SYSTEMIC RACISM, AGGRESSION, OPPRESSION, REPRESSION AND MURDER - THE CURRICULUM OF THE SHAYTAAN: A RESPONSE TO THE GEORGE FLOYD MURDER Introduction وﻧﻌﻮذ، إن اﻟﺤﻤﺪ ( ﻧﺤﻤﺪه وﻧﺴﺘﻌﯿﻨﮫ وﻧﺴﺘﻐﻔﺮه، ﻣﻦ ﯾﮭﺪه ﷲ ﻓﻼ ﻣﻀﻞ ﻟﮫ وﻣﻦ ﯾﻀﻠﻞ ﻓﻼ ھﺎدي ﻟﮫ،ﺑﺎ( ﻣﻦ ﺷﺮور أﻧﻔﺴﻨﺎ وﺳﯿﺌﺎت أﻋﻤﺎﻟﻨﺎ ( )ﯾﺎ أﯾﮭﺎ اﻟﺬﯾﻦ آﻣﻨﻮا اﺗﻘﻮا ﷲ ﺣﻖ ﺗﻘﺎﺗﮫ وﻻ ﺗﻤﻮﺗﻦ إﻻ وأﻧﺘﻢ ﻣﺴﻠﻤﻮن. وأﺷﮭﺪ أن ﻣﺤﻤﺪا ﻋﺒﺪه ورﺳﻮﻟﮫ،وأﺷﮭﺪ أن ﻻ إﻟﮫ ﷲ وﺣﺪه ﻻ ﺷﺮﯾﻚ ﻟﮫ )ﯾﺎ أﯾﮭﺎ اﻟﻨﺎس اﺗﻘﻮا رﺑﻜﻢ اﻟﺬي ﺧﻠﻘﻜﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻔﺲ واﺣﺪة وﺧﻠﻖ ﻣﻨﮭﺎ زوﺟﮭﺎ وﺑﺚ ﻣﻨﮭﻤﺎ رﺟﺎﻻ ﻛﺜﯿﺮا وﻧﺴﺎء واﺗﻘﻮا ﷲ اﻟﺬي ﺗﺴﺎءﻟﻮن ﺑﮫ واﻷرﺣﺎم إن ﷲ ﻛﺎن ﻋﻠﯿﻜﻢ رﻗﯿﺒﺎ( )ﯾﺎ أﯾﮭﺎ اﻟﺬﯾﻦ آﻣﻨﻮا اﺗﻘﻮا ﷲ وﻗﻮﻟﻮا ﻗﻮﻻ ﺳﺪﯾﺪا * ﯾﺼﻠﺢ ﻟﻜﻢ أﻋﻤﺎﻟﻜﻢ وﯾﻐﻔﺮ ﻟﻜﻢ ذﻧﻮﺑﻜﻢ وﻣﻦ ﯾﻄﻊ ﷲ ورﺳﻮﻟﮫ ﻓﻘﺪ ﻓﺎز )ًﻓﻮزا ﻋﻈﯿﻤﺎ وﻛﻞ ﺑﺪﻋﺔ، وﻛﻞ ﻣﺤﺪﺛﺔ ﺑﺪﻋﺔ، وﺷﺮ اﻷﻣﻮر ﻣﺤﺪﺛﺎﺗﮭﺎ، وأﺣﺴﻦ اﻟﮭﺪي ھﺪي ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢ،ﻓﺈن أﺻﺪق اﻟﺤﺪﯾﺚ ﻛﺘﺎب ﷲ:أﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺪ وﻛﻞ ﺿﻼﻟﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻨﺎر،ﺿﻼﻟﺔ. Due to several requests by the (Muslim) youth within our community, particularly those whom have asked me to clarify the current state of affairs in relation to the protests, and in some cases, looting and rioting throughout America, I am compelled to produce this response to the unjust, repressive, stereotypical and oppressive murder of George Floyd and other than him. Coupled with this event is a recent video of a Somalian youth, expressing his disgust1 of Muslims showing and/or expressing their concern with the systemic murder of African American males; therefore, all of the above has caused me to author this essay. America is currently facing a trilogy; a set of realities that none will find as a polemical issue that is up for debate: physiological, economical, and social calamities. Henceforth, Muslims must rely upon revelation-based solutions and avoid emotional, tumultuous behavior, and/or leaning solely on our blackness as a rallying cry for social change and actions, and must not speak and/or act without knowledge.2 1 His disgust was directed towards Muslims who he deemed should make their true concern the siwaak, wiping over the socks, how many dates to eat in the morning, and not the Black Lives Matter movement or the death of George Floyd. I will deal with this in a section on its own, in shaa Allaah. 2 Based on the principle in Islaam: "Knowledge precedes speech and action." ﺑﺎب اﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻗﺒﻞ اﻟﻘﻮل واﻟﻌﻤﻞ RACISM, REPRESSION, CORRUPTION AND SYSTEMIC MURDER: A Contributing Factor in George Floyd's Murder: The public outcry and response of the American people, more specifically, the African American community, is due to the systemic3 racism and murder of another African American male, i.e. George Floyd, who was killed by the hands (or rather, the knee) of a police officer. In light of this, it is clear to me and always has been so, that most of humanity does not truly understand the origins of racism. In order to understand and solve a problem of an immediate/imminent danger, harm and/or threat, such as systemic (or individual) racism, repression and/or murder, and how to strategically combat it head-on, one must first understand the root causes of it. A poet said: 4 ".ﻋﺮﻓﺖ اﻟﺸﺮ ﻻ ﻟﻠﺸﺮ ﻟﻜﻦ اﻟﺘﻮﻗﯿﮫ وﻣﻦ ﻻ ﯾﻌﺮف اﻟﺸﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺨﯿﺮ ﯾﻘﻊ ﻓﯿﮫ." "I do not know the evil just for the evil, but so (that) I will not fall into it. The one who does not know the evil from the good will fall into it (evil)." Origin of Racism: Racism is not a new problem; rather, it is a disease that existed way before the children of Adam existed. The first case of racism emanated from a sworn enemy of humanity. This enemy was, and is, no more than the ultimate enemy of mankind, the shaytaan (devil) himself. When Allaah5 created Adam, the father of all races, the father of humanity, He ordered the shaytaan to prostrate to him (out of respect and not worship), but the shaytaan refused out of arrogance and pride, and responded with a racist overtone. Henceforth, the first instance of racism occurred. The Qura'an illustrates this fact: ""َأَﻧﺎ َﺧْﯿٌﺮ ﱢﻣْﻨﮫُ َﺧَﻠْﻘَﺘِﻨﻲ ِﻣﻦ ﻧﱠﺎٍر َوَﺧَﻠْﻘَﺘﮫُ ِﻣﻦ ِطﯿٍﻦ Which translates to mean: 3 Systemic racism, murder and oppression is clear within the history of America. People lie and utilize lying to cover up the truth, but history doesn't lie! Sufyaan Ath-Thawri رﺣﻤﮫ ﷲsaid: ' اﺳﺘﻌﻤﻠﻨﺎ ﻟﮭﻢ اﻟﺘﺄرﯾﺦ، 'ﻟﻤﺎ اﺳﺘﻌﻤﻞ اﻟﺮوا ة اﻟﻜﺬبWhen the narrators used lying, we used history for them.' History has shown us that racism was institutionalized after slavery in the form of prisons, employment, housing disparity, and discrimination via redlining created by the National Housing Act of 1934, established by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), to keep African Americans out of the well-to-do white neighborhoods. For over 250 years, African Americans represented wealth (via slavery), but were excluded from obtaining wealth, property and prosperity. 4 He is: Abu Firas al-Hamdani (357 hijri): أﺑﻮ ﻓﺮا س اﻟﺤﻤﺪاﻧﻲa poet from the area of Syria. ﻣ ﻨﺒﺞManbij is a city in northeastern Aleppo, in northern Syria. See ﺳﯿﺮ أﻋﻼ م اﻟﻨﺒﻼءby Imaam Adh-Dhahabi رﺣﻤﮫ ﷲvol 16 page 196-197. 