The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) which is one of America’s largest Muslim organizations just wrapped up its annual conference in Baltimore, MD. Like every major Islamic organization which holds a conference except for one, the matrimony booth or session is a mainstay. Indeed one of the rare times in which young American Muslims have the opportunity to find potential mates outside of arranged marriages through parents is at conferences such as ICNA’s.

It is common at such matrimonial events to have participants fill out basic questionnaires. This year at ICNA was met with complaints due to a section pertaining to persons having skin complexion preferences. After this was brought to the attention of ICNA’s leadership, its president issued an apology.

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I commend ICNA’s president for issuing an apology regarding this issue. In sha Allah, this will not be on ICNA’s questionnaire nor any other Islamic organization’s questionnaire in upcoming conferences.

Some may say that there is nothing wrong with having a section for stating one’s skin color preference. It’s no doubt that persons have varying preferences pertaining to physical appearance ranging from height to weight. Skin complexion may also be a factor of preference to many as well.

The problem, however, of this being on a questionnaire from an Islamic organization resides in two aspects, those being implicit bias informed by white supremacy that subtly guides preferences and the other being having such an option on a questionnaire which passively furthers such problematic framework.

There is no doubt that white supremacy has damaged the Muslim psyche. Colonialism bred inferiority complexes into Muslims stretching from the Indian subcontinent to Africa and beyond which includes seeing standards of beauty personified in European features ranging from skin color, eye color and hair texture. This is a fact that has been well studied from from black children desiring to play with white dolls over blacks dolls thinking that the white dolls are more beautiful to Fair & Lovely and other skin bleach creams being a multi-billion dollar business worldwide due to South Asian and African women desiring lighter skin.

Grandparents and parents in our community still tell our girls not to play outside in the sun too long out of fear that they will get dark. Our daughters are also met with microagressions such as “You’re so pretty for a dark girl!” The flawed thought behind this of course is that girls with darker skin are less desirable for marriage thus will be less successful in life.

It’s the duty of Islamic organizations to not only desist from passively facilitating this implicit bias but also to undo it. Islamic organizations now having more conversations about race relations in our community, which is fantastic. Much of the conversations, however, are just scratching the surface. We have experts within our own community to discuss the issues of race relations in our community and in America that need to be not only brought in to speak but also need to be actively engaged for shura. Though we have clear texts in the Qur’an and the Sunnah regarding the fallacy of racial supremacy, we also need historical and sociology critiques on what colonialism did the Muslim mind and how America’s de facto racial hierarchy influences how our community operates today including who we prefer and disdain for our children to marry.

I’m of the opinion that not only should this discussion be at the forefront of main sessions at all Islamic conferences, but that there should be an annual Islamic conference just on the issue of racial justice inside and outside of the American Muslim community.