Arabic 164 Review Questions Set 1, Spring 2024 PDF

Arabic 164 -- Spring 2024 -- Review Questions Set 1 =================================================== Question 1 ========== Michael Gomez states that some of the Muslim slaves who were brought to the Americas may have converted other slaves to Islam. Is that likely? If so, what insights can one...

Arabic 164 -- Spring 2024 -- Review Questions Set 1 =================================================== Question 1 ========== Michael Gomez states that some of the Muslim slaves who were brought to the Americas may have converted other slaves to Islam. Is that likely? If so, what insights can one draw from such observation? Answer ====== The main point of significance of such a phenomena is that it happened under conditions of slavery that both the parties were subjected to. However, some of the insights can be: 1. **Resilience of the Faithful**: The persistence of Islamic practices among enslaved Muslims demonstrates their resilience and ability to adapt and maintain practice under sever circumstances. 2. **Persistent belief in Self-Value**: This process could not have been possible without a continued feeling of high self-worth that we saw in the first comers like Abdul Rahman, Ayuba Solomon and Omar bin Said. 3. **Spiritual High-Mindedness**: this demonstrated to converts a form of spiritual resistance against the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, providing enslaved individuals with a sense of identity, community, and dignity in the face of adversity. 4. **A Solidarity and Support**: The formation of Muslim communities among enslaved populations could have provided a sense of solidarity and support, offering mutual aid and comfort in a hostile environment which in turn was attractive to other slaves. Question 2 ========== Gomez speaks of evidence that Muslim practices influenced African Americans. What cultural phenomena found in the African American community reflect the influence of the early Muslims? Answer ====== The influence of early Muslims can be observed in various cultural phenomena within the African American community. Consider the following: 1. **Popularity of Muslim Names**: Many African Americans have adopted Islamic names or names with Arabic origins, reflecting the influence of Islam. Names such as Malik, Aisha, Jamal, and Fatima are common in the African American community, reflecting a connection to Islamic heritage. 2. **Music and Art**: The rhythmic patterns and musical styles found in genres like jazz, blues, and hip-hop have been influenced by African and Islamic musical traditions. Elements such as call-and-response, improvisation, and spiritual themes often found in African American music can be traced back to Islamic influences. 3. **Fashion and Style of Dress**: Traditional Islamic attire, such as kufis (caps), hijabs, headgears, and flowing garments, have influenced fashion trends within the African American community. Additionally, elements of Islamic dress, such as modesty and elegance, have been incorporated into contemporary African American fashion. 4. **Food**: Islamic dietary practices, such as abstaining from pork and the emphasis on halal foods, have influenced African American cuisine. 5. **Social Justice and Equality Movement**: The principles of social justice and equality found in Islam have resonated with many African Americans, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. 6. **Literature and Poetry**: Islamic literature and poetry have had an impact on African American literary traditions. Muslim scholars and poets, such as Rumi and Ibn Arabi, have inspired African American writers and poets. Question 3 ========== According to Gomez little is known about Muslims in the colonial and antebellum period. What are the reasons behind that? Answer ====== The lack of historical knowledge about Muslims in the colonial and antebellum period in America can be attributed to several factors: 1. **Small Population**: The Muslim population in America during the colonial and antebellum periods was relatively small compared to other religious groups. Estimates suggest that there were only 10% or so Muslims among the slaves. 2. **Scarce Records**: Due to the marginalized status of Muslims in early American society, there are limited primary sources documenting their presence and experiences. 3. **Secrecy and Concealment**: In an effort to survive and adapt to the harsh conditions of slavery and colonialism, many Muslims may have hidden or downplayed their religious identities. 4. **Practitioner Bias**: Historians and scholars have traditionally focused more on dominant narratives of American history. The stories of marginalized groups, including Muslims, have often been overlooked or sidelined in historical discourse. Question 4 ========== Gomez describes a West Africa in which Islam continued to grow in to the twentieth century. What factors can explain this phenomenon in West Africa? Answer ====== The spread of Islam in West Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries can be attributed to several factors (see Gomez pages: 103-104) 1. **Trade Networks**: Islam spread along trade routes, particularly the trans-Saharan trade routes, which connected West Africa to North Africa and the Middle East. 2. **Islamic Scholarship**: The presence of Islamic scholars and teachers helped propagate Islam in West Africa. These scholars established schools (madrasas) where they taught the Quran, Islamic law, and theology, attracting locals to convert to Islam. 