The Muslim community in the United States is divided into two groups. The first group consists of indigenous Muslims commonly referred to as African American Muslims. This group of Muslims came to the United States as slaves shipped in from West Africa. Islam religion was well established in West African countries long before the slave trade began. This implies that the slave trade was a major factor in the introduction of Islam religion in the United States. The other group consists of immigrant Muslims who, according to history, came to the United State at the beginning of the first century. Currently, the rivalry between Immigrant Muslims and African American Muslims persists in many areas. The major causes for the rivalry are social factors such as race, gender, and power. These are the factors that have brought about a division of Islam’s religion into two.
According to Amina Wadud, an African American activist, racism has been a factor that has affected African American Muslims who are frequently disregarded by their counterparts. The immigrant Muslims from the Middle East have been quick to judge Africa American Muslims based on the color of their skin and language. The Immigrant Muslims consider themselves to be more advanced in Islam and therefore discriminate the African American Muslims due to their mixed culture and heritage. In a good number of Mosques, the Imams are usually brought in from the Middle East. Such Imams have limited knowledge of the American language which forces them to conduct their religious services in Arabic. This language barrier has brought discrimination whereby the African American Muslims are perceived to be less Muslim than the immigrants.
Gender discrimination has also been a factor promoted by immigrant Muslims. In any Islamic organization run by immigrant Muslims, women are not given any meaningful position to run. They are also less regarded in Mosques. This is different in Mosques run by African Americans where women are allowed to even conduct prayer sessions. This is otherwise a taboo harshly condemned by the immigrant Muslims. The allocation of power has brought discrimination between African American Muslims and immigrant Muslims. Generally, Mosque building is done by donors from the Middle East. They play a big role in the running of the mosques and therefore ensure that the African American Muslims are not given any position to run the offices, organizations, and Mosque affairs.
According to the African American activist, there is a need to address these factors that have brought the division of the Islam religion. To solve the conflicts there is a need for dialogue among the rivalry groups. The groups should discuss ways of uniting the Muslim community in the United States. These discussions will help to come up with a governing style with the formation of an umbrella of the American Muslim. The conflicts on race and ethnic origin should be well tackled to avoid discrimination. Here, Muslims from all walks of life should have a common kinship without the consideration of race, class, and ethnicity. It is only by sharing ideas, dialogue, and sharing experiences that Muslims in the United States be united.