The following verse in the Chapter “The Women” informs MuslimARC’s policies towards speaking out against racism and discrimination:
Sahih International: O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.
It is this Qur’anic ethos that has many Muslims through the United States challenging anti-Black racism by learning more about the contributions of Blacks and Africans in the Ummah. Last week’s MuslimARC’s hashtag campaign helped amplify the the voices of Black Muslims across the globe. The tweets ranged from celebrations and mourning, joy and anger, funny and down right sad. Many of the tweets brought to light the personal experiences of racism. It was part of a whole month of programming for Black History Month.
Beginning tomorrow at 1 pm EST, MuslimARC plans to examine structural racism, policies that have marginalized ethnic minorities, such as the Gnawa in Morocco, the Nubians in Egypt and Sudan or Haratine, in Mauritanian, as well as Sub-Saharan African migrants to North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. We will share heartbreaking stories of human trafficking in Lebanon, accounts of the mistreatment of refugees in Egypt, and cultural and political legacies of the African Diaspora. Through this Twitter campaign, we hope to learn more about the stories of Black Muslims globally, amplifying their voices. Their lives shed light on the many intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, class, and religion, as well as the linkages that connect us all.