arabs and hispanics sometimes feel 'cheated' for not being white enough in some circles, and not black enough in others?
What does 'black' mean - when we're all essentially varying shades of brown? When all of us are Turabis (ie. made of dust)?
Why is white, often right? Why is black, so darn wrong. And why do we only talk about two categories, as though there's no such thing as grey, in the midst of our perpetual global browning?
Tough questions, for Muslims who wish to lead examined lives. Those who are keen on Allah know within their very bones, that the unexamined life is NOT worth living. As Sh Abdul Hakim Murad relates, either sin or ghafla (heedlessness) takes us away from Al-Hakeem, Himself.
Two links, for those who dare to 'know' the enemy within:
1) Pulling the White Strings: Light-skinned acts ride hip-hop’s changing tide with dark-skinned Svengalis
by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond http://villagevoice.com/music/0538,brewhammo,67964,22.html
2) Hung : A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America by Scott Poulson-Bryant
In a brilliant, multilayered look at the pervasive belief that African American men are prodigiously endowed, Scott Poulson-Bryant interweaves his own experiences as a black man in America with witty analyses of how black male sexuality is expressed in books, film, television, sports, and pornography.
"Hung" is a double entendre, referring not only to penis size but to the fact that black men were once literally hung from trees, often for their perceived sexual prowess and the supposed risk it posed to white women. As a poignant reminder, he begins his book with a letter to Emmett Till, the teenager who was lynched in Mississippi in the mid-1950s for whistling at a white woman.
(www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385510020/002-6804083-5474400?v=glance)
I told you it'd get 'uncomfortable.' Sorry ladies, but the truth is the truth. I wonder if UmmZaid would dare to write a book review on this touchy matter. Somehow, I doubt it. But if there aren't 10 comments on this post 3 days from now, I'm going to be sorely disappointed for sure.
May Allah purge our selves from all our diseases. Because some of us need a sheikh more than others.
Salam brother!
ReplyDeleteYour email addy doesn't work!!! Please email me: camel@tranquilart.com so I can sort out the CD!!!
Wasalam
Bint-eh Adam
Salaam 'Alaikum
ReplyDeleteI heard about the book 'Hung' a few weeks ago, while I came across a panel discussion of some sort on television. I haven't seen it in the library (where I get the bulk of my books from). You're right, I'm not sure I would review it. I don't review every book I read, even if I think the book was exceptional or eye opening (fiction or non-fiction). I also have my personal guidelines of books that I will review and won't review, based on the content and adult themes. Those might change or I might make an exception one day in the future, Allahu 'Alim.
Yursil, I don't know about now b/c I don't really pay attention to tennis (I thought Shazia Mirza was an actress for the longest time... is she a tennis player?), but I know that when the Williams sisters were younger, the press surrounding them was of the sort that they'll never go anywhere, they're not good enough to rise to the top, etc etc. I remember reading a long profile of them in the NYT when the older one was about 10 (so I myself must have been a young teen) and thinking that the only reason they were saying this is b/c the Williams' didn't look like Chris Everett.
>>Why do muslimas looking for husbands secretly harbor the "stud-aalim" fantasy ideal?<<
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if you could use a qualifier here... why do "some Muslimas," or even, if you need to, "many Muslimas," but this is a sweeping generalization that is unfair to many of us. And then, at the same time, the same could be said of some brothers (cough cough cough). I suppose everyone has their ideal, and you can't fault them for that, but it's a problem when it gets in the way of someone rejecting a person who would be really good for their diyn, their life, and their end.
Also, Tom Cruise, I hate to say this, kind of looks like a rat to me. It's the way his eyes are set against his nose or something. I don't know why he gets so much press for his looks.
>>Why is Denzel the mainstream 'token black sex symbol' (a token only 'acknowledged' recently when he won the Best Actor award)- and not Wesley?<<
ReplyDeleteI could never figure out why "they" chose Denzel to be the token (and he was, often the only Black man included in a list of "Hollywood's Hottest" or some nonsense)... he has buck teeth or something. It's like Tom Cruise. But you prolly don't mix w/ a lot of women b/c Denzel was on the list long before he won the Best Actor Oscar.
