The Misidentification of Black Muslims
We’ve become a stand-in for any “unidentifiable” Black religious group — and a source of persistent anxiety for white America
Black Muslims have generated fear in white America for almost 400 years. The root of that fear, and the history behind it, are worth exploring — especially today.
Recently, a video captured Native American activist and Omaha people elder Nathan Philips performing the American Indian Movement song (known as the “AIM song”) as students from Covington Catholic High School stood smirking in and around his path.
After the video went viral, a mother of one student — not the mother of the student shown facing Phillips — emailed Heavy to express dismay at the media’s initial coverage of the event:
Shame on you. Were you there? Did you hear the names the people were calling these boys? It was shameful. Did you witness the black Muslims yelling profanities and video taping trying to get something to further (sic) your narrative of hatred??
Although the group was later identified as the Black Hebrew Israelites, the mother’s words cannot be disregarded as a simple case of mistaken identity. In an attempt to redirect attention, the mother called upon an old fear of the Black Muslim.
