Omar Suleiman - Black History, American Muslims, and Conversations about Race

About this lecture

In this wide-ranging conversation, Sheikh Omar Suleiman sits down with Dr. Muhammad Khalifa, Senior Fellow at Yaqeen Institute, to discuss Black history, race relations, and the role of American Muslim institutions in addressing systemic racism and inequality. Drawing on their co-authored academic work on ancestral knowledge and cultural resistance in Islam, they explore topics including masjid climate and cultural privilege, the difference between allyship and advocacy, class versus race as analytical frameworks, immigrant Muslim communities and their relationship to whiteness, and how Muslim organizations should approach Black History Month. The conversation is honest, practical, and grounded in both scholarly research and lived experience.