I think Wesley Snipes is too scary to appeal to the "thems" who make these lists -- "them" being (most likely) White middle class women who work in the commercial media. But does the commercial media define what people think is attractive? It's like egg and chicken to me. There are a lot of people who have their personal attractions regardless of who the magazines and movies are telling them is beautiful and hot and the standard for beauty / handsomeness. I think Wesley was probably one of those guys (I say "was" b/c he doesn't seem to be as much in the spotlight these days as an actor).
BTW, VH-1 recently aired a series of programs produced in conjunction with... Ego Trippin? I think ... about race and society. It was fairly interesting, although, of course, it was mostly focused on Black and White, with Latinos and Far East Asians thrown in every now and then.
Salaams AD,
ReplyDeleteYou've hit upon so many topics here!
To some extent it is a personal preference but on the other hand our preferences are deeply impacted by cultural norms, images, & stereotypes.
E.g., when you see the Miss Universe contestants lines up, they all look alike no matter what their ethnic/racial background - light skinned, tall, skinny in the Western mode. There is obviously a dominant cultural norm at work here.
As Muslims we have a heritage & role models that seek to break apart racial discrimination. As more of us become involved in research, art, history, media, literature, etc., it's my hope that we will begin effecting cultural norms of what is acceptable as beauty...eventually getting to the highest level--understanding that as God's creation & children of Adam & Eve, we are all beautiful & deserving of esteem & respect.
Salaams everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the Pandora's Box is opened further, al`hamdulillah.
Katrina forced it open. And a generation ago, br. Malik Shabbaz compelled our country, to face 'the malignant cancer' that festers in our souls.
But, to what end? Has much changed in the Muslim-American ummah since his assassination? Many would agree that it has only gotten worse. Why else would I write this post in 2005?
Yursil: you make wonderful points, masha'Allah. But I feel there are some experiences that just can't be had in comfortable desi-American surroundings. Not all of us are stud-mureeds like you are :)
Complexion politics of fairness versus darkness shouldn't be that surprising to you. I don't personally equate fairness with greater beauty; the opposite is true. But in doing so, I don't fail to recognize Eurocentrism's firm hold on our colonized minds, either. Especially Muslims who've been blessed with Aql like all three of you.
UmmZ: I seriously hope this wasn't a barb hurled my way:
"But you prolly don't mix w/ a lot of women b/c Denzel was on the list long before he won the Best Actor Oscar"
Clarify your intentions in this sentence for me, if you don't mind. I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but since we're both Americans, I can't help but wonder, y'know.
And it's *Sania* Mirza, not Shazia. There was a media frenzy about her, on both sides of the Atlantic, during the US Open, and is now the pride of Hyderabad, ranked 37 (?) in the world, and has Indian ulemah in a tiffy about why she's so skimpily dressed. Subcontinental journalists are having their way with mullah-madness.
Baraka: Good observation on the 'paegant paradigm.' All too often, people seek refuge in obsessing over exceptional instances ("gee, Naomi Campbell's pretty, right?") to say that racism isn't that prevalent. I'm glad you haven't missed the forest for the trees.
bintAdham: check your inbox.
May He enshroud us in peace, afiyah and healing. If there truly is a balm for this cancerous disease of our hearts - Ameen.
One more thing:
ReplyDeleteYursil & others: Imam Zaid Shakir recently wrote an essay on "The Prophet (saw) and Blackness."
http://lamppostproductions.org/articles_zaid_shakir.shtml
This gives a comprehensive & readable account of the heart of the matter. Masha'Allah, some justice has been done to the discourse by this writing. And if I'm not mistaken, Imam Zaid is himself a beautiful african-american brother. On the outside AND inside.
(I guess it's confirmed he's Maliki too!)
with love,
AD
He's a Shafi'i actually. He lives here in the Bay Area so we get to see him & Shaykh Hamza quite a bit, Alhamdolillah.
ReplyDeleteImam Zaid is a stunning Muslim, masha-Allah. Physically one of the largest men I've ever seen, with the demeanor of gentleness, good humor, grace, & compassion lighting up the room wherever he goes.
If you all don't already have it, Zaytuna Institute's new journal "Seasons" is available & has some excellent articles. That one you mentioned by IZ is great.
Wasalaam,
Baraka
Asak wr wb guys,
ReplyDeleteYursil - I've heard this about Imam Shafi'i (ra), but not about Imam Abu Hanifah (ra). That's fascinating - can you dig up more information about this?
