What Didn’t Survive?
Posted on January 31, 2014, 9:00 am By

I passed on the Grammy Awards last Sunday to go see 12 Years a Slave. When I got home from the movie, I turned to my phone—first to call my mother, who had already seen the film, and then to play the gospel music stored there in the hopes that it would make me feel better.

Even though the music and a little conversation did their job for the night (I felt much worse in the morning and lied in bed staring into darkness for nearly 40 minutes), I found a bitter irony in turning to gospel music to relieve my heaviness. I had just watched scenes in which white men purchased human beings they called “fine black beasts” and read the Bible to them to save their animals’ souls and subdue their rebellion—and to humanize themselves.

Neither misuse of the Bible to promote oppression nor black Christian folks’ conflict over worshiping a God forced on them are novel revelations. I know this. And I wasn’t going to write about them until I saw Amina Wadud’s post, “Slavery and God/dess” on the Feminism and Religion blog. She writes:

“Recent area studies about Islam in America estimate that one third of the Africans forced to the Americas were Muslim. My first African relative on US soil identified as Moor (another term used for “Muslim”). But Islam did not survive slavery.”

Islam did not survive slavery. I had never thought of this. When I think about the religions and other aspects of culture that were left on the shores of Africa’s West Coast, drowned in the Middle Passage or beaten to death in the U.S., I think of the Orixa, family, and healthy food. I’ve never thought about Islam as part of what was lost, and I’ve never heard anyone suggest that it was.

Which makes me wonder, what else didn’t survive?

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2 comments Categories: Black Culture, Deep thoughts, Entertainment, Faith, GRITS, History

2 thoughts on “What Didn’t Survive?”

  1. Dear Ms. Williams:

    I hope you don’t mind. This is a response to your reflections on how to respond to questions about why you are believer in Christianity. If you not acquainted with Herbert McCabe I think you would enjoy him. The last thing he bothers with is “proof” but you will enjoy him I’m sure.
    I spent my career in a modern American secular university. There were times I was asked why I was a Catholic or sometimes (‘seeing how much you know about William James and Dewey) how can you be a Catholic. Like you I responded differently to such questions. Toward the end of my career I once responded spontaneously like the theologian Stanley Hauerwas: “Tell you what; come into my office and we’ll say the Lords Prayer together”. I’m not a fideist I can assure you.
    I enjoyed your reflections.
    GJ Harrison

    Reply

    1. Hi Mr. Harrison,

      I don’t mind you writing here at all! A belated thanks to you for reading and for sharing your experience and recommendation. I’ll have to check out Herbert McCabe.

      Reply

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