This blog post below was a comment I posted from an article my wife shared on her Facebook wall. My boy Clarence, suggested I turn the comment into a blog post. The article, Black Unemployment Highest in 27 Years appeared on Roland Martin’s magazine/blog website. It seems like you have three typical responses when someone sees these type of “Blacks have a more destitute situation than __________ (insert race of choice here)” articles. The first response is “America is racist, ergo if there wasn’t racism we wouldn’t have such high unemployment”. The second response is, “Blacks are a bunch lazy fry chickin’ eating watermelon cologne wearing, hip hop lovin’, overspending, loud mouthin’ government lovin’, drag on the economy havin’ monkeys that are unemployable who will continue to be the last hired and the first fired.” The third response is, “Oh these ____________ (insert race of choice here) keep taking our jobs. They’ll take so much less to work ______________ job”.

These absurd responses don’t get us any closer to solutions. They are simple knee-jerk reactions to a long-standing problem. I have seen these types of “high unemployment among blacks” headlines since I graduated from college (and before college) and it’s getting worse. The technology shift was supposed to be our golden parachute into prosperity. Didn’t happen. Happen for some but not many and clearly not enough. I wish I finished my If I Had My Own Black Leadership Forum series, but I still have 2 parts left to do. If you’re interested in reading the first 3 parts, you can start here However, I give you My Thoughts on Black Unemployment.

There are no short turnarounds for the high black unemployment rate but at the root of our problems is a misallocation of economic resources. Whether you believe the misallocation of economic resources was driven by a bunch of klan sympathizing racists in corporate america (and the general workplace) and our political system or self inflicted by the black community, we are clearly dealing with a misallocation of economic resources in the black community. This situation has been going on since our “inclusion” into the main economy. Many of you have heard me say this before (and I’ll say it again):

The total GDP of the African-American community makes us the 13th largest economy in the world. That’s right, only 0.6% of planet earth (African Americans) represents the 13th largest economy in the world. The African American/Black Market profile from the Magazine Publishers of America has slated the purchasing power of African Americans to hit the 1 trillion dollar mark by 2012. How can the 13th largest economy in the world, have one of the highest unemployment rates in America? Umm..misallocation of economic resources. (I said it in my quiet e-typing-voice so you don’t get annoyed by me saying this a billion times. I might say it a couple more times)

There are only a few individuals that have actually outlined real solutions and they are the following:

• Powernomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America by Dr. Claud Anderson
• Black Lies, White Lies: The Truth According to Tony Brown by Tony Brown
• Blueprint for Black Power: A Moral, Political, and Economic Imperative for the Twenty-First Century by Amos N. Wilson
• The Entrepreneurial Secret To Starting a Business: Without A Bank Loan, Collateral or Revenue (Volumes 1, 2, 3) by Cedric Muhammad

Although I have huge issues with their past prejudice/religious theology, the other organization is the Nation of Islam. With all it’s past faults, prejudices, and warped theology, Message to the Blackman by Elijah Muhammad was the first book that had me thinking about how my income and productivity in the economy made other folks rich and not my local community. I repeat, the book’s religious theology is rife with shirk, misinformation, hatred and black supremacist theology. However, it’s economic prescriptions are 21st century. The book should be republished, minus the hatred. If I was part of the NOI, I would include a public apology in the introduction of the book.

If you look at many black media communication vehicles, including Black Enterprise mag and BET (Viacom), many of them [black owned or not] have never mentioned any of these individuals. If they mentioned them, there hasn’t been any real effort in promoting their ideas. The average black person has no idea who these individuals are. That is not a simple oversight. It’s intentional. Not in a conspiratorial way, but in a “these individuals will upset the apple cart” type of way. Unfortunately, Amos Wilson has passed on but his rich wealth of economic information lives on in his seminal work, Blueprint for Black Power. It might be tempting to dismiss many of these individuals as a bunch of black supremacist separatist who long for a day when the black seperation movement will transform itself into a 21st century authoritarian movement. No, this is a immature characterization of their intent and economic ideas. They were concerned with the flimsy social contract that America promised it’s black citizens and wanted to usher in a concrete economic platform which we could depend on with certainty. Clearly we are in uncertain times and the social contract that America had with it’s black citizens is gone.

If Black America studied these ideas in these books with vigor and dedication, I believe we can significantly lower black unemployment into the lower single digits in about 20-30 years while becoming a viable and powerful economic engine for growth. There are no easy answers. It’s going to take time, skill reallocation, and a lot of money from those wealthy black individuals to invest in this plan. The government and non-black corporations have already moved on. This is what many of the individuals I mentioned above were trying to say 50 years ago. There will come a time when African Americans will be completely on their own. No jobs programs, no social institutions, no nothing. So in short, they were saying we have to build our own institutions and local economies of scale because the “support window” is going to eventually close. Now that the American economy is in such disarray, its going into hardcore economic Darwinian mode.