5 The name Allaah, is a name from the affirmed Names of Allaah. It consists of four Arabic letters ا ل ل هwhich form the word ﷲThe word for deity in Arabic is اﻟﮫIlaha. The definite article ( الthe) in the word ﷲAllaah signifies that He, Allaah, is the (main) Deity to be worshipped. More precisely, Allaah means the owner of divinity and worship over all His creation. 1 "I'm better than him! You created me from (smokeless) fire and created him from (sounding) clay."6 In this ayah, we see the origins of racism in shaytaan’s statement: "I'm better than him! You created me from fire and him from clay." So shaytaan surmised that because of his physical composition, that he was more superior than Adam. He thought that on the basis of being created from fire, that Prophet Adam was an inferior being due his physical makeup of being created from the dirt of the earth. On this premise alone, we see the basis of racism. This racist statement of shaytaan was not the cause of his disobedience, but a manifestation of it and the origin of the first form of racism; which, as we see, is a satanic ideology. Cause of Racism: As outlined above, we see that racism has evil origins. Here, we want to examine the cause of such an evil, arrogant, and ignorant ideology, which is what led up to, and caused the shaytaan to make his false claim of superiority over Adam. It was the command of Allaah for him to prostrate, but it was his arrogance that caused him to refuse. This, in turn, caused him to react to the situation unintelligently. Allaah highlights this: "ۖﻚَ ﻚ َأﱠﻻ َﺗْﺴُﺠَﺪ ِإْذ َأَﻣْﺮُﺗ َ "َﻗﺎَل َﻣﺎ َﻣَﻨَﻌ Which translates to mean: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you!?" And he responded: "I'm better than him! You created me from fire and created him from clay." Then Allaah clarifies for us, the true reason and cause that prevented the shaytaan from prostrating. This also gives us insight into his impulsive reaction towards the one, who, in reality, was more superior than him, i.e. Adam: "ﺼﺎِﻏِﺮﯾَﻦ َ ﻚ َأن َﺗَﺘَﻜﺒﱠَﺮ ِﻓﯿﮭَﺎ َﻓﺎْﺧُﺮْج ِإﻧﱠ ﻚ ِﻣَﻦ اﻟ ﱠ ْ "َﻗﺎَل َﻓﺎھِْﺒ َ ﻂ ِﻣْﻨﮭَﺎ َﻓَﻤﺎ َﯾُﻜﻮُن َﻟ Which translates to mean: "Get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced."7 In this ayah, Allaah points out the real cause: "it is not for you to be arrogant here…" Henceforth, arrogance is the seat, lifeline, and real cause of racism. If arrogance is eliminated, then racism is eliminated. 6 Qur'an 7:12 7 Qur'an 7:13 2 Systemic Racism: A Contributing Factor in George Floyd's murder As mentioned in the previous section on the origins of racism, it is a behavior and evil ideology originating from the shaytaan himself. After the shaytaan was evicted from paradise due to his arrogance, a paradise in which he was honored to reside in comfortably, he vowed to mislead humanity from the path of Allaah. One of the ways outside of making humanity worship idols and others besides Allaah, is via racism. This ideology was not enough for shaytaan to keep to himself; rather, he vowed to make sure and try to mislead all of humanity away from the worship of Allaah. Due to this, it gave birth to racism to raise its ugly head. Allaah illustrates this fact, in His Noble and final Revelation: َﻗﺎَل اْﺧُﺮْج ِﻣْﻨﮭَﺎ َﻣْﺬُءوًﻣﺎ ﱠﻣْﺪُﺣﻮًرا ۖ ﻟﱠَﻤﻦ.ﺷﺎِﻛِﺮﯾَﻦ َ ﺷَﻤﺎِﺋِﻠِﮭْﻢ ۖ َوَﻻ َﺗِﺠُﺪ َأْﻛَﺜَﺮھُْﻢ َ ُﺛﱠﻢ َﻵِﺗَﯿﻨﱠﮭُﻢ ﱢﻣﻦ َﺑْﯿِﻦ َأْﯾِﺪﯾِﮭْﻢ َوِﻣْﻦ َﺧْﻠِﻔِﮭْﻢ َوَﻋْﻦ َأْﯾَﻤﺎِﻧِﮭْﻢ َوَﻋﻦ 8 .ﻸﱠن َﺟﮭَﻨﱠَﻢ ِﻣﻨُﻜْﻢ َأْﺟَﻤِﻌﯿَﻦ َ َ ﻷْﻣ َ َ ﻚ ِﻣْﻨﮭُْﻢ َ َﺗِﺒَﻌ 17. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)." 18. (Allah) said (to Iblis) "Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. Whomsoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all." In his vow to come from every angle (false worship, adultery, fornication, killing, racism, oppression, repression, etc.) shaytaan i.e. Satan instilled racism via his whispers in the hearts of mankind while, at the same time, making them ungrateful to the Lord of the heavens and the Earth and all that is in between. Therefore, shaytaan's plot was, and is, to recruit soldiers to carry out what he started, while making mankind disobedient to their Creator and remiss of gratitude to Him. This is evident in his statement: "You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)." Documented Proof of Systemic Racism, Repression and Oppression Against African Americans (males, specifically). 8 Qur'an 7:17-18 3 Before we tackle and examine the stark and dark reality of systemic racism, repression and oppression of African Americans, a reality that has far succeeded the physical and psychological chains and bondage of slavery, it is a duty to mention that as Muslims, we understand that no race is superior than another. Rather, those who are the most "God fearing" are the most noble amongst humanity. Allaah elucidates this in the Qur'aan: ﷲِ َأْﺗَﻘﺎُﻛْﻢ ِإﱠن َأْﻛَﺮَﻣُﻜْﻢ ِﻋﻨَﺪ ﱠ Which translates to mean: Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the most righteous of you.9 Likewise, Allaah mentions in His Divine Speech,10 the reason why He created us into various nations, tribes, ethnic groups, and variations of skin color. The reason was not to boast superiority and/or