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"We Just Don't Trust Our Memories to Stone"

Religion in Houston's Pan-African Community

kameelah mu’min oseguera.
the people's effort to return to allah

cohort. 2022-2023

project. The People’s Effort to Return to Allah: The Formation, Dissolution and Reconfiguarion of the Dar-ul-Islam Movement in the United States

location. Brooklyn, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore, Los Angeles

medium. exhibit

On Dec 6, 2022, Pakistani-American Muslim artist Safia Latif excitedly announced on her social media account via Instagram that she had been commissioned by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) to create a painting in honor of the organization’s 25th anniversary celebration. The painting, which she titled “Spirituality on the Southside” was featured in IMAN’s exhibit “The People Made This: A Look Into IMAN’s 25 Years."

Safia Latif, "Spirituality on the Southside" (2022)

Latif offered the following description of the painting for her 118K followers: “This oil painting depicts Muslim worshippers entering a storefront mosque in Southside Chicago in the nineties reflecting a sense of the racially diverse and spirited religious atmosphere at the time.” This caption included hashtags #historicalart, #chicago and #southside.

The post was liked by nearly 2,500 people. One person commented:

“I absolutely love this [red heart emoji] although I’ve never been to Chicago, it reminds me of the times I would visit my family in the city and we explore the heavily Muslim areas.”

Another follower shared,

“How beautifully you’ve captured the movement, unity and essence of the scene mashallah [smiley face with hearts emoji] one of the painted individuals reminds me of my Baba and that instantly made the work all the more endearing personally [red heart emoji] May Allah swt reward you for the beauty you create and the joy of his remembrance you evoke through your art mashallah.”

It would appear that the art was very well-received and lauded as a beautiful example of her artistry and the spirit of the organization which had commissioned her.

Except.

There were two glaring issues with this artist’s depiction of her commissioned piece:

The original inspiration for this scene was NOT of a mosque on the Southside of Chicago.

And was taken 20 years prior.

photo credit: Khalil AbdulKhabir (1973)

The photo (shown above) upon which Latif’s oil painting was based was taken by Khalil AbdulKhabir in 1973. It captures the vibrance of Masjid Mujahideen, a Dar-ul-Islam community located in Philadelphia, PA, whose members were predominantly African American. Indeed the photo clearly shows signage bearing the name of Dar-ul-Islam and Masjid Mujahideen. In Latif’s painting, this signage is altered to read “Bonds of Brotherhood | Chicago 1997."

I was not the only one who noticed the striking similarity between Latif’s painting and the 1973 photograph. One of Latif’s followers simply remarked “the original photo however was taken in Philadelphia”.

There is no public response from the artist to this correction.

I also tweeted at the artist, explaining the true origin and history of this photo; imploring her to cite her sources.

No response.

I was deeply offended by Latif’s historical inaccuracy and erasure of a movement. A quick Google search yields multiple entries identifying the mosque and its location. Therefore I was admittedly baffled by the artist’s ignorance or seeming indifference to the fact that she had (deliberately? unknowingly?) misrepresented a community which had such a profound influence on Islam in America, and certainly Black Muslim culture in New York City.

the dar.

The Dar-ul-Islam movement is part of my own story as a Black American Muslim and daughter of converts to Islam in the 1970s. This misrepresentation felt personal; it was also a clear call to action.

I was born & raised in Brooklyn, primarily in Brownsville-East New York and I am proud of my Black Muslim roots & heritage. In fact, one of my earliest memories I have is of my Abu [stepfather] El-Hajj Ali Muhammad in a black leather jacket and tam. In my 4 year old eyes, he was larger than life. Only later, did I come to understand that these memories were formed during his time as a lieutenant in Rad - the security/paramilitary arm of the Dar-ul-Islam movement. The Dar-ul-Islam Movement (also called “the Dar”) was established in the United States in 1962 by three African American converts to Islam: Imam Yahya Abdul-Kareem, Rijab Mahmoud and Ishaq Abdus-Shaheed. It has been called one of the first and most significant grassroots movements established by African American Sunni Muslims in America.

The author, age 4.

"Dar-ul-Islam is the people’s effort to return to Allah.” This simple yet profound statement appeared in the July 1974 issue of Al Jihadul Akbar, the Dar-ul-Islam monthly magazine. At its height, the Dar included a network of 30-40 Masjids [houses of worship] the country, mainly in predominantly African American urban hubs, including New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. The movement founded its own businesses (including an incense factory and halal meat store), formed schools, operated its own printing press, and hosted a number of community programs.

As influential as this movement has been to the overall history of faith, race, and community building in America, there is a gap in knowledge, understanding and documented resources exploring this rich history. Narratives of Black American Sunni Muslim movements are not as well-known or readily included in the historical timeline of the emergence and evolution of Islam in America. In fact, focus typically shifts to discussion of what are often referred to as ‘proto-typical’ Islamic movements, such as Moorish Science Temple and Nation of Islam. This unwittingly contributes to the illusion (in the broader American imagination) that Sunni Muslim movements were either insignificant, non-existent, or only emerged after the assassination of Malcolm X. This is hardly the case but unfortunately, this entrenched notion continues to reinforce an erasure of present-day Black American Sunni Muslim communities, and their influence, particularly in urban cities around the country.

