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IWDM Study Library
Interview of IWDM by Andria Carter

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
IWDM:
... look at the menu and praying, too. I always have to pray before you all start questioning.
Andria Carter:
Like I said before, I'm not going to jump to any conclusions. I guess the first part is, why are you here for this weekend?
IWDM:
Yeah, firstly, to support the Muslim community of Cincinnati and the Ohio area. The religious leaders are also having their meeting called [Schnurr 00:00:30] Council; the leadership, religious leadership council here.
IWDM:
And almost as the same importance, I'm here to help them present the correct message and the correct image of our community.
Andria Carter:
What is the correct message and image of the community, for those of us who are not Muslim?
IWDM:
Yes. Firstly, that we are believers in God. We are Muslims, believers in God with over one and maybe a quarter billion people that believe in this religion.
IWDM:
Our religion started about 14 centuries ago with the prophet Muhammad, who's called the messenger of God, the messenger of Allah. And it began with effort to have a friendship, friendly relationship with Christians and Jews. That's how it started. And we know that difficulty came for that relationship because of a political and material interest, and it took the whole focus away.
IWDM:
And today in modern times, Muslims all over the world; not just us here, but Muslims all over the world, are searching the religion, rethinking the religion of Islam to come back to its purity. So the message is that we are very much like Christians in our articles of faith.
IWDM:
We are a minority here, among a big minority ... I mean a big majority, in a big majority of Christians who are our neighbors, and they're our relatives. And we want friendship and cooperation for the betterment of the neighborhoods and the country.
Andria Carter:
When you say "the betterment of the neighborhoods," it seems the African American community is divided between the haves and the have-nots, because we've come a long way in terms of achievement. What can be done to bridge that divide?
IWDM:
Well, I think that responsibility is mainly on the people who say they are servants of God. Our obligation is to serve God through service to the community. I'm very happy to say that I'm pleased with Christian church leadership today because they're getting more involved in development of the neighborhood.
IWDM:
We have been interested in contributing to the development of neighborhoods since the time of Elijah Muhammad, the honorable leader who passed in '75, as you perhaps know.
Andria Carter:
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
IWDM:
Yes. I think we should find ways to connect up with other people. Community efforts by others, other than religious people. Business people, civic people, connect up with them, the political establishment. We want to have connection with all of them. And the schools, also public schools, so we can benefit from what they're doing to improve conditions in our neighborhood, and also lend our assistance.
Andria Carter:
I know that there's a lot of division out there in terms of the crime, in term of crack cocaine, the drug dealing.
IWDM:
Yeah.
Andria Carter:
What can we do to resolve that as well?
IWDM:
I think the biggest help comes when we address language. Language. If we understand the language of the people who are ignorant, I think, of many things; they're not ignorant of drugs. They know drugs, they know violence, but they don't know a better thinking.
IWDM:
They have to hear that from positive people who are sure of the future, who are sure of the future, that we can have a good future in this country. We can even improve our material life with cooperation, working together. We can have a better material life.
IWDM:
So it's not hopeless for our children who go to drugs to make money. It's not hopeless for them. We believe we can show them an attractive career that they can have as a upright, legitimate citizen of this country. If they can make the right connections with people who are looking for aggressive young men, even if they have these problems, we are looking to offer them an alternative.
Crew:
Why don't you-
Andria Carter:
Yeah. I was going to say, let's pause.
IWDM:
Those healthy aspirations now are not as important as the correct picture of Islam, and people knowing the faith and knowing their religion so they can really have a Muslim life. For me, that's the most important: is to have a correct and very beautiful Muslim life.
IWDM:
For Minister Farrakhan, I think that's very important for him, but I think he's in the spirit of the old Nation of Islam, in its positive sense or aspects. Which is very good; we need that. We need that very much. And I'm for that, too. But as I say, that's for me, a secondary. Versus the Islam, the religion of Islam.
IWDM:
And Malcolm, if he was here, he would be very much like Farrakhan. Malcolm also would perhaps be looking to me for the religious leadership, and Malcolm would be addressing the problems for the black people of the world. Not just America, but all over the world. I do believe Minister Farrakhan has the same aspirations. So that's a difference.
