Racism: Is There a Solution?

[bamalli]

Racism: Is There a Solution?

Nigger, Paki, Gollywog, Chink, Honkey, Sand-Nigger[ 1] .... The list of
remarks which signify racism in our world, is endless. But to many people in
the West, racism no longer exists. Many believe that our 'free'(?) world has
eradicated this problem. The rights of homosexuals and animals are given
higher priority, and people believe that the real oppression in the world
lies here! Such delusion clouds the reality which we live in. Whilst animal
rights activists and homosexuals march so vigorously for freedom, they seem
to forget that people the world-over are continually being oppressed, simply
due to the colour of their skin or the label of their race. How sad it is
that the Western world conveniently chooses to ignore the devastating
consequences of this problem.

According to the Oxford dictionary, racism is the: "belief in superiority of
particular race; antagonism towards other races" [2]. From such a simple
definition arises so much oppression and hatred. The belief that one
particular race is superior to another, has led to injustice and tyranny
against fellow humans. Racism is a disease which has taken on epidemic
proportions and has even become accepted in many societies, past and
present. But one may well ask, where did such behaviour originate from?

Origins

The origins of racism can be found in the annals of history. However, people
are often biased and very subjective in their findings. For example, a Jew
may claim that racism started with the expulsion of the Jews from Jerusalem
by the Romans in 70 CE [3]. An Afro-centric[ 4] person on the other hand, may
claim that racism originated from the European colonisation of Africa and
the engagement with the slave trade. Each race can thus claim to reveal the
origins of this problem according to their own historical sufferings.

Islam however, is not like this. Because Islam was not revealed for a
specific set of people or for a specific period of time, it is able to
answer this question in a truly objective manner. This is one of the reasons
why Islam has been so successful against racism. The origins of racism, as
explained by Islam, go back to the beginning of mankind's creation. Before
the creation of man, Allaah the Most High, had already created the Angels
and the Jinn. Amongst the Angels at that time was a Jinn by the name of
Iblis. Iblis had resided amongst the Angels and was very obedient to Allaah.
However, this was to change, as Allaah then created man. This new creation
of Allaah was created from clay and named Adam. He was first in the line of
humanity, and as a result occupies a very special place in history. From him
and his wife Hawwa (Eve), the generations of humanity have descended. After
his creation, Allaah ordered the Angels and those with them to prostrate to
Adam. The Qur'an informs us of this important event, from which we may all
learn a valuable lesson:

"And (remember) when We said to the Angels: 'Prostrate yourselves to Adam',
and they all prostrated except Iblis. He refused and was proud and was one
of the disbelievers"

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:34)

and:

"(Allaah) said: 'What prevented you (Iblis) that you did not prostrate?'
Iblis said; 'I am better then him, you created me from fire and you created
him from clay'"

(Surah Al-A'raf 7:12)

In Islam, the other name for Iblis is 'Shaytan'[5] or the Devil. Thus, the
root of racism is attributed to the Devil. Iblis's insistence on being
better than Adam, aroused his arrogance and pride. And what was the reason
for this insistence? Nothing more then the fact that Iblis was of fire and
Adam was of clay. It was at this stage in the history of the world, that the
ugly head of racism first reared itself.

Iblis, the Devil, was consequently the world's first racist! This Islamic
explanation helps us to understand the reality of racism. Pride and
arrogance leads to people thinking that they are better than others, simply
because of their physical makeup. This pride and arrogance is truly a
Devilish trait which humans have learnt from Iblis, the accursed Devil.
Iblis's refusal to prostrate before Adam led to his expulsion from the
company of the Angels, and he vowed to Allaah that:

".. I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (humanity) on the earth
and I shall mislead them all, except Your chosen slaves among them"

(Surah Al-Hijr 15:39-40)

True to his word, the astray Devil has indeed adorned the path of error for
most of mankind throughout the ages. One of these adornments has of course
been the Devilish behaviour of Racism.