Obama and any other government employee can do very little for the black community. His jobs bill cannot overturn hundreds of years of economic mismanagement and social degradation. The government and too many “black leaders” are absentee landlords, time to look within our own community for answers. If they had your back, you would of been out of this mess a long time ago. We are on our own.

The latest scandal against Muslims is the ban on the wearing of the Niqab (full face veil that reveals only the eyes) in France. The ban, enforced throughout France on April 11th, 2011, further demonizes the choices and rights of all Muslims globally. Muslim women who publically sport the Niqab are faced with a fine of 150 Euros ($215). Men found guilty of forcing women to wear the Niqab may be fined up to 60,000 Euros ($87,000) in addition to a possible two-year jail sentence. An estimated 1900 women wear the Niqab in France. Two-thirds of these women are French nationals with an estimated 90% over the age of 40. President Nicholas Sarkozy’s law was passed after the majority of French parliament and the public supported the idea that the Niqab imprisoned women and contradicted the secular nations values of equality and dignity.

The Niqab is a controversial issue in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Muslim scholars have argued for and against the wearing of the Niqab for centuries. Some look at the face veil as oppressive while others find it liberating. Who is right? Who is wrong? I don’t know the answers to the prior questions as absolutes but what I do know is the mere ban of the Niqab in itself is an act of oppression. France pride’s itself on being one of the leaders of the “free” world. France labels itself a country that tirelessly fights for women’s rights. France boasts laws that support the practice of religious freedom. Ironically, a country of liberty for all feels entitled to oppress a group of women who choose to wear the Niqab. There are two ways to examine this situation; firstly, from a religious perspective and secondly, from a human rights perspective.

Let us delve into the possible religious explanation of the Niqab. I have researched the Quran, Hadith and Sunnah and found a few evidences that may be interpreted as support for wearing the Niqab. There is ample evidence that proves the Prophet’s (SAW) wives covered their faces in the presence of non-mahram (non-guardian) men. There is evidence that proves Asma, who was not the Prophet’s (SAW) wife, covered her face. Easily, one can conclude that wearing the Niqab is halal (permissible). The aforementioned evidence can be used to argue against the ban on the Niqab from a religious perspective. According to the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,”No one may be questioned about his opinions, [and the] same [for] religious [opinions], provided that their manifestation does not trouble the public order established by the law” and “The law has the right to ward [i.e., forbid] only actions [which are] harmful to the society. Anything which is not warded [i.e., forbidden] by the law cannot be impeded, and no one can be constrained to do what it [i.e., the law] does not order.” The prior two clauses candidly state the French government cannot subjectively regulate and prohibit religious activity and may only do so to the extent that there is a need to safeguard the public.

Religious profiling based on dress choice is not an effective manner in securing the public as many examples confirm. On August 29th, 1969, Palestinian Muslim Leila Khaled was part of a team who hijacked a flight from Rome to Athens. She donned no Niqab, not even a headscarf. In June 2008, Maite Aranalde the world’s most wanted female terrorist and a non-Muslim, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted in a Paris Court for criminal association with terrorist intent. In September 2010, France was on high alert after a would-be Muslim female suicide bomber threatened the transport system in Paris. Her whereabouts are still unknown and there is no connection to a Niqab. Colleen LaRose, a non-Muslim from Pennsylvania more popularly known as ‘Jihad Jane’ did not fit the popularized version of a “Muslim” terrorist. There have been very few women who have worn the Niqab and committed terrorist acts. In collaboration with prior mentioned examples one can safely conclude that the wearing of the Niaqb is not a security matter and the French government has yet to prove that it has been in the past.

Let us examine the human rights aspect of the Niqab ban. Let us remove the presumed religious affiliation of the Niqab from the equation. Let us focus solely on women’s rights in France. France has long been known for boasting its fight for all women, regardless of class, ethnicity, religion and race. Women in France are free to walk in Daisy Dukes and bra-type tops. Women in France are free to wear mini skirts with tank tops. Women in France are free to wear the hijab. Women in France are free to laze around topless on public beaches. Women in France are free to tattoo their entire bodies including their full face. Women in France are legally allowed to work in strip clubs that accommodate any paying member of the public. Women in France are allowed to pose in Chantelle bras and lace thongs on human-sized billboards. Yet, Muslim women are being banned from wearing a Niqab.

Banning the Niqab violates the rights of women who choose to wear the Niqab. This ban is a so-called movement to liberate women and ensure public security. However, one can equally argue that women who strut the streets half-naked may be a public security issue as well. One may argue based on statistics that the rate of rape and sexual harassment is higher in secular nations that have no limits on women’s dress. One may further argue that nudity and avant-garde dress are unhealthy for our children. However, such arguments would be considered a violation of women’s rights and thrown out of court in a heartbeat. There is no hard evidence that wearing the Niqab threatens public safety, public order, health, morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. The ban on the wearing of the Niqab is only a hindrance in helping women who are coerced into wearing the Niqab and does absolutely nothing except impose unjust laws on those who choose to wear the Niqab. This ban will only serve to imprison women to their homes rather than liberate them.

