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Page 2 Issue 21
Dear Editor:
Asalamu Aleikum
My name is Malik Ali and I am
a Cherokee Blackfoot American
Indian who is Muslim. I found
your August 2000 issue at the
Islamic Center of New Mexico, in
Albuquerque. I wanted to tell you
that I enjoyed it very much. There
are other Muslims in our group. For
the most part, not many people
are aware of the Native American
contact with Islam that began long
ago by some of the early Muslim
travelers who visited us. Some of
these Muslim travelers ended up
living among our people. For most
Muslims and non-Muslims of today,
this type of information is unknown
and has never been mentioned in
any of the history books.
There are many documents, treaties, legislation and resolutions
that were passed between the 1600s and 1800s that show that
Muslims were in fact here and were very active in the communities
in which they lived. Treaties such as Peace and Friendship that was
signed on the Delaware River in the year 1787 bear the signatures
of Abdel-Khak and Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. This treaty details our
continued right to exist as a community in the areas of commerce,
maritime shipping, current form of government at that time which
was in accordance with Islam.
According to a federal court case from the Continental Congress, we
help put the breath of life into the newly framed Constitution. All of
the documents are presently in the National Archives as well as the
Library of Congress. If you have access to records in the state of
South Carolina, read the Moors Sundry Act of 1790. Almost all of
the tribes vocabulary include the word Allah. The traditional dress
code for Indian women includes long dresses. For men, standard
fare is turbans and long tops that come down to the knees.
If you were to look at any of the old books on Cherokee clothing up
until the time of 1832, you will see the men wearing turbans and the
womenwearing long head coverings. The last Cherokee chief who had
aMuslimnamewas Ramadan IbnWati of theCherokees in 1866. Cities
across the United States and Canada bear names that are of Indian and
Islamic derivation. Have you ever wonderedwhat the name Tallahassee
means? It means that He, Allah, will deliver you sometime in the future.
Malik Ali
Dear Editor:
My name is Ali. I’m a 27 year old Mexican American or as some
would say a Chicano. I wanted to share the story of how I became
a Muslim. My life before was bad. I had no direction in life. I was
wasting my life away by dropping out of school in the 11th grade. I
would hang out in the streets with my friends ‘partying’, getting high,
drinking alcohol, and selling marijuana.
Letters To The Editor
Most of my friends were gang members. I, myself, was never in a
gang. I knewmost of thembefore theywere criminals and drug dealers
so it was not a problem. Soon afterwards, I began to use harder drugs.
I had dreams but they seemed too far away to make them reality. The
more I became depressed the more I turned to drugs as an escape.
One day a friend told me he knew where to get some marijuana. I
was eager to buy some so I agreed to go check it out. We arrived at an
apartment where there were a couple of people. We sat, talked for a
while and sampled the weed. My friend and I bought some and were
starting to leave when my friend said one of the guys was inviting us
to his apartment. When we got there, he gave my friend a book and
asked him to read it, saying it might help him out with his problems.
On the way home I asked my friend to show me the book. The
name of the book was the Qur’an (Koran). I had never heard of
it before. So I read some pages and I knew instantly that what I
was reading was true. It was like a wake up call. The Qur’an is so
clear and easy to understand. I was really impressed and wanted
to know more about Islam and Muslims.
The strangest thing is that I used to laugh at people who went to
church, and I sometimes said that there was no God. As a child I
always went to church. My mother was a Seventh Day Adventist and
took my sister and me every Saturday. I never was really religious
and stopped going to church when I was about 14 or 15. The rest of
my family is Catholic. I had always wondered why we were Seventh
Day Adventist and the rest of my family was Catholic. When we
would go visit my family back in Mexico, we went to a Catholic
Church for weddings and Quenceniras (sweet 16 celebration).
I did months of research on Islam. I decided to go to the library and
check out the Qur’an. I began to study it. I learned about Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the true story of Jesus son of
Mary (Peace be upon him). The Qur’an stressed the fact that God
was One and had no partners or a son, this was most interesting to
me since I never understood the concept of the trinity. The Qur’an
describes the birth of Prophet Jesus (P.B.U.H) and his mission. There
is also a Surah (Chapter) called Mary and tells her story as well.
I also studied about World History and Islam’s contributions to
Medicine and Science. I learned that Spain was a Muslim country
for about 800 years and that when the Muslims were expelled from
Spain by the Christian King and Queen (Ferdinand and Isabela), the
Christian Spainards came toMexico and forced the Aztecs and others
to become Catholic. History and my Islamic roots was all becoming
clear to me. After months I could not deny the truth anymore. I had
put it off too long, but was still living the life I had been living before.
I knew that if I became Muslim I had to give all that up.
One day while reading the Qur’an I began to cry and fell to my
knees and thanked Allah for guiding me to the truth. I found out
that there was a Mosque by my house so I went one Friday to
see how Muslims prayed and conducted their service. I saw that
people from all races and colors attended the Mosque. They took
off their shoes when entering and sat on the carpeted floor. A man
got up and began to call the Adhan (call for prayer). When I heard
it my eyes filled up with tears; it sounded so beautiful. It was all so
strange at first but seemed so right at the same time. Islam is not
just a religion but a way of life. After attending Jumha a few times, I
was ready to be a Muslim and say my Shahada, declaration of faith.
I told the Imam (prayer leader) that I wanted to be a Muslim. The
following Friday in front of the community I said my Shahada -first
in Arabic, then in English: I bear witness that there is no other God
but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is God’s
Prophet and Messenger. When I finished, a Brother shouted ‘Tak-
bir!’ And all the community said ‘Allah-Hu Akbar’ (God is great!)
a few times. Then all the Brothers came and hugged me. I never
received so many hugs before. I will never forget that day. It was
great! I have been a Muslim since 1997. I’m now at peace with
myself and clear in my religion. Being a Muslim has really changed
my life for the better -- thanks to Almighty God. I hope my story
Insha-Allah (God willing), will attract more Latinos and people of
all races to the light of Islam.
Asalamu Aleikum
Ali, El Mexicano
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