to dominate, oppress, and repress others. Rather, it is as He says: ُ س ِإﻧﱠﺎ َﺧَﻠْﻘَﻨﺎُﻛﻢ ﱢﻣﻦ َذَﻛٍﺮ َوأُﻧَﺜٰﻰ َوَﺟَﻌْﻠَﻨﺎُﻛْﻢ ۚ ﺷُﻌﻮًﺑﺎ َوَﻗَﺒﺎِﺋَﻞ ِﻟَﺘَﻌﺎَرُﻓﻮا ُ َﯾﺎ َأﱡﯾﮭَﺎ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ Which translates to mean: O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another… (and not to despise one another) 11 Likewise, the last Prophet sent to humanity, the Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢ12 addressed the non-superiority of one race over another, in his prophetic saying: ﻷْﺣَﻤَﺮ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﺳَﻮَد َوَﻻ َ ِ ﻀَﻞ ِﻟَﻌَﺮِﺑﱟﻲ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﻋَﺠِﻤﱟﻲ َوَﻻ ِﻟَﻌَﺠِﻤﱟﻲ َﻋَﻠﻰ َﻋَﺮِﺑﱟﻲ َوَﻻ ْ س َأَﻻ ِإﱠن َرﺑﱠُﻜْﻢ َواِﺣٌﺪ َوِإﱠن َأَﺑﺎُﻛْﻢ َواِﺣٌﺪ َأَﻻ َﻻ َﻓ ُ َﯾﺎ َأﱡﯾﮭَﺎ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ َُأْﺳَﻮَد َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﺣَﻤَﺮ ِإﱠﻻ ِﺑﺎﻟﺘﱠْﻘَﻮى َأَﺑﻠﱠْﻐﺖ O people, your Lord is one and your father Adam is one. There is no favor of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, and neither white skin over black skin, nor black skin over white skin, except by righteousness. Have I not delivered the message?13 Documented cases throughout history14 History should be utilized as a tool of awareness and education, and not a tool of twisting and/or covering up the facts and/or as a means of human domination. American history has been so diluted and polluted with lies, that many Americans do not know facts from fiction. The lies have become 9 Qur'an 49:13 10 The Qur'aan is the uncreated speech of Allaah. From Him it originated and to him it will return (on the day of judgement). 11 Qur'an 49:13 12 He is the final Prophet, Muhammad son of Abdullah from the Quraish tribe that was sent to humanity over 1,400 years ago. He is from the lineage of the great Prophet Ibraahim (Abraham) via his son Ismaa'eel (Ishmael) peace and blessings be upon them all. 13 Reported by Aḥmad 14 By no means are we able to document all cases that the African American has been confronted with since the advent of slavery up until today. We only want to highlight and bring awareness to those Americans, who are unaware of such systemic behavior; likewise, as a reminder for those who would like to cover up the facts and or try to wish them away. 4 truths, parlayed into a standardized curriculum in the school system. This systemic racism, repression and oppression has reared its ugly head via many avenues.15 One of the earlier Salaf16 said it best: اﺳﺘﻌﻤﻠﻨﺎ ﻟﮭﻢ اﻟﺘﺄرﯾﺦ،ﻟﻤﺎ اﺳﺘﻌﻤﻞ اﻟﺮواة اﻟﻜﺬب "When the narrators used lying, we used history for them."17 Henceforth, I will utilize in this section historical facts, from the not too distant past, in order to dispel the false and oppressively created narrative; a systemic narrative that has become the norm and widely accepted amongst the American people. From the times of early bondage of the African people, this false narrative has been taught to their descendants from among the African American people, generation after generation. This systemic racism, regression and oppression has reared its ugly head via many avenues18 in the following: ● The “stand your ground” law19, was written by ALEC20, an organization comprising of politicians and corporations. This organization has drafted ideas and transferred them to politicians, to be established as laws. This “stand your ground” law, which was created and passed in 2005, is one such law that has had devastating effects upon the African American male, in particular. 21 ● Ronald Regan, in 1980, on national T.V. expressed the collaboration between corporation and political figures. ● Some of the corporations behind ALEC are: Exxon Mobil, DirectTV, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, DuPont, FedEx, State Farm, and Walmart, to name a few. ● “Three strikes, you're out” and mandatory minimum serving sentencing laws, were pushed through the role of CCA, Corrections Corporation of America, a member of ALEC, in order to create a profit margin for the shareholders of this organization. ● CCA via ALEC are also responsible for certain policies written by the hand of CCA, creating private prisons i.e. prison industrial complex (the 2010 SB 1070 law, detaining immigrants). These policies resulted in promoting the warehousing of predominantly African American males. 15 This systemic racism manifests itself via sensationalistic journalism, the prison industrial complex, movies, economics, and many other vile and visceral means. 16 Salaf is an Arabic word meaning “to precede”. In this sense, meaning “those who came before us in history”. When the word is coupled with the word “Saalih” i.e. “As-Salafus Saalih”, it carries the meaning of those Righteous Predecessors who not only preceded us in time, but also religiosity. 17 This is a statement of Sufyaan Ath-Thawri ﺳﻔﯿﺎن اﻟﺜﻮري رﺣﻤ ﮫ ﷲwho died in 161 Islamic Hijri calendar 18 This systemic racism manifests itself via sensationalistic journalism, the prison industrial complex, movies, economics, and many other vile and visceral means. 