Let us not be imprudent in our judgment and unjust in our laws. A ban on the Niqab violates the right to freedom from discrimination on the basis of both religion and gender. Furthermore, a ban on the Niqab is as much as a violation on women’s rights as it is a violation to force a woman to wear the Niqab.

You know, for a very long time I’ve tried to ignore the Birthers who started what appears to be a tar and feather campaign to smear President Obama since early 2008. I dismissed the Birthers as bunch of closet white supremacist cranks who would rather see the country led by Howard the Duck then a Black president. I figured they’d pause because the man is half white. However, the “one drop” rule nullified any possibility of getting good with the good ole boy (and girls) network.

Some may dismiss the Birthers as a fringe movement of the country that don’t hold any power and are just leftover DNA from the evolutionary soup that remained in it’s primitive state since the dawn of man. However, their numbers are nothing to laugh at. There about 55 million registered Republicans and I’m going to assume that the 14% of Americans that believe Obama was not born in the USA are mostly Republican. However you slice it, this is by far not a fringe movement.

I watched the Obama “submitting his long form birth certificate” press conference (i.e. black tax) and although he carried a dignified response you could can see the pain of disappointment on his face. The pain of being treated like a nigga after Columbia, Harvard, and being president of the one of the most powerful countries in the world. This is the worse type of racism—the cloaked kind. The type of racism that carries an invisible white hood. The type of racism that when decoded, carries 128 bit decrypted noose. The type of racism that lives in the back room of dusty bars and dinner tables. I find this particular brand of encoded hatred detestable. Personally I will continue my verbal assault on the Birthers because what they stand for is a throw back to the Jim Crow brand of white privilege that we, as a country, have so ardently tried to remove from the hearts of millions.

“I hope they’re paying you a little more than minimum wage to watch that baby!” She exclaimed in a thick Irish accent as I was getting ready to load Saud and myself into a cab. I turned around to see who she was speaking to. To my utter surprise it was me. “You poor thing” she continued to mumble, in reference to my broken toe I assumed? I politely smiled and responded with a simple “he is MY son.” She quickly apologized and added a “God bless you dear.” Then went on to run America’s name in the mud with a “in Europe they always offer to help.” In which I politely responded once again, “my cab driver is being very helpful.” I looked over at my cab driver who was Afghanistani and smiled.

As I sat quietly in the cab my mind was slowly beginning to fill up with random thoughts: “in Europe they do not offer to help any more or any less than they do here” “I have met as many helpful New Yorkers as unhelpful New Yorkers in my past 4 years in America.” But more than anything I was scratching my head trying to understand “why did this woman think I had to be a nanny?” But then there is the answer so evident in the very question I pondered: the color of my skin causes me to be associated with a “less fortunate individual only capable of a handful of jobs.”

It is quite interesting and scary all in one to think that she was actually trying to be supportive of me not realizing how insulting she actually was on many levels:

1. If I were a nanny, why feel so obliged to rub in my face your disgust and pity.
2. Why do you assume that I am a nanny rather than a mother?
3. Why stereotype me based on the color of my skin?

Then slowly it all started to make sense to me. The stares and glares at first myself and then Saud as we walked down certain streets and avenues in New York. I now realized that all this time those awkward looks were actually inquisitive eyes and minds. Curiousness of “whose baby is she caring for?”

I am forever flabbergasted at the senseless hierarchy of racial distinction (association) that seems to hover over our heads like a peaceful cloud before a deadly storm. I am also slowly starting to understand the social dysfunctions that contribute to such occurrences. I am reading a book called Whistling Vivaldi by Claude M. Steele. This book is an excellent resource into gaining a deep understanding of social identity here in America. No one race should read this book; it speaks of the importance of understanding identity threat to our own personal progress. This book dissects factors related to (indirectly and directly) societal progress, bettering group relations, equal opportunity and achieving an identity-integrated civil life.

Identity and stereotype threats are very dangerous. Many people often remark, “just get over the stereotype and move on.” It is not that simple. Many Whites worldwide have a preconceived notion about the progress and social existence of people of color. I have personally experienced this in Europe, America and even in the Middle East among Caucasians. The only way we can begin to eliminate such notions is to reduce the distance between us socially. This needs to start at home. There needs to be a focus on reducing these “threats” in schools, workplaces, gyms, neighborhoods and so on. We have to focus on making the identity less “inconvenient” as we come together, equally across identity lines. We cannot allow for our children to grow up in such a segregated world.

