By Rashad Mulla
Muslim Link Staff Writer
Back in February of this year, Imam Abdul Alim Musa of Masjid al-Islam in Washington D.C. appeared on the FOX News show ‘Hannity’s America’. To sum up the interview, the show’s host, Sean Hannity, said, “When pressed about his support for terror groups and calling America an oppressor nation, the Imam would not give me a straight answer.” Hannity came to this conclusion based on a series of misguided, restricted, and one-directional questions. Viewers of FOX News had formulated their opinions of Imam Musa based on a news character and selected snippets from a speech.
Imam Musa, an accomplished speaker, activist, and founder of the As-Sabiqun movement, does not hesitate to delve into matters that most Imams would rather leave untouched. The movement, which he started in the early 1990s, has established Masjids in Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Philadelphia, as well as Masjid al-Islam in Washington D.C. Part of the movement calls for speakers to talk about social and political issues affecting Muslims.
“How to Punk the FBI”
Fittingly, politics, government, and oppression are three subjects that Imam Musa spoke about at Masjid al-Islam on Sunday, June 2, in an event called “How to Punk the FBI.” The title was meant to magnify the boldness and importance of the speech, and to provide a laugh for those who were surprised to read the title on the event’s fliers.
During this event, Imam Musa said the government’s way of staying in power was to break Islam, to “break the dynamic force that is created by this unity.” Sticking with the title, he described being interrogated by the FBI. The instances which he discussed were derived from both personal experiences and hypothetical situations.
The audience listened to this in an eager, but relaxed, manner.
The fact of the matter is that the event’s title alone would be enough for people to be skeptical. Sitting through a speech like this would make many people tense and uneasy. Imam Musa described FBI agents showing up at his door.Yet, everyone in the audience was loose and relaxed. How could such a controversial subject fall on such calm ears?
“Imam Musa’s assessments of the U.S. power structure’s behavioral patterns, the problems it causes, and the strategies it uses are some of the best [assessments] I’ve ever observed,” said Muhaafiz Khan, who teaches at Masjid al-Islam’s Group Homeschooling Program (GHS), in an e-mail interview. “The message of truth, justice, courage, and hope for our Ummah that Imam Musa carries is one that is much needed at this time.”
“Combining a refreshing dose of realism with satire and personal accounts of his experience with law enforcement agents, Imam Musa taught the audience how to steer through potentially volatile situations where most people would submit to the coerciveness of the interrogation environment,” said Abdullah Abdullah, who attended the session and commented via an e-mail interview. Explaining the relaxed mood of the audience, Abdullah added, “Nothing Imam Musa said in his speech violated any laws or encouraged people to violate any laws. Rather, his approach informed Muslims of their constitutional rights with a specific focus on the Fourth Amendment right against unlawful search and seizure, the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.”
Imam Musa, still talking about the interrogation situations, said that he would never answer questions asked by law enforcement agents because he had nothing to hide and he was not afraid to remain silent. He plugged in jokes pertaining to specific interactions that he had with interrogators, some of which were awkward, others humorous. These examples drew huge laughs from everyone in attendance.As the event drew to a close, Imam Musa gave the audience advice on how to deal with the precarious situations he spent the evening discussing.
“Throw your fear away. Fear Allah. If you fear Allah, you’re safe,” he said. “Live a clean, righteous life. The way you punk the FBI is by being a good Muslim.”
That drew to a close another one of Imam Musa’s signature speeches that attract his unique audience who appreciate his stance on these issues. “What I like most about Imam Musa is that he speaks truth to power and is very consistent in his beliefs and actions,” said Abdullah. “One of the things I admire most about Imam Musa is his consistency,” added Khan. “He has remained consistent in his ideas and his approach for a long period of time, while others may have given up and lost heart.”
A Strong Community
One week later, on Saturday, June 9, Imam Musa was sitting in a chair inside Masjid al-Islam. This time, however, he was not engaging his audience in a speech related to today’s political and governmental issues. Instead, he was happily looking over an elated, hyper group of children running around the mosque at full speed.
Hold it right there.
Children?
“Run, flip over, bang their heads, they won’t do anything besides put a couple of holes in the wall,” said Imam Musa. “They love it.”
As Khan and Abdullah both stated, Imam Musa remains consistent in his beliefs and practices. The love for a tight-knit community has been fresh in Imam Musa’s mind ever since he founded the As-Sabiqun movement in the 1990s. While he admitted that he is known more for political issues, he stressed the importance of developing a tight-knit community revolving around the Masjid.
“The best dawah is to show people what Islam is,” Imam Musa said. “The kids are proud to be Muslims and they love the Masjid. The families love it because their kids are in a wholesome environment. The neighbors have a great relationship with the Masjid.”
Imam Musa sees the Masjid al-Islam community thriving. The people who come to the mosque for prayer greet each other, and sometimes the neighbors as well, who promptly return that favor. In addition, the children of the community have come to love the atmosphere.
Masjid al-Islam’s Group Homeschooling Program held their end of year celebrations to commemorate their kids’ achievements throughout the school year. Parents and community members attended this event to watch the excited children accept certificates of achievement from their teachers. The kids recited chapters of the Quran, sang songs, and even put on an incredibly well-organized play.
During this event, Imam Musa gave a speech entitled, “Are you smarter than a GHS student?” This is a far cry from his politically-themed speeches. It’s a type of versatility that Imam Musa has been comfortable with for years.
“People know us mainly on political and social issues because that’s where they see us,” said Imam Musa. “So that’s what people think we do, but that’s only a portion of what we do.”
Perhaps a YouTube commenter put it best when he said to another user, “I promise you, if you take the time to study Imam Musa in an unbiased, fact-based context, you WILL understand him, even if you will never agree with him.”
To learn more about Imam Musa, visit www.sabiqun.net or www.sabiqun.net/index1.html.
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