19 Walmart is one of the largest retailers of bullets in the world. Walmart benefits from the “stand your ground” law. 20 ALEC: American Legislative Exchange Council 21 The wrongful murder of Trayvon Martin, age 17, by the hands of George Zimmerman, was a prime example of this law. 5 ● American Bail Coalition22 also played its role in ALEC. Advocating for bails as a way to solve the overpopulation of prisons. Not out of concern for the prison populations, but rather as another ploy to increase revenues, via the creation of GPS monitoring systems i.e. "ankle brackets" for inmates out on bail. ● Criminal sentencing and prison management law influenced by ALEC23 ● Segregation ● The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment24 ● The murder of 12 year old Tamir Rice25 ● The murder of 22 year old Oscar Grant III26 ● The murder of John Crawford III27 ● Eric Garner28 ● Planned Parenthood29 These are some of the many victims, just to name a few. For all those who are not mentioned here, our sincere and heartfelt condolences goes out to their families and loved ones. Corporations that profit from mass incarceration: Many American corporations have profited from the mass incarceration of African American males in America. Whether the incarcerations are legitimate or fostered, these corporations benefit tremendously. The arrests of African American youth stem from a need to meet the set quota, and other arrests are conducted merely to line the pockets of these major corporations. Many young African American Males have suffered in the "justice" system, merely due to kickbacks30 paid to some judges, who in turn, continue to incarcerate young innocent African American teens. From 22 The American Bail Coalition is a trade association made up of national bail insurance companies who are responsible for underwriting criminal bail bonds throughout the United States of America. In 2012 The Justice Policy Institute wrote: "There are approximately 15,000 bail bond agents working in the United States, writing bonds for about $14 billion annually. Bail bond companies take billions from low-income people…" 23 This bill is responsible for privatizing state prison space and keeping prisons filled. ALEC has developed model bills advancing "tough on crime" initiatives, including "truth in sentencing" and "three strikes" laws initiated by Bill Clinton who now admits he wishes he never initiated the bill. 24 This was the infamous Tuskegee Experiment conducted between 1932-1972, wherein African American males in rural Macon County, Ala., were given syphilis and left untreated for a period of 40 years. 25 On November 22nd, 2014, Tamir Rice, a 12-year old African-American, was shot in Cleveland, Ohio by Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old police officer. Rice was carrying a replica toy Airsoft gun; Loehmann shot him almost immediately after arriving on the scene. There were no charges for his murder and the officer was hired by a police department in eastern Ohio. 26 Oscar Grant III was a 22-year-old African-American man who was fatally shot in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009 at the Fruitcake Station by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California. 27 The shooting of John Crawford III occurred on August 5, 2014. Crawford was a 22-year-old African-American man shot and killed by Beavercreek police officer Sean Williams, in a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio, near Dayton, while holding a BB gun. A grand jury declined to indict the two officers on criminal charges. 28 On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in the New York City borough of Staten Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police (NYPD) officer, put him in a chokehold while arresting him. No conviction was ever pursued in his case. 29 Margaret Sanger, a Eugenicist, opened the first “birth control” clinic in the U.S. in 1916. She founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which later became Planned Parenthood in 1942. This center promoted the (racist) Eugenics movement. Their goal: “Protecting society from the unfit.” Margaret Sanger said to a confident: "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population”. She also said: "The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." 30 One such case is the well-known "kids for cash" case in 2011 of a Pennsylvania judge who was sentenced to 28 years in prison in connection to a bribery scandal that roiled the state's juvenile justice system. Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella Jr. was convicted of taking $1 million in bribes from developers of juvenile detention centers. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court tossed about 4,000 convictions issued by Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008, saying he violated the constitutional rights of the juveniles, including the right to legal counsel and the right to intelligently enter a plea.https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/08/11/139536686/pa-judge-sentenced-to-28-years-in-massive- juvenile-justice-bribery-scandal 6 those corporations that have benefited from the mass incarceration of young African American males, are: ● MoneyGram ● Aramark (food provider) ● Centurion ● Securus technology31 ● UNICOR32 *Along with this physical oppression and repression amongst African Americans, certain “buzz words” have also been created, words that have swayed public opinion against African American males, which started in the 1980s. These buzz words continued the systemic oppression and regression of African American males, and has contributed in the justification of their mass incarceration and systemic murder throughout the years. From amongst those buzz words is the word: "Super Predator."33 Super Predator:34 This term was frequently used in the 1990s by politicians and journalists, as part of the systemic birth of what can be coined as "social psychology of social war." It is all part of how the effects of social cognition suggest that pre-existing stereotypes of the groups with which people are associated largely shape our perceptions of individuals. It further suggests that we rely on these stereotypes unconsciously and automatically, often without even realizing we are doing it.35 In the case of the "super-predator" war, however, it was not only the mental associations, but also the mental dissociations that were critical. At the same time, the "super-predator" war “amplified the American public's predisposition to associate adolescents of color, and in particular, young black males, with violence and moral depravity…"36 Birth of the term "Super-Predator" In the late 1960s,37 President Nixon set the stage for the "war on drugs." Reagan (1981-1989) succeeded him and put it into practice, and Bill Clinton (1993-2001) sealed the deal with his "three strikes law."38 The "three strikes law" has had devastating effects on not only the African American male, but the community as a whole. In that same time period, the new campaign and slogan against the African American community was the "war on drugs." 31 A telephone service provider that made profits in the hundreds of millions of dollars. They inflate the prices of inmate phone calls. In Maryland, if you worked for minimum wage, you would have to work for an hour and half to pay for a 10 minute call to a loved one. See documentary 13th 32 UNICOR Profits close to a billion dollars a year, via prison labor i.e. product production. JCPenney, Microsoft, Boeing, Victoria’s Secret, and even guided systems for Patriot missiles are made by federal prisoners, just to name a few. 33 Read the PDF study: Cognitive Warfare and Young Black Males in America by the University of Minnesota Law school: https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/ 34 A term coined by a Princeton professor in 1995 (ibid). It later became a cliché or buzzword, used for young African American men who committed criminal offenses, in order to demonize them. 35 Case study: Cognitive Warfare and Young Black Males in America pg.4 Perry L. Moriarty and William Carson University of Minnesota Law School 2012 36 Ibid 37 Nixon was president from 1969-1974. I, the author, was a young child during that time period. 38 The "three-strikes" law was introduced by President Bill Clinton and passed in 1993, when Washington voters approved Initiative 593. California passed its own law in 1994, when their voters passed Proposition 184 by an overwhelming majority, with 72% in favor and 28% against. 7 Drugs were funneled within the African American communities and the CIA used this drug money to help finance its covert war against Nicaragua's government through the sale of cut-rate cocaine. This fact become evident in the "Freeway" Rick Ross case. Oscar Danilo Blandón, Ross’ Nicaraguan supplier, served only 48 months in prison, while Ross served close to twenty years. It was during this time that the wife of then-president, Bill Clinton, used the term "super-predator" during a live C-Span broadcast in 1996.39 Islaam's View on Race Islaam's view on race, is not one of rejection and/or superiority of one race over the other. Rather, Islaam recognizes that the difference in ethnicity creates an opportunity to get to know one another and not to despise each other. On that basis, as we pointed out in the beginning section, Allaah the Most High has said: ُ س ِإﻧﱠﺎ َﺧَﻠْﻘَﻨﺎُﻛﻢ ﱢﻣﻦ َذَﻛٍﺮ َوأُﻧَﺜٰﻰ َوَﺟَﻌْﻠَﻨﺎُﻛْﻢ ۚ ﺷُﻌﻮًﺑﺎ َوَﻗَﺒﺎِﺋَﻞ ِﻟَﺘَﻌﺎَرُﻓﻮا ُ َﯾﺎ َأﱡﯾﮭَﺎ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ Which translates to mean: O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another…(and not to despise one another) 40 The last Prophet to humanity (peace be upon him) also said: ﻷْﺣَﻤَﺮ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﺳَﻮَد َوَﻻ َ ِ ﻀَﻞ ِﻟَﻌَﺮِﺑﱟﻲ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﻋَﺠِﻤﱟﻲ َوَﻻ ِﻟَﻌَﺠِﻤﱟﻲ َﻋَﻠﻰ َﻋَﺮِﺑﱟﻲ َوَﻻ ْ س َأَﻻ ِإﱠن َرﺑﱠُﻜْﻢ َواِﺣٌﺪ َوِإﱠن َأَﺑﺎُﻛْﻢ َواِﺣٌﺪ َأَﻻ َﻻ َﻓ ُ َﯾﺎ َأﱡﯾﮭَﺎ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ َُأْﺳَﻮَد َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﺣَﻤَﺮ ِإﱠﻻ ِﺑﺎﻟﺘﱠْﻘَﻮى َأَﺑﻠﱠْﻐﺖ O people, your Lord is one and your father Adam is one. There is no favor of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, and neither white skin over black skin, nor black skin over white skin, except by righteousness. Have I not delivered the message?41 Allaah the most High