Islam rejects racism and racial pride
“The taqwa of Allah is what differentiates between people, not their skin color, not their family name, not their caste system.”
Racism and group-based superiority contradict Islam, so Muslims should ground dignity in taqwa and use Ramadan for honest introspection and transformative action against bias.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Opens with lived examples and history of anti-Black racism in America.
- Critiques performative diversity efforts while arguing systemic racism persists.
- Grounds human equality in the Quran and the Prophet’s rejection of racial and tribal pride.
- Identifies Iblis’s superiority claim as the archetype of discriminatory thinking and recalls diverse early Muslims.
- Uses Malcolm X’s Hajj experience to illustrate Islam’s potential to dissolve racial hierarchy, then connects racism to Gaza and immigration enforcement.
- Calls for Ramadan introspection about explicit and implicit bias, including marriage and cultural judgments.
- Closes with prayers for guidance, relief, and oppressed Muslims worldwide.
In the khateeb's words
“Yet with all this awareness, quote-unquote awareness, and all the claims of a post-racial society, systemic and systematic racism and discrimination persist.”
“The Taqwa of Allah is what differentiates between people, not their skin color, not their family name, not their caste system, whatever they may be.”
“The Prophet said whoever calls with the call of Jahiliyyah, then he or she is from the people of Jahannam.”
“We need to focus on the inner conversations that we have with ourselves. We need to understand explicit and implicit bias.”
For the dinner table
This khutbah teaches that racism and group pride are not just social problems; they contradict Islam’s understanding of human worth. Allah created peoples and tribes so they could know one another, and the true measure of honor is taqwa, or a person’s relationship with Allah, not skin color, family, class, or culture. The Prophet rejected calls that divided Muslims into rival groups, and the speaker urged us to examine hidden bias in our own choices and relationships. Ramadan can be a time to slow down, reflect honestly, and make our treatment of others more just and welcoming.
- How can our family help someone feel welcomed across cultural or racial differences?
- What does judging people by taqwa and character look like in everyday life?
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