Rival Muslim groups converge on Chicago

Washington Times ^ | 8/30/03 | Rachel Zoll, AP

[kattracks]

This Labor Day weekend, more than 50,000 American Muslims were expected in Chicago for an annual gathering.

But they won't all be attending the same meeting.

American blacks and immigrant Muslims are holding separate conventions just three miles apart — underscoring the divide between the two groups that Muslim leaders have been struggling to bridge for years.

[Lion Den Dan]

Perhhaps these tribes will eliminate each other.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

American Muslims have been striving to present a positive image of their religion...

By rationalizing terrorism, quoting the Arab media's outrageous stories that Sept. 11th was some sort of Zionist plot to justify attacking Muslim countries, and constantly whining because mainstream America isn't kissing up to them?

And they wonder why they have an image problem.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Many immigrants arrived in the United States with a warped view of blacks as unsophisticated and even dangerous...

Where would they get ideas like that? Rap "music"?

It wouldn't have anything to do with over 70% of them being somewhere in the criminal justice system (with pending criminal cases, in jail, on probation, or parole), would it?

[Imal]

Time for Mr. Farrakhan to make his play, it seems.

[Imal]

For an interesting backgrounder on Louis Haleem Abdul Farrakhan, formerly known as Louis Eugene Walcott, check out this biography and tribute page by K-12 student Sean D.

[Imal]

Sorry, screwed up the link. The page for Louis Farrakhan can be found here.

[Elkiejg]

If only we would!! Sometimes our freedoms are our greatest liability.

[tkathy]

Rivals in enabling and victimhood.

[Salman]

Apparently, Farrakhanism isn't Islam.

Sample:
More deserving to be called the Nation of Kufr, this cult has used black nationalism as its momentum in finding recruits. with elements of Muslim and Christian beliefs

[The Duke]

Oh, great - fruits AND nuts!

[dagnabbit]

And we keep immigrating more of this dangerous crap.

[Tunehead54]

Least these groups had the decency not to schedule their pow wows on September 11th.

---

[bboop]

So -- what is this poster for?? Where is it from?? Is it in the US??? I do not want to log into the website .... Seems like the FBI should attend ...

[dagnabbit]

It's something from the muslims the British government decided to bring into the UK.

[SauronOfMordor]

It wouldn't have anything to do with over 70% of them being somewhere in the criminal justice system (with pending criminal cases, in jail, on probation, or parole), would it?

It's actually more like 33%, which is still bad. In the inner cities, perhaps a majority would be involved in the criminal justice system, but middle-class blacks in the suburbs have a somewhat lower percentage of involvement

[happygrl]

Leaders from both communities emphasized that Muslims are still establishing themselves in the United States and they predict the American-born children of immigrants and the children of black Muslims will more easily mingle.

I predict otherwise.

They live in two different worlds, which rarely intersect.

Mr. Mohammed, the imam, said his organization remains interested in pursuing a joint convention now with the Islamic Society. But he concedes that the rank-and-file members of both organizations may need to wait.

"Most of them, the leadership of the immigrant community, they want to see that happen, but I don't think they feel their people are ready for that," Mr. Mohammed said. "Most of our people aren't ready for that either. Our people are still remembering and feeling the pain of social disrespect, and they have experienced that with immigrant Muslims."

Any questions ?

[SauronOfMordor]

So -- what is this poster for?? Where is it from?? Is it in the US??? I do not want to log into the website .... Seems like the FBI should attend ...

The "Magnificent 19" Poster advertises the British Islamic Conference. Perhaps the British SAS could attend. Or perhaps they could give a free pass to the IRA...

[latrans]

"Islam teaches unity among all believers".........
You Bet!

[happygrl]

How about asking the question this way ?

How many Black Muslims have been in the criminal justice system? Is that less than the 33% (of all black males) or more than 33% ? Seems to me that since the prisons are a high-recruitment source for Black Muslims, it might be 70 %, but I don't have any statistics.

[SauronOfMordor]

"Most of our people aren't ready for that either. Our people are still remembering and feeling the pain of social disrespect, and they have experienced that with immigrant Muslims."

It might hav something to do with Arabic Middle-Eastern Muslims looking down on all other Muslims. Or that the Arabic Muslims having been the ones who captured and sold their ancestors

[SauronOfMordor]

How many Black Muslims have been in the criminal justice system?

That would be a hard statistic to come by, since the justice system doesn't collect those stats, and the black muslims would be hard to accurately survey.

[Tunehead54]

Where is it from?? Is it in the US???

---

Don't be silly! Of course its not being held in the US - it'll be in London, England! Unbelievable!

Here's a thread: Islamists Say Event Celebrating 9/11 Terrorists Not Really A Celebration of Terrorism

[FITZ]

American blacks and immigrant Muslims are holding separate conventions just three miles apart

Not surprising because Arabs are actually very racist. It's funny how the Arabs will claim Islam in America is growing because then they count Black Muslims in with Islam but then they turn around later and say the Nation of Islam isn't real Islam.

[FITZ]

Leaders from both communities emphasized that Muslims are still establishing themselves in the United States and they predict the American-born children of immigrants and the children of black Muslims will more easily mingle.

It wouldn't be too bad if the Arabs start inter-marrying with the Blacks because that's the only way they're going to assimilate even a little into American society.

[Clemenza]

Not surprising because Arabs are actually very racist.

I live in a neighborhood with a HUGE Arab Muslim population. The funny thing is, they HATE blacks, although the younger kids LOVE hip-hop music and styles.

[FITZ]

I've read about Arabs clashing with the Blacks in Detroit and the rich Arabs in Dearborn are quite anti-Black. I would hope Nation of Islam would win out because overall it's a less dangerous religion than the Arab Islam.

[Mears]

"Perhaps these tribes will eliminate eachother"

I'll second that!

[Clemenza]

Yeah. Young Mohammed like hangin' with his pals and saying "wuz up my nigga," while bashing in the head of any black who dared come near his sister. They truly are an odd lot.

BTW: You are correct: The NOI is basically harmless (I know from experience, having once lived a few blocks from Mr. Farrakhan in Chi-Town), Hezbollah is another matter...

[varon]

"We're different culturally and we're different ethnically, and that creates some difficulties in terms of communication and understanding,"

Any chance of a 50,000 free-for-all on the streets of Chicago???

[happygrl]

Or that the Arabic Muslims having been the ones who captured and sold their ancestors

Eeewwww.

Touchy subject there.

[swarthyguy]

A lot of recently converted Black Muslims like to hit on chicks from other countries, often to the costernation of the immigrant parents.

[Hank Rearden]

Like that old breath-mint jingle goes:

"It's two . . . . . two . . . . . two dumbass cults in one!"

[Mark17]

I live in a neighborhood with a HUGE Arab Muslim population. The funny thing is, they HATE blacks, although the younger kids LOVE hip-hop music and styles.

Sorry to say, I once had a Muslim friend from Pakistan, though he surely is not my friend anymore. He told me he had no time for NOI, and most, if not all Arab Muslims did not consider them to be real Muslims. I don't know if they all think that way, but he did.

[Rummyfan]

Fifty thousand Muslims in Chicago? Is it possible for so many Muslims to gather in one place without bombs going off? Is there some obscure Muslim Holy Site in Chicago? Seems like throughout the Middle East every ancient mud hut is some Musl;im shrine or other. As for that meeting in London on the 11th - it should be fire bombed.

[cyborg]

I find that many Arabs I meet hate blacks in this country because they do not want to be confused with them. One of the one hand a few want so desperately to be considered white, as if that's such a big deal. On the other hand, black Americans do not have a good reputation I have to say, but that has to do more with class more than basic racism. I've grown up with many black Americans and can't count on my fingers the amount of times being called mellow yellow, zebra, white nigger,brown spaghetti,coconut, and laughed at for talking funny (i.e. speaking dutch creole and proper english). My mother has been called coconut, oreo cookie, sellout, slavemaster's whore,etc. Also, there is a lot of resentment towards foreign born immigrants in general because immigrants come over here and succeed at what many blacks complain about not being able to because of white people. Korean grocery store owners know this, West Indians know this, and Arabs know this too.

[mtbopfuyn]

Question - Could someone explain what it is about Islam that is bringing in so many Blacks. I thought they were into Mother Africa (not that 99.9% have even been there and those few who have thank their lucky stars to be Americans). Why not emulate old African tribal religions? Yes, I understand that the tribal religions are being replaced in recent years by Muslim and Chritianity. But see, there's that pull of Muslim all over the world - why? Also, why are Blacks changing their names to something one might find in a spilt bowl of alphabet soup?

[cyborg]

As I've been told by many black muslims, christianity is a faggot religion that has emasculated the black man. It teaches men in general to be weak and subserviant to a white man's God. Christianity teaches love thy neigborhood and enemy,etc. have one wife and do not cheat. The bible teaches creation which denies evolution and the race classification of Darwin thus promoting the brotherhood of humankind. Horrible ideas right?

[Clemenza]

There was a rapper a few years ago named Slick Rick who said that when he moved to the Bronx from England when he was a teen, he was routinely beaten by his "brothers" for talking with an English accent. He eventually moved back to London.

[cyborg]

Yes I remember that. I think things are much better today. During the eighties and early nineties (when the glorification of black ghetto culture was very high) I saw a lot of that 'acting white' stuff. I watched many talented black friends fall into the 'peer pressure' trap. Glad those days are OVER, and black kids have a lot more choices (as opposed to rap artist or basketball player). When I say choices, I do not mean institutional racist roadblocks. Our minds are the greatest barriers to personal successs. You can pick your friends, school,etc.

Just my humble opinion.