says again: ﷲِ َأْﺗَﻘﺎُﻛْﻢ ِإﱠن َأْﻛَﺮَﻣُﻜْﻢ ِﻋﻨَﺪ ﱠ Which translates to mean: Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the most righteous of you.42 Islaam does not forbid one from recognizing, embracing and loving one's race and/or people, as long as it is within Islamic guidelines and this love does not lead one to an inappropriate, dispraised and hated form of love, which is based on tribal pride and superiority; a love that leads to putting race over all else, namely the worship of Allaah. This has no room in Islaam. Regarding this, Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee said: 39 A short clip can be viewed here https://youtu.be/j0uCrA7ePno 40 Qur'an 49:13 41 Reported by Aḥmad 42 Qur'an 49:13 8 َ ِ ﺾ اﻟﱠﺮُﺟَﻞ ﻷﻧﱠﮫُ ِﻣْﻦ َﺑِﻨﻲ ُﻓَﻼن َ ﻀﺔُ َأْن َﯾْﺒُﻐ َ ﺼِﺒﯿﱠﺔُ اْﻟَﻤْﺤ َ َواْﻟَﻌ،ُﺐ اﻟﱠﺮُﺟُﻞ َﻗْﻮَﻣﮫ ﺼِﺒﯿﱠِﺔ َأْن ُﯾِﺤ ﱠ َ ﺲ ِﻣَﻦ اْﻟَﻌ َ ٍَوَﻟْﯿ "It is not racism that a person loves his people. Rather, racism is to despise others simply because he is from the son of so and so, i.e. they belong to a different race."43 In the explanation of Suratul Yaseen, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen رﺣﻤﮫ ﷲsaid: “He (the man running from the furthest part of the town) said: ِﯾَﻘْﻮم Which translates to mean: “O my people!” He did not say “O foolish ones”, or “O you ignorant ones”; rather, he said: “O my people!” Due to his love and compassion and sympathy for them, and he did not say: “O my brothers”, because there isn’t brotherhood between the believers and the disbelievers… it is correct to say: 'O my people', even if they were non-believers." "44 Shaykh Muhammad as-Shinqiti رﺣﻤﮫ ﷲsaid in his famous tafseer Adhwaa'a Al-Bayaan: “It is not permissible to promote or espouse tribalism/nationalism by the consensus of the Muslims scholars. However, Allah sometimes uses a believer's non-Muslim tribal/racial ties as a means of defending and supporting him”. Allaah says in the Qur'aan, which translates to mean: "They said: O Shu'ayb, we do not understand much of what you say, and indeed, we consider you among us as weak. And if not for your family, we would have stoned you [to death]; and you are not to us one (who is) respected." 45 Thus, Allaah the Most High illustrates to us in this ayah that He prevented the disbelievers from harming His prophet Shu'ayb ﻋﻠﯿﮫ اﻟﺴﻼمdue to the fear they had of his family who were not Muslims - but still supported him; not because of his religion, but because of his tribal affiliation."46 43 ﻣﺨﺘﺼ ﺮ اﻟﻤﺰﻧﻲ ﺑﮭﺎﻣﺶ اﻷم375/5 44 Translation (by the author of this article) of Tafseer Suratul Yaseen page 73 45 Qur'aan 11:91 46 أﺿﻮاء اﻟﺒﯿﺎن3/55 9 Conclusion: Muslims’ Responsibility In light of what has preceded, one may ask: "What role does the Muslim play in all that has been mentioned and in light of the murder of George Floyd, and/or any life that has been unjustly oppressed and systemically snuffed out?” In response to this most important and pressing question, the Muslim community has a very important and crucial role to play. Allah the Most High says: َ ف َوَﯾْﻨﮭَْﻮَن َﻋِﻦ اْﻟُﻤﻨَﻜِﺮ ۚ َوأُوَٰﻟِﺌ ﻚ ھُُﻢ اْﻟُﻤْﻔِﻠُﺤﻮَن ِ َوْﻟَﺘُﻜﻦ ﱢﻣﻨُﻜْﻢ أُﱠﻣﺔٌ َﯾْﺪُﻋﻮَن ِإَﻟﻰ اْﻟَﺨْﯿِﺮ َوَﯾْﺄُﻣُﺮوَن ِﺑﺎْﻟَﻤْﻌُﺮو Which translates to mean: "And let there arise from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful ones"47 ِ س َﺗْﺄُﻣُﺮوَن ِﺑﺎْﻟَﻤْﻌُﺮو ِ(ف َوَﺗْﻨﮭَْﻮَن َﻋِﻦ اْﻟُﻤﻨَﻜِﺮ َوُﺗْﺆِﻣُﻨﻮَن ِﺑﺎﱠ ْ ُﻛﻨُﺘْﻢ َﺧْﯿَﺮ أُﱠﻣٍﺔ أُْﺧِﺮَﺟ ِ ﺖ ِﻟﻠﻨﱠﺎ Which translates to mean: "You (the Muslim community) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin the good48 and forbid the evil49 and you believe in Allah."50 The Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢsaid: ﻓﺈن، ﻣﻦ رأى ﻣﻨﻜﻢ ﻣﻨﻜﺮا ﻓﻠﯿﻐﯿﺮه ﺑﯿﺪه: ﺳﻤﻌﺖ رﺳﻮل ﷲ ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢ ﯾﻘﻮل: ﻋﻦ أﺑﻲ ﺳﻌﯿﺪ اﻟﺨﺪري رﺿﻲ ﷲ ﻋﻨﮫ ﻗﺎل وذﻟﻚ أﺿﻌﻒ اﻹﯾﻤﺎن، ﻓﺈن ﻟﻢ ﯾﺴﺘﻄﻊ ﻓﺒﻘﻠﺒﮫ، ﻟﻢ ﯾﺴﺘﻄﻊ ﻓﺒﻠﺴﺎﻧﮫ.51 "Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith." The aforementioned text should encourage and incite us to be the forerunners in rectifying society and standing firmly upon justice. Allah the Most High says: 47 Qur'aan 3:104 48 Al-Ma'ruf اﻟﻤﻌ ﺮوفis an Arabic word in its literal sense, carrying the meaning of something that is well known. Meaning that there are some things that are well known to human nature that are good. This is programmed (by Allaah) within the natural state in which we were created. 49 Al-Munkar اﻟﻤﻨﻜﺮis an Arabic word in its literal sense that carries the meaning of that which is alien to the natural state of the human being. 