Andrew J. Ayers
ETH/125
April 11, 2011
Teresa Edge
Arabs and Muslim Americans
What distinguishes African American Muslims from other practicing Muslims in the United States today? * Arabs are an ethnic group. * Muslims are a religious group. * Islam is the faith, like Christianity. * Muslim is a believer of that religion, like a Christian. * You cannot accurately identify the Muslims by nationality alone. * Just because you are Arab does not define you as being a follower of Islam.
African American Muslims; * Not tightly organized into a single religious fellowship. * Against adultery and drinking alcohol. * Trace their roots to the teachings of W. Fard Muhammad. * Believed that the natural superiority of Black people would cause them to win out in the struggle between Blacks and Whites. * The nation of Islam well-known and controversial organization. * Preached racial hatred and experienced internal dissention.
Some of the ways that the immigration of Muslims and Arabs have been influenced by governmental policies of the United States are * The Anti-Terrorism Act and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 – This created “designations” of foreign terrorist organizations and has since been largely enforced against Middle Eastern aliens. This law was passed amid much criticism by civil liberties organizations, law professors, and constitutional rights advocates as “one of the worst assaults on the constitution in decades.” President Bush and many congressmen have candidly objected to the “secret evidence” provision of the Act as an instrument of “profiling”. (Chicago Tribune[submission to the State Advisory Committee, The United States Commission On Civil Rights], March 29, 2002) * U.S. Patriot Act In the early years the US allowed all immigrants to enter the country and become permanent residents but, did not mean that they would not encounter discrimination or