The struggle for faith
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The tenacity of Islam among West Africans sent to the Americas as slaves is evidence of the resilience of faith against oppression. Diouf emphasizes how Muslims kept up with fundamental Islamic observances like prayer and fasting despite the severe conditions of enslavement. They altered rituals even to the point of replacing the hajj with a "shout" in order to preserve their religious identity. This tenacity shows how Islam evolved as a crucial comfort and continuity source, allowing Muslims enslaved to preserve their identity in the face of dreadful conditions.
Ghanea Bassiri also examines how some biographies, like that of Ayuba Suleyman, illuminate the broader context of racialization and coerced integration. Because Muslims were thought to be more "civilized," slaveholders occasionally treated them better, which resulted in the formation of a hierarchy among the prisoners. In addition to escalating racial tensions, this split made it more challenging for Muslims to follow their faith in a culture where Christians are the majority. Ghanea Bassiri contends that while Suleyman's religious and intellectual eminence allowed him to resist conversion, an overemphasis on such tales may obscure the greater resilience of the Muslim community that was enslaved overall.
The concept of pseudoconversion, in which Muslims claimed to be Christians in public but continued to practice Islam in secret, highlights how hard it is to exist. Themes from Amir Sulaiman, who stresses identity maintenance and internal resistance, are comparable to this purposeful concealing. The depiction of spiritual and personal tenacity by Sulaiman resonates with the muted struggle of the Muslim slaves. Both the historical narratives and the literary language support the idea that clinging to one's faith and identity in the face of dehumanization, whether via external acts of devotion or inner spiritual strength, is essential.