50 Qur'aan 3:110 51 Reported by Muslim on the authority of Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudree رﺿﻲ ﷲ ﻋﻨﮫ 10 52 َ ْ ﺷﮭََﺪاَء ِ ﱠ(ِ َوَﻟْﻮ َﻋَﻠٰﻰ َأﻧُﻔِﺴُﻜْﻢ َأِو اْﻟَﻮاِﻟَﺪْﯾِﻦ َوا ۚ ﻷْﻗَﺮِﺑﯿَﻦ ُ َﯾﺎ َأﱡﯾﮭَﺎ اﻟﱠِﺬﯾَﻦ آَﻣُﻨﻮا ُﻛﻮُﻧﻮا َﻗﱠﻮاِﻣﯿَﻦ ِﺑﺎْﻟِﻘْﺴِﻂ Which translates to mean: “O you who have believed! Stand out firmly on justice, as witnesses to Allaah, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin…” We, as a community, have been charged with the rectification of society, as the above ayat53 and Prophetic narration explain. We hold the key to rectification, but this rectification can only be found in calling humanity to the worship of Allaah and teaching humanity how to live according to the last divinely revealed book Al-Qur’aan, which is the speech of Allaah and it is not created, nor is it fabricated. About this rectification, Imaam Maalik ibn Anas54 said: ﻟﻦ ُﯾﺼِﻠَﺢ آﺧَﺮ ھﺬه اﻷﻣﺔ إﻻ ﻣﺎ أﺻَﻠَﺢ أوَﻟﮭﺎ "Nothing will rectify the later part of this community, except that which rectified its first part" i.e. the call to pure Tawheed i.e. Islamic Monotheism. When people are oppressed, repressed, and murdered, the Muslim community must respond with clarity and within textual guidelines. Killing a soul is as if all of humanity has been killed. Allah says about the killing of one soul: َ س َﺟِﻤﯿًﻌﺎ َوَﻣْﻦ َأْﺣَﯿﺎھَﺎ َﻓَﻜﺄَﻧﱠَﻤﺎ َأْﺣَﯿﺎ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ …س َﺟِﻤﯿًﻌﺎ َ ض َﻓَﻜﺄَﻧﱠَﻤﺎ َﻗَﺘَﻞ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ َ ْ ﺴﺎٍد ِﻓﻲ ا ِ ﻷْر َ ﺲ َأْو َﻓ ً َأﻧﱠﮫُ َﻣﻦ َﻗَﺘَﻞ َﻧْﻔ... ٍ ﺴﺎ ِﺑَﻐْﯿِﺮ َﻧْﻔ Which translates to mean: "...if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind." What about mass systematic killing and spreading of corruption of a people, generation after generation?! Henceforth, it is our duty to direct and guide mankind with the guidance of the Prophets and Messengers55 ﻋﻠﯿﮭﻢ اﻟﺴﻼم, especially with the guidance of the seal of the final Prophet, Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢ. As Muslims, we have been addressed and instructed by Allaah: "You (the Muslim community) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin the good and forbid the evil and you believe in Allah."56 52 Qur’aan 4:135 53 Ayat (verses) is plural of Ayah (verse) which literally means a sign, because they are signs from Allaah. 54 One of the earliest scholars of Islaam who died in 179 Islamic calendar(795 Gregorian calendar). 55 we believe in all the Prophets and Messengers sent throughout the ages: Adam, Noah(Nuh), Abraham(Ibraahim),Lot (Lut), Jacob( Ya'qub), David(Dawud), Solomon (Sulayman), Moses(Musa), Jesus(Isa) and the rest of them sent by Allaah. 56 Qur'aan 3:110 11 This can only be done via the call to Tawheed57, not by way of protests, nationalism and/or by way of marching in the streets. These methods are not only anti-Islaam58, but have failed miserably in bringing about the desired end and/or significant results.59 A small example of this: the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was thought to be a landmark law in the United States, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, during the King assassination riots. This act expanded on previous acts and made it “Prohibited to discriminate concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin....” Yet, after the exhaustive efforts of Dr. King and his followers, along with the non-violent protest and marches, which ultimately resulted in the death of Dr. King in the year I was born (1968), you still find African Americans fighting for the same rights that the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was supposed to protect. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was drafted as a result of the death of Dr. King. Nevertheless, have African Americans really benefitted from it? "Redlining"60 says otherwise. The “redlining” housing map is color coded in order to safeguard white Americans. This is called “White privilege.” ● GREEN- A “BEST” (predominantly white communities) ● BLUE- B “STILL DESIRABLE” (maybe a few “well to do” African Americans mixed in with white Americans) ● YELLOW- C “DEFINITELY DECLINING” (too many African Americans in the neighborhood) ● RED- D “HAZARDOUS” (predominantly African American, low income residents) My sympathy goes out to the family of George Floyd and all the countless African American men and women, those who were murdered solely on the basis of their skin color. Or as a result (of their skin color) due to the fear of the unknown and/or the systemically perceived and stereotypical imagining created by journalistic sensationalism, which is a side of the same coin of systemic racism, gentrification61, oppression, aggression and murder. 57 Islamic monotheism. Tawheed in the language means to make something one. In the religion of Islaam it means to make Allaah one in His Lordship, His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes and one in His worship i.e. that worship belongs solely to and for Him Alone. 58 Islaam is based on divine revelation. Anything that is in contradiction to the text, is in contradiction to Islaam and anti-productive. As mentioned in footnote no. 2 Islaam is based on principles and one of the most fundamental principles of the religion is: Knowledge precedes speech and action." ﺑﺎب اﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻗﺒﻞ اﻟﻘﻮل واﻟﻌﻤﻞ 59 As I compose this writing, not even two weeks after the murder of George Floyd, yet another African American male was gunned down by another white officer as he ran away. The murder of Rayshard (Rashad) Brooks in Atlanta, in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant. 60 Redlining" is a more sophisticated and clandestine way of segregating African American from white America within the housing development community. Redlining began with the National Housing Act of 1934, which established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Redlining is known by this name due to the color coded housing maps which indicate the red zone (predominantly African American communities) being hazardous. Redlining is the fencing off areas where banks would avoid investments based on community demographics. It is also an area where supermarket chains prefer not to build their chains. 