Given the bad press that Muslims have received in the U.S. since 9/11, I wonder if there have been studies on the number of black Americans who have decided it’s no longer the cool thing to be. We haven’t heard from Louis Farrakhan in a while either.
Have you considered that some members of the Nation of Islam have left that group and joined “mainstream” Islam? Muhammed Ali (the boxer) became a Sunni Muslim years ago.
Also, there are those who did not join either mainstream or any other branch of Islam because they thought it was cool, but rather because they believe the message.
Out of idle curiosity, did you join your current faith group (include agnostic or atheist in here for the purpose of this query also, please) because you thought it was cool or because you thought it was correct?
I’m not sure why you’re making the assumption that only African-Americans are making the decision to convert to Islam. Caucasian Americans convert too. Usually someone makes the decision to convert to another religion because of philosophical reasons, not because it’s “cool.” Yes, there are those idiots who jump on the bandwagon, but I suspect they are the minority.
I dunno – did white folks stop becoming Chriistians after Tim McVeigh was caught?
("…the cool thing to be."? :rolleyes: )
A couple of clarifications, here: First of all, are you asking about Islam, or the so-called “Nation of Islam”? There’s a huge difference.
Second, I’d like to point out that the OP is asking for statistics, not judgements. Judgements belong in GD, but statistics are at home right here in GQ.
An article from 1998 on this topic ( you’ll note the tiny size of Farrakhan’s specific following, which can scarcely be called “Muslim” by most definitions ):
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/islam/a072098.htm
- Tamerlane
I don’t think anyone keeps statistics on “Number of people who converted to Islam because they think it’s ‘cool’”.
There’s a gain of objective truth in the OP, but I think it’s deeply buried by KXL’s assumptions of why people become Muslem.