Preserving or Extending Boundaries: The Black Shi‘is of America

Abstract

While much has been written regarding the rise and experience of the African-American Muslim community in America, Western scholarship has paid little attention to the Black Shi‘is in the country. This paper will attempt to redress this imbalance. First, the paper will discuss Shi‘i institutions and their proselytization activities in America. It will be argued that, being a minority within the Muslim community in America, the Shi‘i community is highly introverted and more concerned with preserving rather than extending its boundaries. In addition, the ethnic divisions within the Shi‘i community and the fact that Shi‘ism is highly reliant on the foreign based ayatollahs means that the Shi‘i community has not been concerned with reaching out to potential converts. Drawing upon the results of a survey conducted for this study, it will be argued that the Wahhabis, by their vehement attacks on the Shi‘is, have aroused the curiosity of many converts who had not previously heard of Shi‘ism. Paradoxically, this has led to their conversion to Shi‘ism. The paper will also review the situation of Shi‘ism in the Correctional Facilities and analyze the works of a major Shi‘i proselyte whose enormous impact on inmates of American correctional facilities has yet to be acknowledged.