IWDM:
And since we have this difference, my hope is that Minister Farrakhan will get more and more into ... I would say politics and economics, promoting economics for the African American people. If he would do that, I would even be more confident with him than I am now. And I'm pretty confident with him now.
Andria Carter:
The politics. Okay. I just received an article the other day from our Black Newswire that the RNC has decided to pledge most of their money, advertising dollars, with the Latino media instead of the African American media.
IWDM:
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
Andria Carter:
They've never really courted us except in a sort of warm top-level view of, "We would like for you to join us."
IWDM:
I know, I know that feeling.
Andria Carter:
But never really-
IWDM:
"You'll take care of me, you'll take care of me. I appreciate it very much." Excuse me.
Andria Carter:
Oh, that's okay. But a more ... how can we say ... they've never displayed. It's all talk. I feel like it's always been all talk and never any action for the RNC.
Andria Carter:
The Democrats have been a little more inclusive, but again, the actions have not been that inclusive. Where should the African American look to for its political future?
IWDM:
Well, I'm interested in politics, but I don't want to be a political leader. Very much interested in what's happening for us politically.
IWDM:
I think our history as a people in this country and our aspirations, our role that we have had in not only working for the betterment of our own race; but we have also without consciously doing it maybe, and many of us have consciously done this. We have opened up the way for all minorities in this country.
IWDM:
I was a guest of Mr. Harding. His name is Vincent Harding of Denver, Colorado, who's been working with communities and civil rights for, I think for most of his active life. He said something, and I said, "You are very much correct."
IWDM:
He said, "The immigrants here," he said, "Muslims as well, coming from the Far East, from India, Pakistan, and those who are coming from the Middle East," he said, "they should be aware, Arabs and all, should be aware that we have opened up America to them." And to me, that's correct. That's a very correct statement.
IWDM:
So I think because of our history, our unique history, our special history and our special spiritual makeup, I think we should always have an independent effort, though we join the bigger efforts. We should have an independent effort to analyze the situation for us politically.
IWDM:
We should be planning our future, not as people reacting to what's going on, but as people analyzing what's going on. Looking at our history, where we came from, where we wanted to go, and where we have to continue to go.
IWDM:
I think we should be still like Frederick Douglass, like Dr. Martin Luther King. I think we still should be looking at this country with our own separate picture of what the future should be, for us and for all Americans. Now it should be for us and for all Americans, not just for us.
IWDM:
I think we should have independent leadership and should not just join the Republicans or join the Democrats. And I do think the Democrats have become Jesus Christ for too many African Americans.
Andria Carter:
Do you think politically ... how should we vote, then? Well, let's put it like this. In the last presidential election, the majority of the whites voted for Dole. A few whites voted for Clinton, and most of the minorities voted for Clinton. Most minorities voted for Clinton. So Clinton remained, stayed in power.
Andria Carter:
This time around, we have George Bush and we have Al Gore. Where do you stand? I know it's far out, the election, but where do you stand? Are you still assessing the situation of who's going to be the best candidate for you?
IWDM:
I believe if we had this kind of independent leadership that would meet with each other at least once a year, and come up with a statement on state of affairs and what should be our agenda and who we should be supporting, we need that strong political leadership.
IWDM:
Then that leadership would tell us what's good in Al Gore, what's good in Bush, and suggest to us by a very objective statement, suggest to us some direction. That's what I would like to see.
Andria Carter:
Do you think ... Excuse me ... those of us that somewhat are our leaders now, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, J.C. Watts, Alexis Herman; do you think they can give us a best example now of? Or do you think they've been entrenched for so long in their respective parties that they cannot give a clear objective view?
IWDM:
I think they have been entrenched for too long. But I think the change in the world is causing them to also look at what they have done traditionally. I believe that they are situated to accept that we changed from being a confrontational people to an analytical people, at least in our leadership.
