MuslimMatters.org Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life

“Black people in America can never be Muslim,” he said to me as I stood next to his desk. I stared at my teacher with an expression that must have conveyed very little of what I felt right then. I didn’t know what to say. I studied his eyes, slightly enlarged by the thick glasses he wore. The deep olive of his Arab complexion was nearly the same as my American brown. We even shared the same hair texture—though my hair was covered right then. Read More »

Although many Muslims view converts as valuable assets to our communities, the way some Muslims behave toward converts proves contradictory. This is the story of Miriam - an Igbo convert, who struggles to bridge her African culture and Islam, and in the process seeks to find her place in the Muslim community. Read More »