A DEFening Silence
Our nation is deadlocked. There hasn’t been any national issue this starkly divisive in recent memory. We’re split almost exactly down the middle on a topic that is hair-trigger sensitive and that presents fair logic on both extreme ends. The proposed plan for the construction of a Muslim cultural center two blocks from the border of Ground Zero in New York City started as a local news report, but as the politically polarized Capital Hill hopped onto the story as election fodder, it spread virally from state to state and mouth to mouth. Today, it is impossible to turn on the evening news and miss the extensive coverage of the little mosque that could. Def Jam founder and hip-hop sensei Russell Simmons recently added his two cents by hanging a banner from his apartment windows overlooking Ground Zero, bearing the clichéd “Coexist” logo comprised of various religious symbols. Besides this not-so-subtle response, however, the hip-hop community has been unusually quiet about the subject. This silence is especially startling because hip-hop has had such close ties to the Muslim faith since its beginnings. And the genre has been the sole forum for tackling many social, political and ideological conflicts throughout its history. There is much to be gained from hip-hop’s voice in this debate, but more often than not, we’ve held our tongue, and figuring out why may be more difficult than it seems.
Hip-hop culture is historically yoked to the Muslim faith in a myriad of ways. On the most distant level, the attitude and aggression that has come to define hip-hop was birthed from the militant and energetic rhetoric of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, who wielded their Nation of Islam allegiance like a sword in the face of a Christian dominant class. Falling even closer to the seeds of hip-hop, the Nation of the Gods and the Earths was formed in Harlem in the 1960s and spread throughout urban communities across the country, carrying through to the 90s. Hip-hop culture grew with this interpretation of the Muslim faith, and it seamlessly infused itself into the culture’s language, folklore, and sensibility. Subtle patterns in speech and colloquial phrases like “peace” and “word” all have their root with the Nation of the Gods and the Earths, which has its roots in the Nation of Islam, which has its roots in the traditional Muslim faith itself. Islam has also served as a tool of mental liberation for countless incarcerated black males for decades, further deepening its presence in urban communities once these inmates finished their sentences and returned to their neighborhoods to pass knowledge on. As the decades progressed and the culture grew, being a Muslim became a near badge of honor for an MC, another symbol of authenticity, as significant as what neighborhood they were from or their style of dress. Classic MCs like Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, their underlings Nas and The Wu-Tang Clan, and their offspring Mos Def and Lupe Fiasco all have proudly claimed the Muslim faith as their source of spirituality, at once embracing Africana nationalism and denouncing the historically predatory practices of the European Christian. Hip-hop is an American art, thus born into a Christian mindset, but the intangible spirit of hip-hop undoubtedly prays to Allah.
Politically, rappers typically ere on the side of extremism when a pressing issue arises, and we usually can’t get them to stop talking about it. We winced as rapper after rapper made crude references and tributes to Barack Obama during his run for Presidency. We cringed when rappers were flocked to for their thoughts on 9/11. Watching most of our favorite MCs try to handle themselves in a political debate is like watching a fish flop out of water, and yet they seem to always dive in headfirst, until now. Where is Nas holding protest rallies in front of Fox News’ headquarters like he did during the promotional run of his Untitled album? Where is Puffy in his trademarked extravagant style riling up nationwide “Pray or Die” campaigns as he did with the “Vote or Die” campaign of the 2004 election? Where is Kanye West, in the richest of political ironies that would surely turn this nation on its head, staring defiantly into the camera and declaring that Barack Obama doesn’t care about Muslim people? Can we at least get a KRS-One rant? None of these scenarios seem impossible, but they’ve all yet to occur. This isn’t to say that hip-hop has been completely silent on the issue; the few responses have ranged from surprising to uncomfortable. But our roar has been turned into a whimper on this talking point, and unfortunately it’s the one issue most in need of our full-on bite.
The Muslim mosque controversy has lifted the veil off of a deeply rooted racism and xenophobia that has been brewing in America since September 11th, 2001. Our country has turned blind to logic, facts, and its very own ideological pillars in order to justify the admonishing of many for the actions of a few. At a time where no value feels secure and no culture feels sacred, maybe hip-hop feels that this is a battle it simply can’t win. Maybe the engrossing commercialization of hip-hop has finally taped a dollar bill across the mouth that couldn’t be closed. Maybe rappers who know good and well that they should say something, that they must say something, are too horrified by the prospect of being blackballed and boycotted to act. Maybe they just don’t care that much about whether some mosque opens its doors on Park Place or Chambers Street or at all. But this general silence marks a defeat for the hip-hop community. The last great defiant voice has failed. It’s interesting to think about what this situation would have looked like in Public Enemy’s 1989, or Tupac Shakur’s 1995. It is clear though, in our 2010, that the void they left has not been filled. And through all this silence, that void has spoken volumes.
