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Tasmiyah InnerVisions Books™ proudly presents this section dealing with African American Muslim Women.  We acknowledge that African Muslim women are noticeably absent in the historical accounts of Islam.  When Malcolm X preached that women "had to be an essential part of any society's efforts to revolutionalize itself" (Baldwin, 2002, p. 165), some Muslim leaders, recognizing Malcolm's wisdom in his acknowledgement of our sisters, began to be more inclusive of African American Muslim women by redefining their role in our Muslim society. Muslim women have begun leadership and governing roles within our African American Muslim Society and have also begun to be recognized for their invaluable contributions in Islamic society in general.  Although literature about and by African Muslim women is still scarce we continue to honor or sisters for their vast unsung contributions toward the creation of African Islam in America by presenting this gathering of literature about Islam and women. 

An-Nisa (The Women)
Recite (Baset) - Recite (Hussari)

4:1 O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.

WEB EXCLUSIVE AUDIO

Precious Rasheeda Muhammad is founder and president of the Journal of Islam in America Press and founder of the Islam in America conferences at Harvard Divinity School.

Listen (6:55): Precious Rasheeda Muhammad reads from her essay "Oh Allah, Operate on Us!" Islam and the Legacy of American Slavery. This work appears as part of a collection of essays Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith, edited by Michael Wolfe.

"Dr Betty Shabazz, probably the most famous African American Muslim woman, is described in relation to her husband (as a wife and mother) in the autobiographies of Malcolm X (De Caro, 1998), and infrequently in the historical books on the NOI, especially those prior to the 1990s. Her multiple accomplishments as a woman who witnessed her husband's shooting, raised six daughters, went on to earn a PhD and become a college administrator, became known [in a more profound sense] to many Americans from national and international obituaries following her tragic death."  (Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Sept, 2004  by Karen Fraser Wyche)  Therefore, evidently "wife and mother" functions, in the real sense, have a more profound meaning in the world of Islam.

As Haj Imam Abdul'Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X, Dr. Betty's life-long spouse) was eulogized in history by our beloved  Brother Ossie Davis by the reference as "our Black Shinning Prince", some of us African American Muslims recognized Malik Shabazz in a deeper sense as him being  AN "EXAMPLE" (i.e. Imam/Leader) for the entire world as an African American Islamic AMBASSADOR or perhaps "KING" from his hard-working drive in the Struggle spiritually, intellectually and politically.  Likewise his mate (Dr. Betty) too became an African example of nobility, intellectuality, regality and piety which was her CHARACTER as she worked hard as a pioneer in the African American Struggle.  As Allah teaches all Muslims that it is the CHARACTER of a person that differentiates humans from being "higher or lower" to one another, CHARACTER is what every Muslim strives for because we know that "the best of us posses the BEST CHARACTER.  

Dr. Betty and Imam Malik Shabazz both demonstrated a high standard of CHARACTER to us all and have left us their legacy as a HIGH standard to obtain.  They have shown us the possibility/potentiality of ourselves as individuals and as a race.

 We salute our beloved Dr. Betty who gave her life to "Righteousness" (Islamic Character) and never looked back  Also, we salute her for all that she did for her family and for ALL African people of the Diaspora.  May Allah ta'ala grant her the Highest Paradise.
Amiyr Abdul Latiyf Hamin - African Islamic Mission, Editor: Onepeoples ezine
 

BETTY SHABAZZ :
A SISTERFRIENDS TRIBUTE IN WORDS AND PICTURES
Author: Jamie Foster Brown;

Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X, was indeed a heroine to many women: as a wife who stood by her husband in spite of obvious danger, as a mother who raised her six daughters to the best of her ability, and as a teacher who enlightened and encouraged those with whom she came in contact. This tribute to her life is a testimony to her legacy through the memories and anecdotes of her childhood playmates, friends, admirers, and colleagues. From the first words of Myrlie Evers-Williams to the last words of Maya Angelou and all those between, we learn more about the private, not-in-the-public-eye Shabazz. Brown admits that this is not a biography but rather a collection of "personal essays from some of [Betty's] sisterfriends." Lillian Lewis

Betty Shabazz: Sharing the Vision of Malcolm X
Author: Laura S. Jeffrey;

Gr 6-8-An accessible book about a woman who was thrust into history, not by design, but by circumstances. Shabazz was only 31 years old when her husband, the controversial civil rights leader Malcolm X, was assassinated. She responded to his death with determination to raise her six young children and to complete her education. She continued to fight for civil rights and with quiet dignity became a leader of the movement in her own right. With grace, she endured many social, personal, and historical upheavals. Several average-quality, black-and-white photographs illustrate the book. This smoothly written biography of a woman of uncommon strength will appeal to children and may stimulate them to learn more about her.-Daniel Mungai, Queens Borough Public Library, NY

Betty Shabazz, Surviving Malcolm X:
A Journey of Strength from Wife to Widow to Heroine
Author: Russell Rickford;

As much an exceptionally well-culled oral history of mid-century black radicalism as it is a sympathetic, evenhanded look at its subject, this first biography of Dr. Shabazz makes it compellingly clear that the widow of Malcolm X was an inspiring force in her own right.