My project, "The People's Effort to Return to Allah: The Formation, Dissolution and Reconfiguration of the Dar-ul-Islam Movement in the United States" is essentially a project of love and reclamation. Its aim is to bring to life the vision of the Crossroads Project to “call for deeper public understanding of and scholarly engagement with Black religious histories and cultures…” and highlight “the diverse landscape of Black religions, reflecting the voices and leadership of those not featured in traditional accounts.”

Using archival research, in-depth oral history interviews and a Black Muslim centered appreciative inquiry process, the People’s Effort project corrects the gap in the documented history and presence of this movement and expand the literature on Black religion in the United States and African American Muslim communities. Apart from several brief mentions in the texts on history of Black Islam, a smattering of online articles, two short personal histories and a breathtaking photo collection series by former Dar member Khalil Abdul Khabir, the birth, growth, dissolution and reconfiguration of the Dar-ul-Islam movement movement is largely unknown to the general public.

For the first time, the history gathered in this project includes a Dar community map, timeline, curated bibliography [of references to the Dar] and analysis of themes related to belonging, race, class, gender and faith based intentional communities.

view the project

timeline.

faces of the dar.

gratitude.

For decades I have been eager to explore how my family’s experiences fit within a broader narrative and understanding of Islam in America, as well as religious identity formation with the African American community.

In 2022, I was awarded the Crossroads Project's Community Stories Fellowship grant which supported the launch of this project. Auspiciously, this award coincided with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Dar. Unfortunately, 2022 also saw the passing of Imam Asim Abdur-Rashid on Jan 29 (one day after I received news that I had been selected as a fellow). Imam Asim was an elder whose presence and influence was reflected in the thousands who gathered from far and wide to attend his Janazah. Imam Asim, or “Imam Awesome” as my children called him, was a well-respected leader in the Philadelphia community, and Imam of Masjid Mujahideen, the third community to join the Dar in the 1960’s. The community depicted in the photo above, and misrepresented in artist Safia Latif’s painting. His death instilled in me an even greater sense of urgency to begin this work of archiving the history of the Dar.

Through the Crossroads Project, I have been able to delve deeper into my own personal history - a history which greatly influences my professional and academic work as a family therapist, psychologist and professor of Psychology and Muslim studies at Chicago Theological Seminary. The funds I received as a Community Stories Fellow supported the thoughtful research and analysis of themes related to gender, agency, spirituality, and the complexities inherent in the process of intentional community building as racially and religiously minoritized peoples.

The People's Effort Dar Oral History Project builds upon past & ongoing efforts to preserve the legacy and history of the Dar. I am indebted to the Dar-ul-Islam Collection (Kamila Barbour & Khalil Abdul-Khabir), The Black American Muslim, and After Malcolm Project as well as personal accounts written about the Dar. Scholars such as Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Dr. Aminah Al-Deen and researcher Akil Fahd contributed greatly to my thinking and gathering of information for this project which is still on-going. I would also like to express my gratitude for those former Dar members (and children of the Dar) who shared their stories with me. Special shout out to my Abu El-Hajj Ali Muhammad who never fails to indulge my persistent curiosity and endless list of questions with hours of stories about his life in the Dar.

I am grateful for the insights I’ve gained from this project and deeply humbled by the opportunity to have my work featured alongside of, and in conversation with, other brilliant scholars. Lastly and most importantly - I pray that my elders and the communities of American Muslims, especially Black Muslims, are proud of what I have accomplished here through The People’s Effort Oral History Project. I fervently hope they will continue to contribute to the ongoing process of gathering the threads of our stories into a beautiful tapestry - which bravely and emphatically defies erasure and misrepresentation.

cite this project.

Projects featured on this site are the intellectual property of the Fellows who created them and may not be reproduced without their permission.

Please cite the creator if you use their work in support of your own.

Citation: Oseguera, Kameelah Mu'Min. “he People’s Effort to Return to Allah: The Formation, Dissolution and Reconfiguarion of the Dar-ul-Islam Movement in the United States." SPIRIT HOUSE: A Crossroads Project. November 2023. Date Accessed. https://www.crossroads-spirithouse.org/oseguera.

Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera is the Founding President of Muslim Wellness Foundation (MWF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting healing and emotional well-being in the American Muslim community. Through MWF, Dr. Mu’Min Oseguera has established the Omar ibn Said Institute for Black Muslim Studies & Research, and the annual Black Muslim Psychology Conference.

Dr. Mu’Min Oseguera is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology and Muslim Studies at Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) and CTS’ Project Director for the InterAct on Race Project: Engaging Diverse Faith Communities in Anti-Racist Work. She is also Visiting Faculty at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. Dr. Mu’Min Oseguera teaches the following courses: Self-Care and Self- Development for Spiritual Care Providers, Intentional Community Building in/through the Black Muslim Imagination, the Psychology of Christian Hegemony and Religious Oppression in the United States, and Black Muslim Psychology, Activism & Healing.

Dr. Mu’Min Oseguera graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Psychology and MEd in Psychological Services. She holds a second Masters in Restorative Practices & Youth Counseling (MRP) from the International Institute for Restorative Practices. Dr. Mu’Min Oseguera completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA.