One day I got into a cab and found that the taxi driver was Muslim. It was early in the summer, but warm enough for everyone around to have already shed most of their clothing. I was wearing hijab and unquestionably conspicuous, yet I still was asked the question that is always irritating, “Are you Muslim?”
I have never known how a Muslimah could not be recognized by another Muslim simply on the basis of ethnicity, yet the question comes from immigrant Muslims time and time again. This time, the injury was further compounded with the cabbie’s statement,” If I saw someone dressed like you at home, I would think that they were a religious Muslim, a good Muslim”. Really? Sometimes we give little thought to how hurtful our words can be, but it is not uncommon in the interactions between African-American Muslims and Muslims of other ethnic origins.
These misunderstandings are decades old. In the 1970’s a Muslim in Detroit told me that he and some other brothers went to an unfamiliar masjid. The men inside actually broke their salat in order to confront the African-American Muslims as intruders. The fact that these misunderstandings are still occurring is unfortunate and damaging to the Muslims in America of all races and national origins.