3. **Muslim Advisers:** the literate and trained graduates of the madrasas worked as advisers for non-Muslim tribes and kingdoms. 4. **Political Influence**: Islamic rulers and leaders, such as the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire, and the Sokoto Caliphate, wielded significant political power in West Africa. 5. **Social Factors**: Islam appealed to many West Africans due to its inclusive nature, Islam\'s emphasis on social justice. 6. **Sufi Orders**: Sufism, a mystical dimension of Islam, gained popularity in West Africa during this period and contributed to the growth of Islam in the region. 7. **Anti Colonial Culture**: Islam was well known for that in the region. Question 5 ========== Muslim names in the runaway slave advertisements indicate? (See Gomez pages: 105-107) Answer ====== The appearance of Muslim names in runaway slave advertisements can indicate several things: 1. **Presence of Muslims in the Slave Population**: The presence of Muslim names suggests that there were enslaved individuals who adhered to the Islamic faith among the slave population. 2. **Origins of Enslaved Individuals**: Muslim names might indicate that some enslaved individuals were captured from regions with significant Muslim populations, such as West Africa or parts of North Africa. 3. **Cultural Retention**: Despite the efforts to suppress cultural and religious practices among enslaved individuals, the survival of names shows that some managed to retain aspects of their cultural and religious Question 6 ========== Omar bin Said became the most famous slave who was a Muslim. What accounts for that? Answer ====== Omar ibn Said gained notoriety for being one of the few enslaved individuals to leave behind a significant written record in Arabic, which detailed his life and experiences. His fame is due to some of that following: 1. **Autobiography**: Omar ibn Said authored a remarkable autobiography in Arabic that is now part of the holding in the Library of Congress. 2. **His Islamic Belief** : Omar ibn Said\'s adherence to his religious beliefs in the face of enslavement was remarkable. 3. **Witness to History**: during a very important period in American history. His writings contribute to our understanding of the founding years of the nation and the role of slavery within that. Question 7 ========== What were some of the attribute that distinguished Muslim Slaves who were brought in from Africa? (See Gomez pages: 115-118) Answer ------ Muslim slaves brought from Africa during the transatlantic slave trade often had several distinguishing attributes: 1. **Retention of Faith**: Their keenness on preserving Muslim practices set them apart in terms of their religious conduct, rituals, and beliefs. 2. **Their Literacy**: Many Muslim slaves had received some form of education this made them valuable as they could read and write, keep record, exchange information languages unknown to their owners. 3. **Multi-lingual Skills**: having proficiency in Arabic or other African languages gave a space that the others, including slaveholders, could not penetrate easily. 4. **Muslim Practices**: set them apart. Their diet, dress, and rituals, differentiated them. 5. **Culture of Resistance and Revolts**: Muslim slaves started revolutions and revolts as resistance efforts against slavery, sometimes organizing revolts or escape attempts. 6. **Interactions with and Management of Others**: this made then sought after care takers of plantations, and also made them dangerous leaders of revolts and efforts of resistance. But it also allowed them to negotiate conditions of living and freedom to worship when possible. Question 8 ========== The link between slavery and black skin is something that happened only after the European age of discovery. Give a bullet point summary of how black became the color of slavery. Answer ====== The association of black with slavery was a deliberate move by Europeans to justify the emploitation of Africans. Some of the involved issues are the following: 1. **A Transatlantic Invention**: Slavery has existed throughout human history, but the transatlantic slave trade (16th to the 19th century) is when black was made the color of slavery in order to justify the kidnapping of millions of Africans for slave labor in the Americas. 2. **Through the Power of Law**: gradually the laws in Europe and America were shifted in the direction of establishing what was called the ***presumption of slavery*** which meant that in these lands a black person was presumed a slave unless they can provide documentation to the contrary. 3. **Development of Race Theory**: beginning with the Enlightenment in Europe and later in America there developed the pseudo science of racial theory that established a hierarchy of human beings that put blacks at the bottom as being not fully human, less intelligent, uncivilized and thus fit only for service. 4. **Development of Capitalism**: or the western version of it, a system that is driven by a sole consideration for profit. Blacks were inferior and considered property, not different than the horses and hogs on a plantation. The prospect of free labor was a strong incentive to establish and maintain these conditions. Question 9 ========== We have seen in class how the Enlightenment figures made statements about black inferiority and backwardness. How can one explain such attitudes? Answer ====== Consider the following: **The Enlightenment was Eurocentric**: - The Enlightenment was European. Most Enlightenment thinkers held racist beliefs; they were products of their time. - Racism was prevalent in Enlightenment-era Europe, influencing many intellectuals. **Inconsistent Enlightenment Application**: - While advocating for reason, liberty, and equality, some Enlightenment figures failed to apply these principles consistently in matters of race. - Racism persisted despite advancements in other areas of knowledge. Question 10 =========== Use the example of the Timbuktu libraries to show the error of Englightenment thinking on the issues of race and black intelligence. Answer ====== The example of the Timbuktu libraries effectively reveals the ignorance, narrow-mindedness and prejudices of Enlightenment figures regarding the abilities of Black people and the equality of all human beings. To those points, consider the following: 1. **Limited Knowledge**: a. Many Enlightenment figures held Eurocentric views that downplayed or ignored the achievements of non-European civilizations, including African societies. b. The Timbuktu libraries, which housed a vast collection of manuscripts on various subjects including science, mathematics, philosophy, and literature, prove how limited Eurocentric thinking was/is. The notion of African inferiority was contra factual. 2. **Debunked Race Theory**: - The existence of the Timbuktu libraries challenges the racial hierarchies propagated by some Enlightenment figures, which placed Europeans at the top and Africans at the bottom. 3. **Displayed the Stubbornness of Racism**: - Despite evidence of advanced intellectual and cultural achievements in Africa, many Enlightenment figures continued to propagate racist stereotypes and deny the capabilities of Black people. Black Religion -- Chp 3 by Sherman Jackson ========================================== Question 11 =========== Jackson opens the chapter talking about population numbers. He states that African American Muslims in the US are unique in their demographic situation. What is this uniqueness? Answer ====== America is the only first world country in which the largest group within its Muslim population is indigenous. This is significant according to Jackson. The Muslim North Africans in France are not indigenous in the same way the Black American Muslims are. So, the statement still stands, only in the US do we have a situation where the largest part of the Muslim population is indigenous. Meaning is not the product of recent migration. Question 12 =========== On page 23, Jackson suggests that there exists an attraction or affinity between Islam and BlackAmericans. Offer some explanation of this based on our discussions in class. Answer ====== 1. **Codified Egalitarianism**: From its inception, and through the utterances of the Prophet Islam was unequivocal in rejecting racial difference between peoples. 2. **Rejection of hierarchies**: Islam\'s emphasis on egalitarianism and its rejection of racial hierarchies can be particularly appealing to Black individuals who have experienced racism and oppression. 3. **Strong Catalyst for Self Transformation**: Islam offers a framework for self-empowerment and personal transformation, allowing individuals to assert their dignity and worth in a society that often devalues Black lives. 4. **Applied Social Justice**: Islam\'s emphasis on social justice and activism aligns with the struggles of many Black communities against racism, inequality, and oppression. 5. **Global Community**: Black individuals may find solidarity with Muslims worldwide. This sense of global kinship transcends racial and national boundaries, uniting Black communities with Muslims of diverse backgrounds in a common struggle against injustice and discrimination. Question 13 =========== On page 25 Jackson explains what he means by Black Religion. Briefly describe it according to Jackson. Answer ====== - Black Religion is Blackamerican religion. - Black Religion is not African American Religion. - Black Religion is the answer to White Supremacy and Racism. - Islam among Blackamericans is an American phenomenon. - In essence, Black Religion, in the way Jackson understands it, is exclusively American (i.e. it is a U.S.A phenomenon. Question 14 =========== On pages 38-39 Jackson states the four key facts about the spread of Islam among Blackamericans. a. What are these four facts? b. What is there significance? Answer ====== a. The four key facts about the spread of Islam among Blackamericans are: 1. It was a twentieth century phenomenon 2. It was a northern phenomenon. 