By Norman Cain, April 18, 2019 — I was determined to find out the truth. I want to know why Adul Mokun, in my class, did not dress in a black suit -like the male adherents of the nation of Islam – and why there was a houseful of Muslims not too far from where I lived who dressed in Arabic attire.
The aforementioned passage appears near the end of an essay entitled “The Great Neighborhood debate of 1955,” an essay that chronicles street debates between my mother and a member of the Nation of Islam whose focus was which religion was authentic: Islam or Christianity.
Throughout the essay, I wrote the way I spoke in 1955 when I was 13 years old. Also, I expressed the negativity – based upon my Christian upbringing that I felt towards Islam whose adherents suddenly appeared in my neighborhood. But as I stated earlier, I was determined to, without bias, find out about Islam.
The first phase of my investigation happened when I was enrolled in a world history course, during my sophomore year in college. I learned about Islam history and tenets. Later, I visited a mosque. Eventually, my oldest son and two nephews became Muslims. Also, my mother who initially was against Islam respected those embraced that faith. As for me, my study of Islam has enabled me to accept that religion as I do others.
Today, facets of the United States government portray all members of Islam as terrorists as a ploy to gain political dominance. Omar, a young Islam congresswoman has received death threats for being outspoken about the way Israel treats Palestinians and the rising tide of Islamophobia. Seemingly those who embrace hatred of Islam and view its members as terrorists, do not recognize domestic terrorism. I recognize all religions because I have taken time to study as many as I can.