African American Contemporary Muslimah Leaders & Scholars

Aminah Beverly McCloud is the Director of the Islamic World Studies Program at DePaul University, America's largest Catholic college.  McCloud teaches the courses "Islam in the United States" and "Islam in Global Contexts." One of the books she uses as a required reading for both of these classes is Seyyed Hossein Nasr's The Heart of Islam : Enduring Values for Humanity. Another book that McCloud assigns as a required reading is Nisanit by Fadia Faqir

African American Islam Aminah Beverly McCloud; Islam is a vital, growing religion in America. Little is known, however, about the religion except through the biased lens of media reports which brand African American Muslims as "Black Muslims" and portray their communities as places of social protest. African American Islam challenges these myths by contextualizing the experience and history of African American Islamic life. This is the first book to investigate the diverse African American Islamic community on its own terms, in its own language and through its own synthesis of Islamic history and philosophy

The force and power of being Author: Ava Muhammad; FIRST WOMEN IMAM IN WORLD HISTORY! Ava Muhammad is the National Spokesperson for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.  Minister Farrakhan, who made history when he appointed her the first female to head a mosque, has referred to her as "one of the most profound teachers of Islam in North America."  The focus of her work is self-empowerment and women's rights.  She received her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University in Washington DC and is a member of the New York Bar.

Women Claim Islam Author: Miriam Cooke; This provocative collection addresses the ways in which Arab women writers are using Islam to empower themselves, and theorizes the conditions that have made the appearance of these new voices possible.	Qur'an and Woman : Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective Author: Amina Wadud; Fourteen centuries of Islamic thought have produced a legacy of interpretive readings of the Qu'ran written almost entirely by men. Now, with Qu'ran and Woman, Amina Wadud provides a first interpretive reading by a woman, a reading which validates the female voice in the Qu'ran and brings it out of...	Muslim Networks from Hajj to Hip Hop Author: miriam cooke; Crucial to understanding Islam is a recognition of the role of Muslim networks. The earliest networks were Mediterranean trade routes that quickly expanded into transregional paths for pilgrimage, scholarship, and conversion, each network complementing and reinforcing the others. This volume selects major moments and key players from the seventh century to the twenty-first that have defined Muslim networks as the building blocks for Islamic identity and social cohesion.
Silent Voices Author: Doug A. Newsom; Amina Wadud writes a chapter entitled:  "Sisters in Islam: Effective Against All Odds Egypt's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Guma, declared that woman-led prayer of mixed-gender congregations IS permissible, so long as the congregation agrees to it. Woman leads Muslim Prayers in New York, Sparking Worldwide Controversy and Woman leads controversial US prayer	AMINAH WADUD FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD MEN IN SALAAT! She is professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. An internationally known scholar on the subject of women in Islam, Dr. Wadud is also an expert on influences of Islam in America. She has spoken about these issues on television broadcasts internationally and is fluent in Arabic.	I converted to Islam during the second wave feminist movement in the 1970s. I saw everything through a prism of religious euphoria and idealism. Within the Islamic system of thought I have struggled to transform idealism into pragmatic reforms as a scholar and activist. And my main source of inspiration has been Islam's own primary source -- the Qur'an.

 

