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Seeing this a lot recently. A Muslim non-Black POC points to having a Somali or African imam/leader as proof there& #39;s no anti-Black racism in their community. Let me say this as a child of Sudanese immigrants: there& #39;s a diff between anti-Black racism & anti-*Black American* racism
In the US almost all African diaspora Muslims deal with microaggressions & racism, subtle & unsubtle from our non-Black co-religionists. But it& #39;s nowhere near the level of racism, condescension, animosity, & ignorance heaped at our African American sisters & brothers.
That is bc while non-Black Muslims may not be happy if their kid comes home with a Somali fiance, they& #39;ll brag about the local Somali students winning tajweed competitions. Anti-Blackness affects diaspora African Muslims, but our Islam is generally considered legitimate.
There& #39;s a reason why the three Black former presidents of a national (immigrant-serving) Muslim org are all Sudanese immigrants. Nobody (least of all them!) ignores their Blackness, but they are - like nearly all the rest of the leadership there - immigrants.
This is not to say that diaspora African Muslims are immune to anti-Black American Muslim animosity. We are not. It exists, and I hear it a lot, esp among first-gen, or recent immigrants. That& #39;s another conversation that must be had, offline, within our communities.
Back to non-Black Muslims in the US. They often assume that AA Muslims have a faulty understanding of, and shaky connection to, Islam. That AA Muslims are all converts, "too new" to be considered legitimate Muslims. They don& #39;t assume these about diaspora African Muslims.
This is anecdotal, but when I was growing up, the only AA imams I saw regularly at national immigrant conferences/spaces were Imam Siraj Wahhaj & Imam Zaid Shakir. Other AA Muslims regularly invited were entertainers and athletes. African diaspora invitees? Were imams & scholars.
Adding here: my experiences are in Sunni communities. I& #39;m not sure how experiences will differ in Shia communities.
Oh, and! Bc to most people I "present" as South Asian or Yemeni, you& #39;d best believe I& #39;ve heard a LOT of anti-Black comments throughout my life. Heard - not overheard - bc folks don& #39;t think they have to hide their anti-Black racism from me.
When I hear Arabs say the "A" word and call them out on it, I sometimes say I& #39;m Black. I used to always hear, "Oh we don& #39;t mean you, we mean the Americans." As if I was going to say, "Oh, ok then! Carry on with your racism since it& #39;s not about me!" 
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