As a Somali-Muslim American growing up in the Midwest I have always noticed the anti-blackness in the Muslim community between black Muslims and Arab Muslims especially during my time in middle school & my family stories while in vacation in MENA countries. I know that anti-black racism is way implemented in the Arab Community for quite a long time, but it could be a new issue to everybody and I am glad I have a platform to address it.
As for the oppression of black Muslims, I have seen the rise of anti-blackness in the Arab community on news outlets. During the Second Sudanese Civil War, about 2.5 million people were murdered or ethnically-cleansed and its hugely considered as racially motivated attacks. Consequences of anti-black racism in MENA ( Middle East/North African) have been mass arrests of black indigenous Africans and brutal killings. It just goes to show that the anti-black racism in the Arab community does exist.
Growing up as a Somali Muslim, I had many Arab friends & family and I’ve been told by them that there is a a racist term for black people called ‘abeeds’ which means slave or monkey which i was called regularly in 6th grade but i have never told anyone about it because at the time i didn’t know what the term means.
As i researched about the anti-blackness in the Arab community, I came across the history of the Arab slave trade which is a practice of slavery mainly in Western Asia, North Africa, Southeast Africa, The Horn of Africa, and certain parts of Europe (surprising right?). Their ethnic prejudices and racial discrimination were expanded among Arabs for their large-scale conquests and slave trades. For example an Arab Poet from the 7th century wrote: “The blacks do not earn their pay by good deeds, and are not good repute. The children of a stinking Nubian black- God put no light in their complexions!”. I think that the views of that in the past does influence the present-day anti-black views that some people may hold.
I definitely feel that the world has progressed but has not fully progressed. I do know that Anti-blackness is global and its flourishing in countries. I absolutely do not believe all Arabs are anti-black at all, I am speaking from my experiences and my families experience as black Muslims. My goal is to prevent anti-black racism by educating and it’s absolutely incredible that a platform like this will speak on social justice issues.
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