Al-Qalam 
Sherman Jackson: Islam, Blackness and Oppression
By Ayesha Omar
Sherman A. Jackson is a preeminent scholar of Islamic thought, currently serving as a
professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern
California. His scholarly contributions have profoundly shaped the discourse on
contemporary Islam and its relationship to blackness. His thought spans a broad range of
disciplines, including Islamic jurisprudence, theology, and ethics, as well as race theory and
African American studies.
In a seminal text, entitled Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking toward the Third
Resurrection, Jackson, provides important historical context on the early Black American
Islamisers in the early twentieth century. Jackson highlights the process of religious
conversion as a means for individuals to seek validation of their past while integrating a new
faith into their present and future. He demonstrates why this process is often messy and may
involve deviations from orthodoxy before complete assimilation is achieved.
Jackson discusses the favourable aspects of Islam that made it appealing to Black Americans,
particularly those who were socially and culturally marginalized. He highlights Islam’s
African and Eastern roots, independence from white authority, reputation for resistance, and
clear moral and ethical codes as factors that attracted Black Americans seeking empowerment
and identity. Additionally, Islam’s lack of a rigid ecclesiastical hierarchy allowed for greater
inclusivity and participation, aligning well with the proletarian origins of these early
proselytizing movements.
Of crucial interest to the South African context, Jackson critically examines the historical
dynamics between the Muslim community and the apartheid regime in South Africa. Here, he
explains the limited spread of Islam among the black South African populace, ascribing this
phenomenon to the initial absence of condemnation of anti-black apartheid policies by the
Muslim community. He further explains that for a protracted period, the Muslim community
in South Africa did not perceive a dissonance between the tenets of apartheid and the
precepts of Islam, with some members even collaborating with the apartheid regime.
Jackson interrogates the presumed affinity between Islam, blackness, and oppression, remarking that despite the oppression endured by black South Africans, the anticipated mass conversions to Islam did not transpire as expected. He juxtaposes this trajectory with the experience of Black Americans who found in Islam a sense of empowerment and resistance against societal marginalization.
As such, Jackson posits that the monopolization of the interpretation and meaning of Islam by Indian and Malay authorities in South Africa may have obstructed black South Africans from perceiving Islam as a panacea for their plight, as it was not presented as an effective antidote to the apartheid system.
Jackson’s analysis invites us to critically examine presumed connections between faith,
marginalization, and resistance while also recognizing the importance of inclusive representation, contextual understanding, and addressing power imbalances within religious
communities.
Dr Ayesha Omar is a Senior Lecturer in Political Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and currently a British Academy International Fellow at SOAS, University of London. She is working on a new book project on Black Intellectual History in South Africa.