Manifestations

Ever since Iblis's refusal to bow down to Adam, the world has seen an
increase in racism. Not only were people affected by this trend, but so were
religions, creeds and ideologies. Before long Religions and creeds were
justifying the superiority of some over others. An example of this is the
religions of Judaism and Hinduism. By their very teachings, both of these
ancient religions are racist. With Judaism, a person cannot become a Jew
unless be/she is born from a Jewish mother. This then means that all
non-Jews cannot enter Paradise, simply because they were not born into this
faith! With Hinduism, not only does it degrade the Creator by representing
him as a monkey, rat, cow, elephant and even the male private organ (!), but
it has also created one of the worlds most ancient forms of racism - the
caste system. According to Hinduism, the higher castes originate from the
upper body-parts of God, such as the chest and head, whereas the lower
castes come from the lower bodyparts of God such as the legs and feet! This
theory of degrading the Creator then justifies the oppression which happens
to the lower castes. Such is this oppression, that if a higher caste person
walks through the shadow of a lower caste person, he deems himself to have
become impure and consequently has to bathe himself!

Other religions such as Christianity, have often been used to justify racist
ventures. During the age of exploration the European powers used
Christianity to justify their own imperial ambitions. The infamous Spanish
Conquistadors used Christianity as a pretext to wipe out the Inca and Aztec
civilisations of Central and South America during the 15th and 16th
centuries. Nations such as the Dutch and the British used Christianity to
justify their horrendous treatment of native Africans. The notorious
Trans-Atlantic slave trade saw one of the worst forms of racism ever
implemented. This form of racism saw entire cultures wiped out and replaced
with the culture of their racist aggressors. This is why even today, many of
the surnames which people from the Caribbean have, are in fact the names of
their ancestral European slave masters.

It is not only religion which has been gripped by this disease, but also
science. By the 19th century the Western world had rejected religion and was
looking towards science to provide the answers for our existence. The
dominant theory at the time was Charles Darwin's theory of Evolution.
However, unknown to many, Darwin's expeditions were only-funded by the
British government so that a scientific base could be used for racist and
imperial ambitions. The theory espoused that man evolved from apes. It then
claimed that some people had not fully evolved from their primate forms, and
were thus inferior to others. These inferior people were said to be the
non-Europeans, and especially the Africans. Thus, on a mission to civilise
these 'savages', the Europeans used Darwin's theory to oppress and destroy
many parts of the world.

The 20th century has also seen attempts to justify racism and its theories.
During the 30's and 40's the German Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler used the
credentials of the Aryan[6] people, to legitimise his ruthless actions. The
Apartheid regime of South Africa also used racism and racial segregation to
maintain its existence. This has continued until today with many groups
advocating clear White supremacy over the rest of mankind. The Ku Klux Klan,
the British National Party and the Aryan Nation are examples of such groups.

The faces of racism are many. It should not be thought that racism is only
conducted by the Europeans or Whites. Racial superiority over Whites has
also been advocated by Black people during this century. After centuries of
oppression, the Black community in the Western world expressed its
sentiments in an explosive way. The decade of the 60's saw many civil rights
movements emerge. Along with these came all the radical movements who
popularised slogans such as 'Black Power'. Before long there were many
movements who openly advocated racism against White people. What made things
even worse, was that some of the most vocal movements attached themselves to
the religion of Islam - a religion which (as will be seen) destroys racism
from its very root. Amongst these groups were the Nation of Islam and the
Ansarullah[7] . They openly advocated that the White people were devils and
Black people were gods. Their open (but false) attachment to Islam helped to
visualise Islam as being racist - something which could not be further from
the truth.

The Solution

So what is the solution for this world-wide epidemic? As Muslims we know
that to defeat racism means to defeat Iblis, the Devil. Because humans are
weak, it would be imperative that we adopt some, divine method in tackling
this Devilish disease. This method is none other then ISLAM, the untainted
and pure religion which came to benefit humanity through its teachings.

Just as Islam explains the origins of racism, it also tells us how to combat
it. This is firmly expressed in the Qur'an, when Allaah explains the reason
for our variety as different races and peoples:

"O' mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into
nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed the most
honourable of you in the sight of Allaah is the one with the most piety"

(Surah Al-Hujjarat 49:13)

It is clear from this verse as to how humanity should act towards one
another. We have been created like one huge beautiful garden with many
different types of flowers in it. Each flower is clearly distinguished from
the other, yet they all belong to the same garden. This unity of the nations
can only be achieved when people recognise that it is Islam which will bring
the different peoples of the world under one banner. And it is within this
banner that people can achieve true piety and thus excel themselves in the
sight of Allaah.

