Oral History Interview: Imam Furqan

The first artifact I chose was an oral history interview of Imam Furqan talking about the early African-American muslim community in Atlanta. In this interview, Imam Furqan discussed about how he converted from Christianity to Islam. He started off saying that by the age of fifteen, he started to have doubts and uncertainty about his religion. One day at the YMCA, he met a group of Muslims and started to observe them. He asked them what their beliefs were and what type of religion they had. He had an inspiring conversation with them and acknowledged their firm beliefs. After that, he went to a Muslim meeting and it really grasped his attention. He found out that Muslims were very nice and intelligent people unlike the rumors he had heard about them being violent. When he went home that night, he reexamined his beliefs and realized his current beliefs were wrong. He then decided to be neutral and claimed no religion. Then one day, he went back to the Muslims and decided to become a Muslim himself.

My artifact is a primary source because Imam Furqan lived through these events and experienced it himself.

Imam Furqan’s interview informed me of the history of the Nation of Islam. Imam Furqan was attracted to the Nation of Islam because of the concepts of unity, morals, and discipline. Also, the Nation was very organized and neat. The Nation gave each individual African-American a sense of identity and strength for his or herself. It told them that they could things totally independent of white people. In addition, he also stated that the Nation had no tolerance for laziness and ignorance. As a result the Nation taught them to work and become

industrialized.
Finally, I chose this artifact because it showed me how the early African-American Muslim community in Atlanta was very united and organized. They had a strict code of morals that everyone was to abide to. It maintained discipline and created an environment everyone was able to live in.
The second artifact I chose was a scrapbook covering the history and tenets of Islam in America which dates back to the mid 1980s. This scrapbook contains newspaper, clippings, and flyers that the Nation of Islam handed out. The scrapbook was comprised of all the news regarding the Nation of Islam and religious texts such as Quran verses and Hadith. In this scrapbook there were articles discussing the oneness of god and his attributes. Also, it had a lot of information about the duties and demands you were obligated to perform as a Muslim such as salat and the payment of zakat. It also taught you how to pray if you didn't know how to. Holidays such as Eid-uf-Fitr and its requirements were also mentioned in the newspaper. In addition, there was a section in the scrapbook where the arabic language was discussed in great detail. There were also articles that talked about the Arabic language contributions to Muslim culture. However, the scrapbook was not only composed of religious matters. Political matters such as Muslim voting rights and the eradication of oppression was only discussed within the newspaper.
This scrapbook is an example of a primary source. These flyers, newspapers, and clippings are actual text that they published. In addition, we are being told by the Nation of Islam about their beliefs and way of life.
Finally, I chose this artifact to be able to learn what the Nation of Islam discussed and their belief systems. By examining this scrapbook, I have learned that the Nation of Islam was very organized and well regulated. The newspapers and flyers contained a great deal of information and very important discussions. It was by this unification that the Nation of Islam was able to flourish and expand.