Omar Ibn Said, Diouf and a Random Connection

[grace_berberoglu]

The autobiography of Omar Ibn Said offers much insight into the enslavement of African Muslims in the Americas during the 18th century. According to Omar Ibn Said’s account, he was taken from Senegal and enslaved. He would recount being sold off to evil men like Johnson, running away, and talks positively of his experience with Jim Owen, a slave owner that treated him humanely (i.e. not making him do hard labour, feeding him, etc). What is interesting about this autobiography was the fact that it was translated, from Arabic, by Isaac Bird, a missionary that was stationed in Syria.
I was wondering what would lead a missionary to translate the work of a Muslim. If their purpose is to spread their Christian faith, would it not have been better to hide away Said’s accounts of being an enslaved African Muslim? Or was Said’s “questionable” (in the words of Diouf, p. 83) enough of a success story? Furthermore, I was curious as to how trustful his translation could be.
In my very first semester, I took a class called “Islamic Civilization”, and in this class, we discussed the importance and controversies of translation. Translations can carry the author’s biases, thus changing the original work. Could it be that Bird changed elements of Said’s work? Moreover, could his work be re-translated in our current day an age? If so, what kind of translator would be acceptable?
Another aspect I was curious about was the intended audience of Said’s work. He states that he was asked to write about his life, but I wonder what he had in mind when he was writing. He seems to address Americans at one point: “O ye Americans, ye people of North Carolina” (p. 90). I wonder why he would address them especially in a language they would not understand.

Another aspect I wanted to touch upon was Diouf’s discussion of upholding the 5 Pillars of Islam in a context that would prevent one from doing so. He dives the initial example of the first pillar, the profession of faith. Diouf lists many African Muslims that maintained their profession of faith despite the intervention of missionaries. Examples like Ayuba Suleyman Diallo and Bilali Mohamed demonstrate the resilience of African Muslims in the face of adversaries.
The reason why I am so hung up on this aspect of dedication is due to the similarities I found in another work, this time in a fictional context. Shannon Chakraborty’s historical fantasy, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, tells the story of a Muslim female pirate during the Golden Age of Islam around the Arabian Peninsula. The reason I bring this completely contrasting work up is because someone like Amina, a criminal who is constantly faced with obstacles that intervene with her faith, also makes sure she practices the 5 Pillars of Islam. I think these various accounts, both real and fictional (although there are actual accounts of Muslim women as pirates like Sayyida al Hurra!) are really representative of how resilient Muslim populations, like that of West Africa, are.

(Side note: I HIGHLY recommend Chakraborty's novel, she has such an addictive and exciting way of writing and every single character in this book was so much fun. She represents many intersecting topics such as sexuality, religion and gender in a very interesting way)