Author Evening with Imam Dawud Walid: Blackness and Islam

Wednesday 22 December

Muslims speak of Islam in egalitarian terms: the religion of peace, the religion that seeks to elevate man over his base desires, the religion that does not discriminate based on race and ethnicity. Despite the egalitarian spirit of Islam, the lived reality of many Muslims is very different, and this is most apparent when we observe how Muslims deal with race and ethnicity.

 

Muslims who are Black in the West in particular, have found that while Islam may not discriminate based on race, many Muslims do. To make matters worse, some of those Muslims will delve in to the Islamic tradition to justify their biases and bigotries, seeing no contradiction between their racism and the Islamic ideals.

This work seeks to clarify and debunk some traditions which support their racist positions, and presents biographies of early Muslims who were Black. The biographies of these great Muslim personalities shows us how Blackness was a normal part of life for early Muslims, in sharp contradistinction to modern prejudices against Black folks found in some Muslim communities.

More Online Events Listings MORE

Online Events Every Saturday from 3rd to 31st October 2026

African Holocaust Month

Join five online gatherings dedicated to remembering the past, repairing its effects, rebuilding communities and considering how future…

Online Events Tuesday 20th October 2026

In Conversation with Chine McDonald

In Conversation with Chine McDonald brings author, broadcaster and leadership thinker Chine McDonald together with audiences for a…