Source/Credit: MKA-USA | Tabligh
By Junayd Latif - Zion Majlis | October 2, 2010
I think I can say I’ve seen quite a few things in my 36 years as an African American Ahmadi Muslim. Speaking from that perspective I can honestly say that not much of what I’ve seen can be described as hopeful for the African American social or moral experience. This is why what happened at the African American Day Parade in Harlem, NY really made an impression on me.
From the moment my family and I were invited to march in the parade as part of the “Muslims For Peace” campaign, there had been a small voice whispering “What good will it do?”, “Is it really worth a 1500 mile drive?” “Do I really think a group of African American Ahmadis will have any significant impact on a community as complex as that of Harlem?" That voice drowned out my more idealistic self and I eventually found that my real motivation for going was simply to support jamaat and have a nice family visit. This would be the first time my entire immediate family would be together in the same place at the same time since my kids were born.
So really I expected to enjoy my jamaat, enjoy my family and brace myself for the craziness that is to be expected at an event held in NYC. A couple of weeks prior, at a West Indian Parade in Brooklyn several people had been shot amidst a weekend of random violence and senseless killing. So best case scenario, we would all leave with our lives. The last thing I expected was a truly faith inspiring event…. And that is exactly what I got.
After arriving 30mins late to the parade staging area (conducting a parade of our own of a few 3yr olds, an infant, 2 preteens and a bunch of adults all wondering if we’re crazy for even attempting this feat is not an easy or timely task!) My father and I dropped off our passengers, went to find parking then hurried back and saw the parade was just getting underway. We spotted an army of Muslim For Peace Shirts, joined the group, grabbed our t-shirts and soon began to march.
No sooner had we stepped onto the main strip of the parade and immediately became the focal point of hundreds of parade goers, did Bro Qudsi our MC, Announcer, Town Crier, begin the popular Ghanain Rendition of the Kalima followed by the Jamaat slogans.
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| NA'RA-e TAKBIR! |
All of the spectators came to attention and just like that it seemed we had refocused the energy of the parade. We had turned our segment of the Parade into some kind of Islamic spiritual revival. I had my 7month old son in a chest Carrier with a Muslims For Peace shirt draped over the front and walked with my 9yr old niece holding my hand. My 3yr old son and nephew where being pushed in strollers and my 3yr daughter rode on her uncle’s shoulders towering above the crowds waving sweetly. All the while responding to our MC with Allahu Akbar, Salalahu alaihi wa salaam, Zindabad!
The crowd was dumbfounded! They had probably never seen anything like it; Smiling African American Muslim men and women walking with their families and friends, expressing Islams power of peace. People clamored for pictures. Even the skeptics had to smile when their glares fell upon our little smiling ambassadors of peace riding on shoulders or waving from strollers. It was an overwhelming experience. We changed the response for some of our English slogans to engage the audience. When Brother Qudsi would say “Muslims for Peace!” we would yell “Peace!” or when he would say “United States of America!” we would say “USA!”. There were times when the crowd would shout out with us; a great example of jamaat inclusion in the community and community inclusion in the jamaat. Those moments made me feel like we had really bridged a gap and found common ground with the wider American Community.
Then I noticed something else was taking place as well. As we walked through the streets of Harlem praising Allah and calling out peace and blessing on the Holy Prophet(sas) we heard the voices in the crowd calling back “Allahu Akbar!” and yelling their salaam to us. I saw one Muslim sister who struck me as East African on her way from a grocery store that happened to be on the parade route. She heard our slogans and looked up with surprise and even a sense of pride. She began waving to us in the midst of all of these non Muslim spectators and then raised her fist when she caught my eye. I shot her a quick “Peace” sign and nodded with respect. At that moment it all made sense why we where there and why we needed to be present at every Major City parade around the country. We had become the face of Islam in that community.
We became representatives to the misguided and misinformed masses on how a Muslim is supposed to engage his or her community.
With Prayer; With Pride; With Peace.
Even the Muslim police officers were unable to contain their emotion. One officer rushed from his post yelling his salaam and hugging members of the parade.
We were Ahmadi Muslims mainly form African American heritage but also including, Asian and European representation. Men, women, young and old all together espousing our faith in Islam and the truly unstoppable power of Peace.
I could see smiles of approval on the faces of the elder spectators pleased to see images of young African American men taking responsibility for the guidance and development of their children. The young men nodded their respect and saluted us as we challenged their adopted roles of physically strong but morally weak.
As the end of the parade approached, coordinated and confident, we marched down a narrow section of 135th St. Our voices echoed of the walls an drowned out the sounds of the city around us. Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Then just as our group was quieting down, we heard another voice offering a low soulful rendition of the Kalima. On the sidewalk one spectator, inspired by our Ghanain rendition of the Kalima, had begun to sing his own rendition. The tune he used was inspired by a familiar American military marching cadence and before we knew it he’d been given the megaphone and had all of us singing along with him. We sang the Kalima for a few minutes then greeted the man and thanked him for his participation.
Afterwards we all stood and took pictures and exchanged experiences and I thought of how easily this could not have happened for me. But for a few factors I would have sat at home and missed out on a truly historic event in jamaat history. If the follow up is thought out and committed to, this event could start a wave that could rewrite the future of the community in Harlem. My idealistic self is back. Islam makes all things possible. I pray we have the clarity to see that and the confidence to act. Successes like these shouldn’t happen in a vacuum. This should simply be the seed. Now it needs attentive gardeners to help it bear fruit. May Allah make it so.
by Brother Junayd Latif from Zion Majlis
Read original post here: A Parade to Remember
Very inspiring, thank you for sharing!
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