Islamic names

[Islamic Revival]

As-salam alaikum,


I may be wrong, but I have noticed that many African American people in the US have Muslim names, like Ayesha, or Latifa, or Hakeem, etc. They (apparantly) do not seem to be Muslim. So are these names a cultural thing? or did these people have Muslim backgrounds? Where does it come from?


Ma salaama.

[maruf]

Good question!


Let me give you my take on it, and perhaps Yuit could provide some insight on this too as he has read Roots and Malcolm X. (Perhaps you do need to re-read the book as you said... )

Due to Islaam spreading to the Arican continent, Africans had embraced Islaam at the time that the Europeans came to enslave them. Roots, the book about African-American slavery, hints and indicates this.There is a scene in the movie where the Capitan who would sail the ship over to Africa with the purpose of enslaving Africans asks the Question is it right? The answer he gets, and this is actually in the movie is, "Yes, we are bringing them Christianity, this is better than that old Allah, they worship."

It is really a ironic thing that goes over head most Blacks in America, you hear O.J. Simpson and other actors playing Africans saying..Peace brother unto you or, what we may call it As-Salaamu 'Alaykum.

So now, that is one link. Let us now turn to Malcolm X and the Black revolutionary time of the 60s when you have a whole lot of Blacks seeking their Roots, because it has been lost in slavery, remember. Blacks were as Malcolm X said, "Robbed of our names, culture, religion," etc. So as result of Blacks trying to seek an Identity (The 60s in American was a time of self awareness and political awareness as well), they turned towards their lost heritage, when in some cases does lead back to Islaam. Malcolm X, especially at the time of NOI, explained that Islaam was the natural religion of Blacks, which to a great degree for some was true. He said that Christianity was "The White Man's Religion."

So you have an Identity link of back to Africa and back to Islaam for some Blacks in America. There is another link to this. Swahili, spoken by some Africans in Kenya and Tanzania, which has an Arabic influence as well has similar names. So someone could say Omari is an Swahili name but of course we know that it goes back to Arabic Omar.

Ok, now you have these factors, a significant amount of Blacks changed their names to Islaamic names as a result of the charismatic influence of people like Malcolm X and others who called for Black awareness, sometimes even Nationalism, and sometimes Islaam, and even sometimes all mixed up as for example the Nation of Islam.

So indeed you will see a lot of Aishas, Maliks, Omars, Rashads, Rasheeds, Jamals, and the list goes on among Blacks, but as you indicated not even close to Islaam or even the Black awareness struggle issues of the 60s. It is Interesting, but you will never see a Muhammad, unless he really claims to be a Muslim, however I guess they are like a lot of brothers and sisters who say, "My name is Muslim, but I do not practice at all" or even know Islaam at all.

Another possible explanation is that many blacks like those names but have not made a connection to the origins of the names, do not know the history, or have actively deny it as in the case of saying "I have an Swahili name," instead of Islaamic Arabic name.

This is my take, I would like to hear what others think, I might send this to others for their take.

was-salaam

Ma'ruf

[Islamic Revival]

Interesting that these people don't even know the link of their names to Islam, yet we recognise each other as Muslims by those very same names.

[maruf]

Yes that is interesting and you bring up a good point here.

We all know that it is more than just the name that connects one to islaam, for Islaam is creed people accept, thus this is our bond.

Many will have Muslim names, but will fail to have this understanding, especially in the Muslim lands where many have such names and such heritage, but actions and even sometimes beliefs are well off the path of Islaam.

So in the Muslim lands, unlike in the States I believe, where it is reported that 90% of the population is Muslim with many Muslim names may have views and/or practices that take them somewhere other than Islaam.

So again, we cannot always tell by name if the person is a Muslim or is a Kafir.

When you would meet these people however, you would most likely know they are not Muslim by the way Muslims carry themselves. People have a way of knowing this. People will say, I knew you were Muslim by your beard or the way you acted, even before they heard you say, my name is Ma'ruf or Muhammad. So sometimes by the way people carry themselves, you can tell they most likely are not Muslims.


Have a good day all! May this be one day where we move closer to Jennah and closer to the return of Khilafah!

was-salaam

[yuit]

From what I have read of Roots, it as Maruf has indicated. The Black were robbed of their culture and tradition when brought to America. The Whites were scared of anything African and that included their name. In Roots the Slaves would be have the surname of their slave master and the slave master would also name the newborn black after them. I think that the white promoted Christianity as they always feared a uprising from the black. Islam provided too much of a threat. It seem to me that Roots the series and the Books are slightly different when telling of the story.

I think that the 60's NOI and Malcolm X began to give the black a little of their identity back, but I don't believe they fully explain Islam to the people, just little section that was enough to bring them round to their way of thinking. That why they never follow the teaching of real Islam.

I also think that Kareem Abdul Jabbar and other famous sporting men who were muslim also help. But I think they really choose the name because they sound better then the John and the Peter of this world.