Such a true post, man.. For a music so steeped in Islamic lore and with so many rappers who identify as Muslim, it’s a bit disconcerting to see none of them speaking out, especially in New York. You’d think Busta or Wu-Tang or Nas or somebody would have something to say. Maybe rappers take summers off too. Who knows? I just wish they were as upset about this as they were about their label woes and rapping porn stars…
I think my perspective is a little unique considering that I am both a Muslim and an MC. From the perspective of being born Muslim, America’s xenophobic nature doesn’t surprise me at all whatsoever. I’m 17, and that’s long enough to know that America doesn’t tolerate anything other than it’s second inhabitants until they eventually forget about them and a new group gets caught in the crosshairs. It was the Catholics, the Irish, the eastern Europeans, the Africans of course, the Hispanics, and now the Muslims (which is a double whammy for me, as if it wasn’t hard enough to be a Black male in this country, now tell people you pray 5 times a day).
The issue I have with all the people who are so against this mosque say it’s sort of a victory lap for Muslims, to build a house of worship next to the biggest catastrophe on American soil. One thing is that, 19 RADICAL Muslims on a EXTREMIST agenda not from America caused these attacks. There are over 220,000 Muslims in New York State, a great deal of them that work in New York City, and therefore need to pray 5 times a day. There’s one big mosque on the Upper East Side, and the rest are small. I pray on Fridays in a mosque in Mount Vernon, the city bordering The Bronx, and in the parking lot you’ll see nYC yellow cabs who have to drive all the way up to pray for literally 5 minutes. The mosque is not a symbol, it’s a necessity. Most Muslims came to this country for the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And believe it or not, Muslims not involved with that disaster dies on 9/11. There was no Muslim memo. My uncle was in the Second Tower. You can’t judge an entire religion, in which people from the Persian Gulf don’t consist of even 50% of the Muslim population. You take a heinous crime and then punish the entire religious body that lives in the place attacked? There are churches in Hiroshima.
Muslims are entitled to their freedom of religion like everyone else, which is why it’s hard to wrap my head around how something to open and shut could be dragging on like this, and how rappers, who will be listened to no matter what they say, keep mum on the topic. Maybe it doesn’t concern them. Maybe they don’t know. Maybe they’re apathetic. But as a rapper in this day and age, you have a very loud microphone, and if you dont use it the way the Chuck D’s of the world have tried to, yours should probably be turned down.
Kardi, i’ve considered the merits of all your points and agree with most other than your statement “as if it wasn’t hard enough to be a Black male in this country” — i don’t believe that the struggles of being a black male is no different than those of any other minority group in this country (and as a fellow minority, i ain’t strugglin — please explain further
and thiz, this shit has been lacking updates
Okay, I have a few points:
a. It angers me that some (read: most) find it easier to dick ride a presidential candidate (which manifests itself as shout outs at shows, television interviews, songs no one listens to anymore, etc.) than to make a peep about this mosque. #1 Supporting Obama wasn’t all candy and roses. He was thought to be Satan coming to bring down the world through pop culture, he was “accused” of being a Muslim (though I’m missing how that’s a bad thing) and being a/associating with racists. #2 Supporting him meant a bold statement of “yes, i believe what he believes and I endorse him.” Supporting this mosque is simply saying “I believe that these people have the right to their beliefs without our interference, judgment or prejudices.” This is an endorsement of human rights. You can’t endorse human rights?! #gtfoh
b. a friend said to me “well, even capitol hill is split on this issue.” Let us not be retarded. What’s going on in Washington and on CNN et al is not a result of an intellectual debate on cultural freedoms, this is purely sensationalism. People on Capitol Hill do not give two shits (or one for that matter) about this mosque. They do, however, care about stirring up the voter base months before an election. It’s September, political controversy month. Everyone is talking about patriotism and “what about the people whose family members were killed…blah blah blah America?” but who is asking about the Constitutional rights of the people who own this plot of land to build whatever the hell they want?! Forget about political freedom, the fact is that that plot of land is paid for…
c. last point: Idk know true Kardi’s point is that the only mosque is on the UES but if this is true…does anyone else find it curious that the only two mosques on the island of Manhattan are on the Upper East Side and in the Financial District? You have to be a rich Muslim to be able to properly practice your religion? Sigh…
“Let us not be retarded” ftw