SIGNS OF THE TIME

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullah During this, the 10th year anniversary of the tragedy of 9-11, we continue to correct the false narrative around Muslims in NYC and how we have responded over the years. For first installments on what will be a gradual building of a web-site on that subject, go to mibnyc.com to see: 1- An interview with a Muslim first responder from MIB 2- A Muslim 9-11 survivor of destruction of the twin towers 3- On-going activism by yours truly Much more to come between now and next year, insha'Allah peace and power, Imam Talib

INTRODUCTION: As expected, Peter King's latest convening of a congressional hearing has proved deeply flawed. On Thursday, June 9th the House Committee on Homeland Security announced its intention to hold a second hearing focused upon the “radicalization” of Muslim Americans, which subsequently took place today, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The stated purpose of Congressional investigative hearings is the collection and analysis of information, particularly in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Last January when he announced his intention to hold the first in a series of such hearings, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) identified his committee’s mandate as an “ examination of the threat of Islamic radicalization”. He dismissed criticism of the focus of his hearings, his methodology for gathering information, and the accuracy of some of his assertions, as the whining of those concerned only with “ political correctness”. On the 9th, Mr. King stated that the latest hearing convened by h...

The Meaning of Manning Marble’s Biography of Malcolm X By Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid Comments delivered at the Institute of the Black World 21st Century Forum Saturday, May 7, 2011 Thanks and honor to the Institute for the Black World, 21st Century, and my friend and respected colleague, Dr. Ron Daniels. The late professor Manning Marable is someone whom I have respected over the years for his scholarship and activism in African American studies, and the labor and anti-war movements, and especially on Malcolm X. I had been aware over the years of Dr. Marable’s work on Malik Shabazz’ biography, so it was with great interest that I anticipated the release of his book. I believe that accurate and detailed accounts of the character and deeds of great men and women illuminate their greatness, and the greatness of the causes to which they have dedicated their lives. As such, while reading “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention”, I was thrilled, inspired, stunned, energized, and empowered, b...

ﺒﺳﻢﷲﺍﻠﺮﺤﻣﺎﻥﺍﻠﺮﺤﻴﻢ FROM THE FRONT LINE OF STRUGGLE 3 Muharram 1427 A.H. 2 February , 2006 C.E. Communiqué #2 to the Believers PROTECTING THE UMMAH FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT, BY STOPPING THE WAS-WAS!!! By Imām Al-Hājj Tālib ‘Abdur-Rashīd “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe ” Recent events should cause members of the Ummah of Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) in America, to give careful consideration as to our vulnerability as a Muslim people, to infiltration by Satanic agents. We must continuously safeguard ourselves from the agents of COINTELPRO 21st CENTURY - informants and agent provocateurs who work to derail the righteous, law-abiding activity of Muslims struggling for self-determination, freedom, justice, and equality in the land. But we must also safeguard ourselves from the effects of Satanic activity in our midst, in the form of was-was (Satanically-inspired whispering), in all of its various forms. A ser...

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuhu, Dear Believers: Muslims have been asking me "What is wrong with Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, of The Singular Voice blog? Why is he always attacking some Muslim in a position of leadership and Muslim organizations? Why has he viciously attacked Imam Siraj? You? MIB? Why is he rabidly attacking MANA? " Hey Allah knows best. At one time I couldn't figure him out , but now I have, so I thought that I'd share it with you. I first heard of him a couple of years ago when my name popped up on his blog ( http://singularvoice.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/imam-talib-abdur-rashid-and-new-york-imams-do-the-right-thing/ ). No problemo, as it was complementary. His was another independent voice in the blogosphere. There are a million of them, at least. I would occassionally monitor his posts, and while his lack of adab was disturbing, sometimes he identified legitimate problems in the Ummah. But then I started noticing his preoccupation...

Introduction August 17th marked the 123rd memorial birthdate of Marcus Garvey. In honor of that occasion, I release the following from my future book, Reclaimed Legacy:Muslim Indigenous And Immigrant Peoples, And The True History Of Al-Islām In America. Muslim Influence on the U.N.I.A. “Father of all Creation Allah Omnipotent, Supreme o’er every nation God Bless our President” These are the words of one of the “hymns” of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.), founded by the late Marcus Mosiah Garvey, often described as the most influential leader of African descent in the West, during the 20th century. Garvey, considered by many to be the “Father of Black Nationalism”, had been taught African history, topology and politics while residing in Egypt, by a Muslim Egyptian named Duse Muhammad Effendi (see photo above left) Amongst Garvey’s followers were many African Americans, who viewed themselves as Muslims struggling for the liberation of their people from oppression.Th...

The political right-wing, Tea Party based or influenced media has taken up the effort to build a mosque and Islamic community center near NYC’s ground zero, as its latest cause célèbre. In so doing they have been using the same tactics successfully employed during the “Stop the Madrassa” campaign to destabilize the Khalil Gibran School in Brooklyn. The outcome of their skillfully designed and executed work was described by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission in its decision published last March. The EOEC wrote that the Dept. of Education (as part of the Bloomberg Administration) “…succumbed to the very bias that creation of the school was intended to dispel and a small segment of the public succeeded in imposing its prejudices on D.O.E. as an employer." Implicit in the arguments put forth in the case of both the Gibran School and the mosque near ground zero, have been disguised, racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam and anti-Muslim sentiments. Call them “stealth, white suprem...