Andria Carter:
In terms of the national issue of police brutality that's been going on, do you think both locally and nationally, our black leadership has been lacking in making a stand to enforce legislation to change? How police officers profile their victim or profile traffic stops?
IWDM:
Yes. Yeah. I think most of our leadership, African American leadership, tend to be what Malcolm called the complacent type: they just want to keep the status quo.
IWDM:
But you mentioned some persons that are not like that. They're very different. Al Sharpton is one of them, Reverend Jackson is another. They are not status quo people. And I think we are going to get many more of them now.
IWDM:
I think many of those who are complacent, they're looking at the situation and they are seeing that they have to make changes. I do believe that we are in for big changes.
Andria Carter:
Do you think this is the beginning of the change of America, where whites are forced to accept that you can't do what you've done before? You have to change and accept that a criminal does not have a different color of your skin, but it's actually you?
IWDM:
That's the reality.
Andria Carter:
And they can't accept the reality.
IWDM:
And if we go to mosque, the people there too will reject them if they're not universal and inclusive.
Andria Carter:
Tomorrow, when you have the public forum, what will you be telling the people in the public forum tomorrow? I know you've probably heard some discussion about the Michael Carpenter shooting.
IWDM:
I'll be trying to address two concerns. One is, as I said, the concern for the correct picture of Muslims, to have the correct picture of Muslims; for Muslims and also for non-Muslims. Because many Muslims have the incorrect picture of what Muslims should be or are.
IWDM:
And the second one is to make a statement that I hope will make more Christian black leaders, African American Christian leaders, comfortable with us, and what we want to do in the neighborhoods.
IWDM:
Our religion is a religion that's a private and personal religion. That is, we go directly to God just like Christians do. But, our religion also insists that every individual be conscious of his responsibility to his own environment, neighborhood, community.
IWDM:
We have a community plan. We have a plan to bring more business sense into our community, And hopefully, after there's more business sense in our community, we'll have more support for minority business in our community, and African American businesses first.
Andria Carter:
Let me ask you this. There's a lot of changes going on where a lot more blacks have a lot more money, a lot more achievement.
IWDM:
Yes.
Andria Carter:
And in Cincinnati, a lot of blacks are now starting to come into political power. So the power-at-bes are trying to change the rules of the game because they see this happening. What can we do to stop that from happening? Because we don't have the money yet, the big guns of money and the power to say, "No, you cannot do this."
IWDM:
Yeah.
Andria Carter:
There's a tall ladder. We're still maybe on the third or fourth rung, but we're not at the top yet.
IWDM:
Yeah.
Andria Carter:
What can we do to say "No," or "Stop"?
IWDM:
Yes, God, in the early, early history of Islam, when the prophet was struggling and was persecuted; that many people don't know that Islam really began as a effort to free religion. It was a effort to liberate religion itself, religious freedom, our religious freedom.
IWDM:
The prophet was told by God, after he had been in several wars, trying to protect Islam, protect the religion. He was told to struggle. That is, "Keep up the struggle. Don't put down the struggle, but also form alliances." That's what we need to do now.
IWDM:
Every opportunity to form alliances with people of like minds, whether they believe in our religion or not; whether they have our political persuasion or not. If they have the same moral decency that we stand for, and the same interest in being fair by all people; who appreciate humanity and is working for the betterment of humanity.
IWDM:
If they're the persons of that mind, then we should look for the opportunity to form alliances with them. Alliances, strong alliances, weak; any alliance is better than no alliance at all.
Andria Carter:
Okay. If you had one thing ... this is a final question ... one thing to say to Cincinnati people, what would you say to them?
IWDM:
To the Cincinnati people?
Andria Carter:
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
IWDM:
Yes. I'm very comfortable with our representatives here. Imam Ilyas and there are several others who are working with him and Sister Deborah, and many others working with them. We have a beautiful situation for not only advancement of progress for our Muslim community in Cincinnati, but also for this alliance that these relationships that we hope to form with others who are of like minds, who want to make contribution to the betterment of human life. Thank you.
Andria Carter:
Thank you. Appreciate it.
IWDM:
Okay. I will be in touch with you.


