Assessing racism from an Islamic Standpoint
By Imam Didmar Faja
November 16, 2020
Racism Is as Old as the Human Race
All praise is due to God. May peace and blessings be upon His Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and all who follow his teachings.
Having been raised in a racially homogeneous environment, I was not directly exposed to the struggles that arise from racial diversity. Consequently, I cannot claim to fully comprehend the challenges that Black and Indigenous communities face in the United States. To truly understand such experiences, one must have personally endured them. Nevertheless, through my study of Islam, extensive interactions with people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, and participation in academic discussions on these issues, I have been able to reflect on the phenomenon of racism from both a theological and social perspective.
From an Islamic standpoint, racism is as ancient as humanity itself. The Qur’an narrates the creation of the first human being, Adam (peace be upon him), and the subsequent command that God gave to the angels and to Satan to prostrate before him. The angels complied, but Satan refused. When questioned by God regarding his disobedience, Satan replied: “I am better than him; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” (Qur’an 7:12)
In another passage, the Qur’an describes Satan’s state following this act of defiance: “…he refused, was arrogant, and became one of the disbelievers.” (Qur’an 2:34)
These verses, echoed in several chapters of the Qur’an, illustrate that Satan was the first being to exhibit a sense of superiority based on perceived physical composition. His arrogance, rooted in the belief of being inherently superior, became the cause of his downfall. This arrogance was not only his first sin but also the origin of a destructive moral pattern—one that has recurred throughout human history.
Racism, in essence, is a manifestation of the same arrogance that led to Satan’s rebellion. It is the belief that one’s physical, ethnic, or racial characteristics grant superiority over others. Throughout history, this belief has fueled discrimination, enslavement, and systemic injustice. The ideology of racial superiority, whether explicit or implicit, continues to distort human relations and undermine the moral and social fabric of societies.
From the Islamic ethical perspective, arrogance (kibr) is among the gravest of moral diseases, for it blinds individuals to truth and erodes the sense of justice and equality upon which human dignity is founded. The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes that all humans share a single origin—created from the same substance—and that true distinction lies not in race, color, or lineage, but in righteousness and moral excellence (Qur’an 49:13). Thus, Islam addresses racism not merely as a social problem but as a spiritual and ethical deviation that contradicts the divine order of human equality.
Racism in Modern Times
Although slavery has long been abolished in the United States and across much of the world, the ideology that once justified it—racism—continues to persist in troubling and pervasive ways. In recent years, racist rhetoric and its social consequences have not only remained present but have intensified, particularly toward Black Americans and Indigenous peoples. The persistence of racism today reflects not merely isolated acts of prejudice but deeply embedded structural inequalities that continue to shape American life.
One of the most visible manifestations of systemic racism in the United States is police brutality against Black individuals. Numerous incidents have resulted in the deaths of unarmed Black men and women, prompting widespread protests and renewed calls for justice. These demonstrations, many of which were organized under the banner of Black Lives Matter (BLM), represent a decentralized social and political movement advocating for nonviolent civil disobedience against racially motivated violence and law enforcement abuses. The BLM movement has become a global symbol of resistance against systemic oppression and racial injustice.
Another dimension of systemic racism manifests as environmental racism, which disproportionately affects communities of color, particularly Black and low-income neighborhoods. These communities are often situated near industrial zones and waste sites, where environmental pollutants cause severe health consequences. As journalist Linda Villarosa notes, “Black Americans are exposed to 1.5 times as much of the sooty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels as the population at large. This dirty air is associated with lung disease, including asthma, as well as heart disease, premature death, and now Covid-19” (Villarosa).
Such conditions underscore how racial inequity extends beyond social discrimination into the physical environments where marginalized communities live, work, and raise their families.
Indigenous communities in the United States also experience the effects of environmental and institutional racism. In 2015, the Gold King Mine spill released toxic uranium waste into the San Juan River, turning the water bright orange and devastating the Navajo Nation in Arizona. A year later, members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota mobilized against the Dakota Access Pipeline, a project approved to run beneath Lake Oahe and across the Missouri River—less than a mile from tribal land. As journalist Jenni Monet observes, “North Dakota… has similarly intensified attention to the greater systemic problems that exist whenever ancestral tribal lands are targeted for energy development” (Monet).
These examples reveal that racism in modern America cannot be reduced to overt acts of prejudice alone. Rather, it operates as a multifaceted and enduring system—one that marginalizes entire communities through economic, environmental, and institutional mechanisms. Despite legislative progress and social movements for equality, racism continues to challenge the moral conscience of the nation and underscores the necessity of structural reform grounded in justice and compassion.
