In the wake of the last post on Jeremiah Wright and in anticipation of Good Friday, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of James Cone's ideas apart from their role as ammunition in the current political "horse race".
First is A Conversation with James Cone facilitated by the Trinity Institute's Bob Scott:
and secondly there is a conversation between James Cone and Bill Moyers entitled The Cross and the Lynching Tree. In both talks Cone connects the sufferings of Jesus with the sufferings of Black people in America.
James Cone obviously identifies himself as a Christian theologian but I think it is possible to connect some of his ideas to Islam in at least two ways.
Firstly, he is willing to cite Malcolm X as one of the basic sources and inspirations of his theology (suggesting that Islam, at least as articulated by Malcolm, provides some important elements lacking in conventional Christianity).
Secondly, although Islam has a different understanding of what happened at the cross (see Good Friday) I wonder if there is a similar value in connecting Black suffering with examples of martyrdom and persecution out of the Islamic tradition. The two examples which stand out for me are the "lynching" of Hussein (ra) and the multiple Quranic allusions to the prophets being murdered unjustly (although by my recollection, only the murder of Abel is mentioned specifically).
But finally, we can also ask the broader question of whether there is another figure or moment in Islam which provides a more suitable lens with which to view the Black experience in America? Yusef who was a slave and then freed? Bilal, one of several black companions of the Prophet (saaws) ? Luqman, who is sometimes identified with the Ethiopian Aesop?
First is A Conversation with James Cone facilitated by the Trinity Institute's Bob Scott:
and secondly there is a conversation between James Cone and Bill Moyers entitled The Cross and the Lynching Tree. In both talks Cone connects the sufferings of Jesus with the sufferings of Black people in America.
James Cone obviously identifies himself as a Christian theologian but I think it is possible to connect some of his ideas to Islam in at least two ways.
Firstly, he is willing to cite Malcolm X as one of the basic sources and inspirations of his theology (suggesting that Islam, at least as articulated by Malcolm, provides some important elements lacking in conventional Christianity).
Secondly, although Islam has a different understanding of what happened at the cross (see Good Friday) I wonder if there is a similar value in connecting Black suffering with examples of martyrdom and persecution out of the Islamic tradition. The two examples which stand out for me are the "lynching" of Hussein (ra) and the multiple Quranic allusions to the prophets being murdered unjustly (although by my recollection, only the murder of Abel is mentioned specifically).
But finally, we can also ask the broader question of whether there is another figure or moment in Islam which provides a more suitable lens with which to view the Black experience in America? Yusef who was a slave and then freed? Bilal, one of several black companions of the Prophet (saaws) ? Luqman, who is sometimes identified with the Ethiopian Aesop?
3 comments:
As salaamu 'alaykum
Most definitely I have much love and respect for James Cone -- his book "Martin and Malcolm and America" was an important book in my life and one I have reread many times.
It must be said that what many people (not just Blackamericans by any means) identify with so strongly in the Jesus crucifixion story -- the idea of God being weak and suffering like humans do -- is absolutely theologically abhorrent to tawheed.
Of course all the Prophets suffered in this world and we are taught as Muslims to understand that when we pray to God to put us on the path of the Prophets and other righteous people we should understand that it is a path of trial, tribulation, and suffering in this world. Just like feel good prosperity Christianity, there is a prosperity Islam teaching that tries to downplay this, but it is the plain truth.
So, amongst the prophets and the sahaba and the scholars and the martyrs of Islamic history there is much to identify with as individuals. As a community, though, without doubt, the community that oppressed communities are taught to identify with and learn from in Islam, just as in Christianity and Judaism, are the Bani Israeel in bondage in Egypt and their liberation under the leadership of Musa (as).
Allaah knows best.
Yes, that's definitely one of the more important moments. The Exodus is the story most frequently retold in the Quran just as Moses(as) is the most frequently named prophet.
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