How do Middle Eastern Muslims feel about

[lena]

Blacks comprise one America's highest Muslim concentrations. I was just wondering how Arab and Persian Muslims felt about them and what was their relationship to them.

[servant_of_Allah]

Hi Lena !

"Blacks comprise one America's highest Muslim concentrations. I was just wondering how Arab and Persian Muslims felt about them and what was their relationship to them.
khj"

Firstly, could you kindly tell me whether you're a Muslim or not?

Before addressing your question, i would like to make one thing very clear. As far as i recall, and Allah knows best, nationalism is prohibited in Islam. Also, racism is prohibited in Islam.

Now, back to your question. Yes, i realise that a significant number of American Muslims are Afro-Americans. What do Muslims in the Muslim world think of them? We think they're our brothers and sisters in Islam. It's as simple as that.

I don't think we have one set of views about 'Arab Muslims' and another set of views about 'Afro-American Muslims'. No, rather, we're all Muslims. And that is what matters, not the colour of our skin, or our nationality.

I live in the United Arab Emirates. We have alot of African Muslims over here. The muazzin of my mosque is an African.

However, i also wish to make it very clear to you, that organizations such as the NOI, i.e. "Nation of Islam" are NOT Muslims. They are disbelievers. They are considered disbelievers not because they're "black", but because of their beliefs. I think reading more about Malcolm X will shed some more light on this issue. Even reading about Muhammed Ali might help to shed some more light on the issue, since he used to be a member of the NOI, but later on became a Sunni Muslim.

I hope i've helped to answer your question.

Bye,
servant of Allah.

[Om_Mohammed]

Assalaamu alaikum.

Hello, Lena. And welcome to these forums. Do not recognize your name as having posted before.

Servant of Allah has quite eloquently and completely answered your question. I would like merely to elaborate slightly on it.

As he has stated, Islam directs us all to consider and feel for our brethren muslims as true brother and sisters-regardless of race or nationality or station in life.

And so, although human nature many times divides people according to their differences, this question in itself is rather irrelevant to the true muslims-those who faithfully believe and follow the directives of the Quran.

It may interest you to realize that in all actuality, the percentage of Arab muslims in the world is quite small in relation to those from other nations. In fact, Indonesia is well-known to have the largest single population of concentration of muslims in it's country. And the muslims who are of Arab origin surprisingly make up a very small percentage of the world's muslims. The Chinese muslim community is also quite a large section of the muslim population. As well as Africans from various nations. Not to mention the vast amounts of Americans and Europeans.

Islam teaches and reinforces that we are all brethren, and therefore the race or nationality of the persons truly has very little if any meaning in Islam.

Please do refer to the articles in reference to MalcomX, located in the 'current affairs' forum, for some more information and knowledge on this very related topic.

Thankyou.

Om Mohammed.