Why do some African-American groups embrace Islam?

Question

Such as the Nation of Islam or the Nation of Gods and Earths? Islam condoned slavery until quite recently, and some sects of Islam continue to condone slavery. Now I'm not suggesting that any one religion is any better or worse than any other. Every religion in the world has had its problems. But I find it ironic that certain African-American civil rights activists have embraced Islam, considering that #1 Islam traditionally accepts slavery, and #2 there are other religions which would better express Afrocentric Pride than Islam. Voodoo springs to mind. Voodoo is the New World version of traditional African tribal religions. It was central to the successful slave revolt of Haiti. So, why don't African-Americans embrace VooDoo instead of Islam?

I mean no offense to Islam, and I mean no offense to African Americans. But what about the African Diaspora religions? Why not Voudoun?

Voodoo is not evil, and is not about harming people. The religion of Voudoun is a legitimate religion that was brought from Africa to the New World by the slaves. They were forced to practice in secret, and so they disguised their African gods as Catholic saints. Voudoun was instrumental in the slave revolt of Haiti. There are many misconceptions about Voudoun, but nowhere in Voudoun teachings is there Hell and Damnation for non-believers. And I've never seen a Voudoun priestess fly a plane into a building. Which religion is more about harming people?

Just because slavery is "different" in Islam, doesn't make it any less wrong. A pig in lingerie is still a pig. Slavery by any other name is still the oppression of one person by another.

I actually didn't mean for this to be an anti-Muslim question, so much as a pro-Voudoun question. If you want to reject the religion of the oppressor, then why not look into the religion your people had before they were oppressed? Voudoun is so misunderstood, and I believe that the negative stereotypes about it are racially motivated. All part of subjugating Blacks. There is no basis for it.

The negative stereotypes about Islam, however, are based on the violent actions of certain Muslim fringe groups.

Answer 1

While I cannot speak to the details about Islam and what makes it appealing as I know relatively little about the religion, I can speak to why African-Americans have a hard time embracing their ancient African traditions such as Vodou, Santeria, etc. As an African-American woman, I can speak from first-hand experience with the way the African Traditional Religions have been maligned. Our traditional ways were intentionally or unintentionally misinterpreted and mis-communicated ever since the invasion of Europeans into Africa which led to the development of the chattel slavery system that brought us to this land. There is no small amount of evidence that this tendency to present African traditions in the most sensational and licentious of terms was used, in part, as justification for the subjugation and enslavement of other human beings by a supposedly civilized and Christian group of people.

These negative portrayals of ATRs were beaten into Africans brought to the Americas both literally with the lash and figuratively with the Bible. Hence, African traditional ways of honoring God and dealing with our ancestral lines were lost in two ways: 1) ecstatic spiritual practice honoring God through song and dance were subjugated to the confines of white Christianity which led to the development of Spiritualist, Baptist, and Pentecostal Christian traditions here in the US as well as the development of Gospel music and 2) the honoring of the dead and maintaining the family line was lost through the systematic separation of families and the perpetuation of the myth that Africa had no history prior to the invasion of whites.

Even with the advent of the modern Civil Rights Movement here in the US along with the Black Pride Movement of the 70's which led to African and African-American studies in colleges and universities, there is very little by way of real African history taught to our children before they encounter these programs in college and, even then, these are not mandatory subjects of study for US college students. Add to this that proportionally fewer African-Americans even get to college than other groups and there are numerous people who never get exposed to properly researched and presented African and African-American history unless their parents, grandparents, etc. are particularly culturally astute.

Finally, even today, in popular media it is easier to portray Africa, ATRs and African-Americans in the traditional and negative ways we have always been portrayed rather than to us those forms of contact with the public to provide accurate information. It's just not "sexy" enough for TV or movies to see a mambo or houngan dressed in jeans and a white shirt and scarf praying for over an hour before so much as saying a word to their spirits. It's much more entertaining and titillating to see someone dressed in freaky clothes ripping the head off an animal and covering him/herself in blood.

There is, unfortunately, no short answer to this question but opening ones eyes and looking around about how people of African descent are played over and over again in our society begins to scratch the surface of this important topic. Please find below some resources you might find of interest.

Be well,
Mambo Michele

Answer 2

1) Islam does not condone the slavery concept that was used by white americans against africans, and never did. The Islamic version of treating a slave is very different.

2) Voodoo is something evil and used to harm people. Why would you call Africans to make it their pride. Are you trying to make them out to be evil?

Answer 3

Perhaps it's because some African-Americans see a Christianity dominated by conservative whites. In essence, they are rejecting the religion of those they see as the oppressors, and yet, being fundamentally monotheistic, they may naturally gravitate towards Islam.

Answer 4

Might be you should learn Islam, then you will understand the beauty of Islam, instead of stereotyping it. Go to mosques and you will find the truth about Islam. This is a world where people dont just accept things easily. Islam has given these converts the best answers which they cant deny but just to accept it. Please study it go to Islamic centres or mosques for advises, you will thank me soon, for guiding you to the straight path. Everything that is confusing would be solved please learn Islam, I too wont be surprised after learning you will be a Muslim too.

Answer 5

Like most if not all cults, NOI is good at tickling the ears of potential recrits, telling them what they want to hear (i.e., you're superior, unseen enemies are out to get you, we'll protect you from them, this also works with gangs and pimps). Inconvenient facts like the slavery issue you brought up are just labeled lies/distortions. Blacks are still being enslaved under islamic regimes like Sudan and Mauritania, strangeley enough the NOI is unconcerned.

iaioah: I'm sure the slavemasters in the south claimed to be treating their slaves with pride 150 years ago. Strangely enough, slaves still escaped any chance they got.

Answer 6

If an African Ameican or any race decides to revert to Islam it is because they see that Islam is the religion of God and is the truth. The Nation of Islam is a racist sexist cult.

Answer 7

Many African countries are primarily Islamic.

Answer 8

nation of Islam and the Gods and earth arent Islam. and slavery in islam is not how you think it was. they were treated slaves with pride. and those that were being mistreated where bought by muslims and set free. such as Bilal which Muhammad peace be upon him set free. the muslims that had slaves rewarded them and where like family they where basically maids.

Answer 9

Be it known to you, my friend, that nobody has given mankind such detailed information about God as our Holy Prophet (s). I advise you to have faith in his teachings, to make him your leader and to accept his guidance for your salvation. Thus advising you I have done the best that I can do as a sincere and loving adviser and I assure you that however you may try to find a better way for your good, you will not find any superior to the one advised by me.

Answer 10

I thought maybe they did it for the bow ties.