The only thing I've heard on this matter was from an Arab-American translator, who mentioned a qasida of Imam Shafi'i. In it he alludes to how people with certain physiognomic traits are often 'bad' in character. The brother added that in our day & age, it would make Imam Shafi'i sound quite racist, too.
See what you can find bro, if you don't mind, please.
Jhazak Allah khayr for the comments!
w's wr wb Yursil,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, it's thought provoking.
Physiognomy may indeed be a lost science; one wonders though if it is a synonym for, or works in concordance with, Firasa. The qasida of Imam Shafi, and the comments of Imam Abu Hanifah, seem to suggest that it's a science of observing His creation, and the patterns therein.
As with most ancient sciences however, there are no foolproof controls. No peer-review journals to catalog their findings. So how much relevance it may have today, other than nostalgia for a lost past, is in question.
In my view, when you try to make a science out of empirically observable phenomenon, you walk on a slippery slope. If tallness and intelligence are rarely combined, what does this mean implicitly?
That shortness and being a village simpleton is a fitnah, is evidence of Rahma denied/ungranted. If we think about it today, it's 6'2" pathan/punjabi/swedish professionals who're all the rage on Naseeb.com, and in the quiet whispers of muslimas everywhere. And that's the way Allah programmed things, perhaps.
When you transpose this onto racial physiognomy, it's more emotionally loaded, especially in these body-conscious times. Why else do we get Mens' Fitness? :)
We may wax intellectual all we want on how dark sisters get a raw deal in the Islamic matrimonial market, how unjust that is, and how women over 6' tall tend to be spinsters or childless. Male reverts from Chad, Xinjiang province, or Pygmies may have similar complaints.
Why did Imam Zaid feel the need to write that article on the Prophet (s) and Blackness? Why did a whiter-arab Sahabi female, reject or hesitate browner-arab Sahabi males? Why did color-consciousness exist 1400 years ago, for Abu Dharr (ra) to scoff at Bilal (ra) for being 'the son of a black woman!'
What's the common thread here? I think we already know. We're not crying about it. But in order to defeat jahiliyah, we must acknowledge that it exists in our hearts. Too often, we either deny this, or modify our discourse to suggest 'real progress' has been made.
w's wr wb Yursil,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, it's thought provoking.
Physiognomy may indeed be a lost science; one wonders though if it is a synonym for, or works in concordance with, Firasa. The qasida of Imam Shafi, and the comments of Imam Abu Hanifah, seem to suggest that it's a science of observing His creation, and the patterns therein.
As with most ancient sciences however, there are no foolproof controls. No peer-review journals to catalog their findings. So how much relevance it may have today, other than nostalgia for a lost past, is in question.
In my view, when you try to make a science out of empirically observable phenomenon, you walk on a slippery slope. If tallness and intelligence are rarely combined, what does this mean implicitly?
That shortness and being a village simpleton is a fitnah, is evidence of Rahma denied/ungranted. If we think about it today, it's 6'2" pathan/punjabi/swedish professionals who're all the rage on Naseeb.com, and in the quiet whispers of muslimas everywhere. And that's the way Allah programmed things, perhaps.
When you transpose this onto racial physiognomy, it's more emotionally loaded, especially in these body-conscious times. Why else do we get Mens' Fitness? :)
We may wax intellectual all we want on how dark sisters get a raw deal in the Islamic matrimonial market, how unjust that is, and how women over 6' tall tend to be spinsters or childless. Male reverts from Chad, Xinjiang province, or Pygmies may have similar complaints.
Why did Imam Zaid feel the need to write that article on the Prophet (s) and Blackness? Why did a whiter-arab Sahabi female, reject or hesitate browner-arab Sahabi males? Why did color-consciousness exist 1400 years ago, for Abu Dharr (ra) to scoff at Bilal (ra) for being 'the son of a black woman!'
What's the common thread here? I think we already know. We're not crying about it. But in order to defeat jahiliyah, we must acknowledge that it exists in our hearts. Too often, we either deny this, or modify our discourse to suggest 'real progress' has been made.
Actualy if you look into the books of history you will probably see that the wife of husayn and mother of zain al abideen was actually dark in complexion from sind my brother thus zain al abideen - one of the most famous descendent s of the Prophet (SAW) was dark in complexion.
ReplyDelete