Islam: Scientology Edition
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I had not heard of the Nation of Islam before this reading and was very interested in the concept. The identification of whites as devils and non-whites as the "Original Man" is not something I have seen described in Muslim texts or ideologies that I have encountered. The sect seems like it would appeal to many racialized individuals in the US, which is why it was popular amongst Black and Latinx communities. I do understand, however, why Latinx Muslims shifted from Black-centred Islamic institutions to brown immigrant ones. As Bowens writes, many of the Black-centered Islamic institutions functioned as an aid to greater civil rights movements. They focused on solidarity to mobilize rather than individualism, which resulted in the suppression of Latinx culture. So, different groups of Latinx Muslims found a community that they resonated more with and where they could practice Islam along with their respective cultures.
The process of navigating culture with religion was something groups like LADO helped with. I found it interesting how major cultural aspects, such as food, could potentially conflict with practices in Islam. I wonder if there is a new generation of Latino Muslims that were raised Muslim and what types of adjustments they grew up with in their Latinx-Muslim households.