When Biases Intersect
Not all individuals experience racism in the same way or to the same extent. The concept of intersectionality explains how overlapping forms of discrimination—such as racism, sexism, classism, and religious intolerance—can combine to produce unique and compounded experiences of marginalization.
For instance, a Black woman may simultaneously face racial discrimination for being Black and gender bias for being a woman, confronting a double burden that neither white women nor Black men experience in the same way. Similarly, a Black Muslim may be subjected to prejudice based on both race and religion, enduring a complex form of social exclusion that reflects multiple layers of bias.
Unfortunately, discussions surrounding racism and equality often fail to adequately address intersectionality. Even within many anti-racist movements and protests, the experiences of those who live at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities are frequently underrepresented or overlooked. Recognizing and addressing intersectionality is therefore essential to achieving genuine social justice, as it ensures that the fight against racism is inclusive and reflective of the diverse realities faced by those most affected by discrimination.
Combating Racism and Advancing Racial Justice
American society is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse in the world—a diversity that has characterized it for centuries. People of various races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds collectively built the United States. Therefore, any ideology or action that promotes a sense of superiority based on race, religion, or culture inevitably fosters hatred and division.
Black Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants deserve to be treated with the same fairness, dignity, and respect as white Americans who have historically benefited from structural privilege.
Native Americans endured centuries of displacement, massacres, and the theft of their ancestral lands. Black people were forcibly brought to the United States as slaves and remained in bondage for generations. Even after the formal abolition of slavery in 1865, racial discrimination persisted, manifesting in segregation, economic disparity, and systemic injustice.
Immigrants, too, have often faced prejudice despite their critical contributions to the nation’s labor force and economy. Many come to the United States seeking better futures for their children, inspired by the ideal of the “American Dream,” yet they often encounter discrimination and exploitation rather than equal opportunity. Ignorance and the dehumanizing spread of misinformation continue to reinforce racist behavior and attitudes within society.
Privileged individuals frequently expect marginalized communities—especially Black and Native Americans—to achieve success under the same standards as others, invoking the notion that the United States offers equal opportunity to all. Such claims overlook the enduring impact of slavery, colonization, and centuries of systemic racism.
The generational trauma of oppression, displacement, and mistrust still weighs heavily on these communities. Thus, assertions that marginalized groups today enjoy the same opportunities as privileged groups often serve to deny or obscure persistent social and historical inequalities.
Combating racism requires more than the effort and resilience of those who suffer from it. Meaningful progress depends on the awareness, action, and advocacy of those in positions of privilege. Silence in the face of racism perpetuates injustice; such inaction is itself a subtle but harmful form of complicity—often referred to as passive racism.
Islamic teachings offer profound moral guidance on combating racism and promoting racial justice. The Qur’an declares: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware.” (Qur’an 49:13)
This verse reminds humankind of their shared origin and equal worth before God. It rejects arrogance based on race, lineage, or ethnicity and emphasizes that diversity is a divine will meant to foster mutual understanding and learning among peoples.
In another verse, the Qur’an states: “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed, in that are signs for those of knowledge.” (Qur’an 30:22)
These verses establish diversity as a sign of divine wisdom. Humanity’s differences in language, culture, and color are not reasons for division but opportunities for growth and cooperation. Recognizing diversity as divinely ordained helps individuals transcend prejudice and cultivate mutual respect.
Through years of experience as a Muslim leader serving diverse communities, I have observed four essential values that promote genuine intercultural understanding and unity: mutual respect, attentiveness, patience, and collaboration. These principles foster trust, empathy, and cooperation—qualities necessary to overcome the social and spiritual divisions racism creates.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) personally challenged racism and tribal superiority throughout his mission. During his Farewell Sermon, he declared:
“There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab; neither is there superiority of a white person over a black person, nor of a black person over a white person, except by righteousness and piety.” (Musnad of Imam Ahmad, reported by Abu Nadra, with an authentic chain of narration)
While this hadith emphasizes righteousness (taqwā) as the true measure of human value, it also underscores humility. Because righteousness resides in the heart and only God can know its true measure, no individual has the right to claim moral or spiritual superiority over another. The Prophet’s statement eliminates any legitimate ground for racism, reminding believers that human worth is determined not by race or status, but by one’s moral conduct and devotion to God.
References
Monet, Jenni. “Standing Rock and the Struggle for Indigenous Sovereignty.” YES! Magazine, 30 Nov. 2016, https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2016/11/30/standing-rock-and-the-struggle-for-indigenous-sovereignty
Villarosa, Linda. “Pollution Is Killing Black Americans. This Community Fought Back.” The New York Times Magazine, 28 July 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/magazine/pollution-philadelphia-black-americans.htm