"Believing Women" in Islam by Asma Barlas Beginning with a historical analysis of religious authority and knowledge, Barlas shows how Muslims came to read inequality and patriarchy into the Qur'an to justify existing religious and social structures and demonstrates that the patriarchal meanings ascribed to the Qur'an are a function of who has read it, how, and in what contexts.	Qur'an and Woman by Amina Wadud Fourteen centuries of Islamic thought have produced a legacy of interpretive readings of the Qu'ran written almost entirely by men. Now, with Qu'ran and Woman, Amina Wadud provides a first interpretive reading by a woman, a reading which validates the female voice in the Qu'ran and brings it out of...	Engaged Surrender by Carolyn Moxley Rouse Book Description Commonly portrayed in the media as holding women in strict subordination and deference to men, Islam is nonetheless attracting numerous converts among African American women. Are these women "reproducing their oppression," as it might seem? Or does their adherence to the religion suggest unsuspected...
Little X by Sonsyrea Tate, Harpersanfrancisco Her grandparents joined the Nation of Islam in 1952, which makes Sonsyrea Tate a third-generation member of the Nation. In this fascinating glimpse at life behind the scenes in an NOI family, Tate tells of going to a Muslim school, of the changes in the Nation after the death of its leader, Elijah...	Betty Shabazz by Myrlie Evers-Williams From Publishers Weekly As much an exceptionally well-culled oral history of mid-century black radicalism as it is a sympathetic, evenhanded look at its subject, this first biography of Dr. Shabazz makes it compellingly clear that the widow of Malcolm X was an inspiring force in her own right.	Growing Up X by ILYASAH SHABAZZ From Publishers Weekly One of Malcolm X's six daughters, Shabazz was two when he was assassinated in February 1965. The bulk of the book covers the day-to-day specifics of Shabazz's childhood and adolescence as a middle-class African-American Muslim girl, punctuated by small brushes with her parents' past. Malcolm X is...
Why do Muslim women wear the face covering the veil? Author: As Sayyid Isa Al Haadi Al Mahdi; Availability: Out of Print--Limited Availability	Women in Islam: An Anthology from the Quran and Hadith Author: Nicholas Awde;	Muslim Women Activists in North America : Speaking for Ourselves Author: Katherine Bullock;
Nation builders: Female activism in the Nation of Islam 1960-1970 Author: Cynthia S'thembile West;	The Muslim Woman's Dress According to the Qur'an and Sunnah Author: Jamal A. Badawi;	Female Warriors of Allah: Women and the Islamic Revolution Author: Minou Reeves;
African American Islam Author: Aminah Beverly McCloud; The author presents an introduction to the varied expressions of African American Islam in the US from the point of view of an Islamic scholar. She focuses on the breadth of Islam, looking at fire early Muslim communities and thirteen contemporary Muslim communities. African American Islam is the largest ethnic component of the fastest growing religion in he US, but most Americans know little about its beliefs, practices or diversity.	Feeding Desire by Rebecca Popenoe Book Description From the age of five or six, young Saharan Moor girls are required to eat several large bowls of grain or porridge with milk. The result is a voluptuousness thought to beautify girl's bodies, heighten their readiness for marriage, and protect them from health problems. While many of the world's...	Black Pilgrimage to Islam Author: Robert Dannin; The term black Muslim generally conjures up images of the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad. But the appeal of Islam dates back to slavery, when many Africans retained their religion, defying attempts to Christianize them. Dannin traces the evolution of the practice of Islam by blacks in the U.S....
Life Histories of African Women Author: Patricia Romero;	Hausa Women in the Twentieth Century Author: Catherine Coles;	The Nubians of West Aswan: Village Women in the Midst of Change (Women and Change in the Developing World) Author: Anne M. Jennings;
Women and Work in Northern Nigeria: Transcending Boundaries Author: Renee Ilene Pittin;	Three Swahili Women: Life Histories from Mombasa, Kenya Author: Sarah Mirza;	Muslim Women Sing: Hausa Popular Song (African Expressive Cultures) Author: Beverly B. Mack;

Living the Intersection: Womanism and Afrocentrism in Theology.(Review) : An article from: Journal of Ecumenical Studies Author: Aminah Beverly McCloud;

The Nubians of West Aswan: Village Women in the Midst of Change (Women and Change in the Developing World) Author: Anne M. Jennings;

Demonizing the Queen of Sheba : Boundaries of Gender and Culture in Postbiblical Judaism and Medieval Islam (Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism) Author: Jacob Lassner;

Polygamy: A Remedy Or A Right!   Author: Iman Alauddin Shabazz;	Marriage by choice Author: Sultana Ali;	Passport to a happy marriage Author: Abdul Alim Bashir;
Muslim Communities in North America Jane Idleman Smith	The Blackwoman's Guide to Understanding the Blackman Author: Shahrazad Ali;	The Autobiography of Nicholas Sa`id Revisited: A Historical and Critical Analysis of an African and American Legacy Precious Rasheeda Muhammad

Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa Hanny Lightfoot-Klein;	The Islamic Impact Yvonne Y. Haddad	The Muslims of America (Religion in America) Yvonne Y. Haddad
Growing Up X Ilyasah Shabazz;Hardcover;	Baba of Karo, a Woman of the Muslim Hausa Mary Felice Smith;	Slave: My True Story Mende Nazer;

Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes
by Alice Ogden Bellis
Bellis (divinity, Howard Univ.) massages every ounce of meaning from the question, Who are these women of the Old Testament? Bellis is a master of the tools of biblical interpretation, with considerable skills in Semitic languages. Drawing on contemporary scholarship, both feminist and "womanist"...

 

 

 

Lifting the Veil
by Phil Parshall,

The controversy over the veil is symbolic of the issues facing Muslim women today. This piece of cloth embodies the debate over liberation or subjugation. While the Muslim fundamentalists are becoming more vocal and aggressive, a minority voice is courageously being raised in protest against Islamic rites and rituals. It is the Muslim women who are in the eye of the storm, and unfortunately, they seldom get the opportunity to set a direction. Secluded from the eyes of anyone but family members, Muslim women live under a system of tradition, rites, and rituals that favor men above women.

 

 

 

Links and Resources

Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet: A film created and produced by Michael Wolfe. The site contains timelines of the prophets life, a virtual hajj, learning tools, and more.

Religion in the Military: An essay published on Beliefnet.com, "To Be Black, Muslim, and Military," by Ms. Muhammad writes about her inner struggle over the war in Iraq and her brother fighting in it.

Journal of Islam in America Press (JIAP): An educational company founded by Precious Rasheeda Muhammad and dedicated to the growth and development of Islam in America

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