Our beautiful son that Allah has blessed us with. Mashallah.

This blog post was posted by my wife and although I try to keep topics of racism and xenophobia off this blog, I was compelled to re-post a note that my wife posted on Facebook. Just as a reminder:

O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. – Surah al-Hujurat 49:13

I cease to understand why people cannot live united without scrutiny and judgment.

I was in Brooklyn yesterday with Malik and Saud. We were in the Atlantic Avenue/Flatbush Avenue vicinity running errands and enjoying the sun. In the span of one hour I observed so much unsaid criticism that I was reaffirmed with the notion that people have no trust in one another and fear the different.

First scenario:

As we entered a halal meat market all seemed fine; or, so I thought. As we approached the butcher at the back of the store I started to feel an instant resentment. I couldn’t figure it out at first but later put two and two together. Before the butcher served us, he was helping an Palestinian woman. His tone was very respectful, extremely courteous and ever so attentive. After she was handed (by hand from butcher to lady) her goods, he respectfully greeted her with an “Asalaam Alaikum” and she was on her way.

Now, it was our turn to be helped. I noticed instantly that the butcher’s entire demeanor had shifted. He went from respectful and helpful to passive and dull. Malik began to order what we needed politely. Yet there was hardly any response from the butcher. He assisted us in an almost tomb-like manner avoiding eye contact when he could.

After our chicken and ground beef was sliced and cut, it was left on the counter top with no “Asalaam Alaikum,” “thank you,” “do you need anything else,” or even a head nod. He proceeded to talk to his fellow butchers’, share some jokes and cut a sheep. As he turned to carry the sheep onto the weighing scale, he realized we were still standing there. Yes, we still needed some more items. Malik spoke first, letting him know that we still needed to order some more items.

Malik proceeded to order chicken breasts. At this point I decided to interfere and speak in Arabic as I realized we were receiving such special treatment as he assumed we were not Arabs. In Arabic, I asked him to slice the chicken breasts thin. He responded automatically by mocking me. I had used a Saudi word for slice and he was Palestinian and did not think my term was appropriate. He mocked me by repeating my word twice and then saying in English “you mean slice.” I, in turn, reiterated my same term back to him twice. He realized I was not amused and silently continued to slice the chicken.

His demeanor changed a little after this brief encounter in Arabic and he decided to ask if we would like anything else. We said no thank you and proceeded to the check out counter.

Second scenario:

We were still at the meat market when two Muslim sisters walk in.
First, she proceeded to let the salesman know that she was unhappy with the Quran plaque being on the floor outside. I agree. The plaque should not be on the floor with Quranic verses and Allah’s names. However, it was HOW she approached him. She walked in and very disrespectfully says “the plaque…on the floor…there’s Allah’s name on it.” She said it in such a unclear and arrogant manner that the salesman was baffled at first, as was I, as I had no clue what she was mumbling about. A situation like that can be dealt with in one simple politely stated sentence…”sir, the Quran plaque that you have outside on the floor should be removed as it is haram.” End of story.

Second, the scrutiny Malik and I got from one of the two sisters was unbelievable. First, she heard Malik say, Inshallah. This automatically led to a glare at me from her. She looked me up and down then proceeded to look at Malik up and down too. This type of scrutiny of “where are they from?” “Why is she not in hijab?” or whatever else was going through her mind is totally un-Islamic. We should not be judging each other all the time without knowing.

Third, a non-Muslim Caucasian woman was in the store purchasing some items. The same Muslim woman who glared at me and Malik was now literally twisting her eyebrows up, curling her lip, glaring at this woman up and down while telling her friend “what is she doing in here?” through eye contact.

Third scenario:

Malik and I decided to do shopping at Atlantic Center Mall. Once again, the scrutiny begins. Now, instead of Arab Muslims or African American Muslim women glaring at Malik and I; it was now African American women glaring at us because we are an interracial couple. Amongst the many glares at Malik, then me, then Saud, then back up at Malik and I again; one particular woman stood out.

While at DSW standing in line at the cashier, this woman decides to completely stop her shopping spree to eyeball me and Malik. She was not discreet about it nor was she polite. She just stood near the bag section and glared at us both until we had finished paying and left the store.

I deal with this regularly but am utterly fed up with all this negativity. Whether it be Arabs, African Americans, Whites, Africans, Latino/as’, South East Asians or Caribbeans’; I am sick and tired of peoples glares, judgments, assumptions and scrutiny. I truly feel that people need to work on their biases and insecurities. People need to learn to be more tolerant of others regardless of race, religion, class and ethnicity. It is not mine, Malik’s nor Saud’s problem if you cannot deal with your own insecurities. Find another way to deal with it! And if one more person labels America as the great melting pot, I think I will have to slap some sense into their head.

Well, at least I enjoyed my fish and chips from the Chipshop.