61 In a nutshell: Gentrification is the process of a demographic change in a historically disenfranchised and disinvested, but yet “salvageable” community. This is by means of real estate investment and higher income residents moving in i.e. white Americans and pushing African Americans out. 12 When I was a young man, my mother (May Allaah have Mercy upon her) told me about the unjust murder of my 16 year old brother at the hands of a white police officer in the 1960s, right before my birth. In her soft settled voice, she sadly recounted that she had sent him to the store to buy some bread. While in the store, which had been robbed sometime earlier, there was a white officer present. As my brother stood in line to purchase that loaf of bread, as my dear mother (May Allaah have mercy on her) mentioned to me, being the huge young man he was, and being an African American in the 1960s, he posed an apparent threat to (the subconscious of) the white officer. The officer turned around and fired a shot into the body of my young, innocent brother, resulting in his death. He was gunned down like a hunted beast. The excuse: “He was startled because of his (my brother’s) size and he thought that he was the person who robbed the store earlier" i.e. African Americans all look alike in the minds of white Americans. The reality is that my brother had no chance of survival at that moment and in reality, even before his birth and such is this case for countless more young African American men and women. This reality is due to racial profiling, stereotyping and systemic racism, which Islaam does away with, and is the only solution for change. The way forward is Islaam. The religion of Islaam changed the pre-Islamic Arab society, the society in which they resided. A society rooted in racism, tribal superiority and tribal dominance. The companions62 of the Messenger of Allaah in their pre-Islamic state, were no different than the African Americans. The pre-Islamic Arabs participated in just about all the vices known to man. Multiple men performed illicit sexual activities with one woman, robbed caravans, drank alcohol, killed, stole, lied, cheated, fornicated, committed adultery, racism, etc. Islaam eradicated all of this. One such example is Bilaal ibn Rabah, an African slave. The Arabs deemed Africans the 'unfit' of society. It was Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, an Arab, who purchased Bilaal's freedom. Thereafter, Bilaal lived a prosperous life amongst the Muslims and held an honored station with the Messenger of Allaah as his caller to prayer. He was also told that he would have an honored position in the paradise. Once, Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, the bedouin, another companion of the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢonce used a racial epithet for Bilaal, "O son of a black woman". Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ وﺳﻠﻢseverely criticized him and said, "O Aba Dharr, you have traces of (pre-Islamic) ignorance in you." Thereafter, Abu Dharr placed his head on the ground and told Bilaal, the now freed African slave, to step on it. These examples are numerous and Islaam eradicated them all. Islaam solved the social inequality and systemic problems of racism, racial supremacy, unjustified murder and all other ills that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia. It abolished these social ills all within a period of 23 years, until it 62 In Islaam they are known as As-Salafus Saalih اﻟﺴﻠﻒ اﻟﺼﺎﻟﺢthe Pious Predecessors. 13 was completely obliterated. More specifically, the head of evil and the most detrimental of them and the root cause that allows all evils to exist is ascribing partners to Allaah. Eradicating the worship of the many false deities, was an eradication of false whims, desires and ideologies of men. All of which brings about a false system that allows systemic ills and evils to exist. Acknowledgement I would like to acknowledge and thank my brother, Abu Bilal Fareed Nayeem, for dedicating himself and his time in editing my projects. His service is invaluable and appreciated. Special thanks also goes out to Shaykh Ahmad As-Subay'ee ﺣﻔﻈﮫ ﷲof Kuwait, who encouraged me to write with that which is on the level of understanding of the people with me, i.e. Americans. و اﻟﺤﻤﺪ ( وﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ وﺳﻠﻢ وﺑﺎرك ﻋﻠﻰ ﻧﺒﯿﻨﺎ All praises belong to Allaah (upon its completion) and the most perfect of salutations, supplications and blessings upon His final Prophet Muhammad. Shawwal 23rd, 1441 Hijri calendar in accordance to June 15th, 2020 Written by the hands of the one in most need of Allaah, Khaleel Davis 14
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