3. It was an urban phenomenon. 4. It was a working class phenomenon. b. These four are significant because they **created the conditions of possibility** for the spread of Islam in collaborative harmony with Black religion. Question 15 =========== In class we discussed how assimilation is in reality a social imposition that is usually used against minorities. Lay out the case against assimilation based on our class conversation. Answer ====== 1. **Homogenization of Society**: Assimilation, particularly when enforced by the majority, can lead to a homogenization of society, where diverse cultural expressions, languages, and traditions are suppressed in favor of a dominant cultural identity. 2. **A Social Door to Exclusion**: Assimilation can marginalize and exclude minority groups who are unable or unwilling to assimilate into the dominant culture. This exclusion perpetuates social inequalities in favor the majority. Feelings of alienation, discrimination, and social unrest become a big risk among minority communities. 3. **Loss of Heritage and Language**: Assimilation pressures minority groups to abandon or diminish their cultural heritage in order to conform to the norms and values of the majority culture. Question 16 =========== We also discussed tolerance and made some conclusion about its limitations. Speak to those points based on class conversation. Answer ====== In our discussion, it was proposed that tolerance sets a rather low standard for social acceptance. Simply tolerating others implies a begrudging acceptance, which hardly fosters social cohesion. Moreover, tolerance lacks the warmth and affinity needed to truly embrace minorities. Question 17 =========== We also discussed in class the Islamic view of tolerance. Briefly speak to that. Answer ====== From an Islamic standpoint, mere tolerance falls short and is deemed inadequately hospitable towards others. It fails to provide assurance for marginalized groups, leaving them vulnerable to the whims of the majority. Should the majority choose to retract their tolerance, issues inevitably arise. Conversely, within Islamic principles, minorities enjoy rights enshrined in law, independent of majority sentiment. These rights are not subject to the fluctuating will of the majority; rather, they are guaranteed and cannot be arbitrarily revoked by others. Question 18 =========== On page 44 Jackson gives 9 reasons why the relationship between Islam and Black Religion was like \'a marriage made in heaven\'. In class we suggested that one of these 9 reasons is the central one that all others corroborate or are derivative of. Which reason is that and what makes it so centra? Answer ====== The second reason in Jackson's list is probably the most important. All other reasons are conditions and features that allow this reason to be so impactful. As stated in the text this reason gave Blackamericans what no other thing could give them; mastery over something White Americans could not challenge, overrule, foreclose, or take away from them. In the realm of Islam, Blackamericans, who were always enslaved or dominated by White Americans, can be the ultimate masters. They have complete say of what it is, and how to do it. White Americans could not affect any of that. Furthermore, this remarkable ownership will enable them to do something that is equally remarkable, which is the subject of the next question. Question 19 =========== On page 46 Jackson explains how the ownership of what the early Islamizers (the third group or American Muslims) perceived to be Islam allowed them to achieve the remarkable feat ***of becoming Muslim while continuing to be fully American.*** Explain what Jackson is trying to say here. Answer ====== About this third group Jackson stated: 'Because they assumed ownership of what they perceived to be Islam and because their manner of appropriation did not sever their relationship with traditional Blackamerican culture, they were able,.. , to redefine both the culture and its relationship to the dominant culture, forging in the process a new, alternative modality of blackness that **was both** **indefinably "Islamic" and American."** This is something that the fourth group of Muslims (my gen and the gen of the parents of some of you) could not manage to do. We were always thought of as alien and foreigners to this land even after we became citizens. Question 20 =========== The previous two questions and answers are essential for comprehending the significance of this one. So here is the question: One of the remarkable successes of the NOI is its ability to connect "Islam" with the masses of the non-Muslim Blackamericans. a. How did it do that? b. What is the evidence for it? Answer ====== a. The NOI was able to connect "Islam" to the masses of Blackamericans by creating an alternative modality of American blackness that became influential among non-Muslim Blackamericans. b. The evidence for this influence is clear in the spread of Arabic names among non-Muslims Blackamericans, 'the rejection of the Afro hairstyle', 'the vicious assault of pork consumption', and many elements of popular culture that are clearly 'Islamic'.