The teachings of Islam cut racism from its very root. By looking at the
sayings and actions of the last Messenger, Muhammed (saws), we can see how
racism was truly obliterated with the advent of Islam. The Prophet (saws)
said: "Indeed there is no excellence for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a
non-Arab over an Arab, nor a White person over a Black one, nor a Black
person over a White one, except through piety"[8].A statement like this
tells us that this man, Muhammed, was truly a recipient of Divine
inspiration. His words were not empty like the words of so many leaders
today. Rather, he was always the first to lead by example, and this is why
we find that during his lifetime so many different types of people accepted
Islam. From amongst the Prophet's companions we find that he had an
Ethiopian companion by the name of Bilal. Bilal had been a slave before he
accepted Islam, and as a result his standing in Arabian society was worse
then the animals. However, upon Bilal's conversion to Islam, the force to
combat the disease of Iblis, became known to all. Bilal was given a status
like no Black slave had been given before. He was given the immense honour
of being the first person to call the Adhaan (call to prayer) in Islam's
glorious history. More importantly however, he was accepted as an equal and
a brother by the Prophet and his companions.

Through its teachings and practical implementation by the Prophet and his
companions, Islam has spread to every corner of the known world. You will
not see a more assorted group of people than the Muslims. From China to
Spain, Siberia to Australia - never has there been such a wide body of
people all united under one banner - the banner of Islam.

The Prophet (saws) said: "Whosoever fights under the banner of the blind,
becoming angry for nationalism or calling to nationalism or assisting
nationalism and then dies, he dies the death of the pre-Islamic days"[9].
This statement of the Prophet makes it clear that the consequences of
involving ourselves in nationalism (which is a form of racism), is dying
upon disbelief. And whosoever dies upon disbelief will undoubtedly taste the
Fire of Hell. Through such statements, Islam totally isolates all forms of
racism which can occur amongst humanity. It is indeed sad, that people
cannot observe such beautiful advice, for if they did then maybe all the
bloodshed caused by nationalism, ethnic cleansing etc. can be avoided.

The rites and injunctions of Islam also help to overcome racism. An example
of this is the prayer of the Muslims. When Muslims pray in congregation,
they are commanded by Islam to join together their ankles and shoulders to
those next to them. Whether a man is a king, a leader, a stave, a judge or
even a beggar, this command is incumbent upon every Muslim. Thus Blacks,
Whites, Arabs, Indians, Malays and all other races: are truly united by
worshipping their Creator. This unity is not only confined to the prayer,
but to the whole of ones life, to the extent that Muslims try to fall under
the saying of their beloved Prophet who said: "The example of the believers
in their mutual love and mercy is like the example of a body; if one part of
the body feels pain, then all the body suffers in sleeplessness and fever
"[10]. It is evident that a Muslim follows this example set by the Prophet,
when he/she feels distress at the situation of the Muslims around the world,
be they from Africa, Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia etc. Unity amongst such a
wide range of people, can only be created by Islam.

Another rite which has helped so many to eradicate racism from their lives,
is the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), which is obligatory upon every Muslim at
least once in a lifetime. The Hajj brings together the peoples of the world,
all at one time of the year, in one place. Anyone who has witnessed this
annual rite of Islam, will truly testify that there is nothing quite like
it. The breathtaking view of millions of people gathered together, all for
the purpose of worshipping Allaah, is unforgettable. It was this rite of
lslam which changed the life of the famous Black nationalist- turned-Muslim,
Malcolm X[11]. Describing his experiences he said: "Never have I witnessed
such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is
practised by people of all colours here in this ancient Holy land.... There
were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. They were of all
colours, from Blue-eyed blondes to Black-skinned Africans. But we were all
participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and
brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could
exist between the White and non-White. America needs to understand Islam,
because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race
problem"[12] .

The words of Malcolm X can be added to; it is not only America which needs
to understand Islam, but rather the whole world. Islam has brought so much
to the lives of so many, that it is inconceivable that racism could be
defeated without it. From the moment the Prophet preached his message of
unity under the worship of Allaah, did the light of hope shine forth in this
World of darkness. Honour has been given to all those who have entered
Islam. Throughout the ages, those who normally would have been downtrodden
were rescued and dignified by Islam. Today, this is still continuing. People
who were clearly racist (like Malcolm X) have been humbled and overwhelmed
by the truth of Islam. British National Party members, Ku Klux Klan members,
members of the Nation of Islam and many others from racist organisations,
have all become united under the banner of Islam. It is now up to the people
of the world to choose; do they want to stay in the darkness of racism or do
they want to be illuminated by the light of Islam?

Either way, Islam will still be, the ONLY solution for racism