"People in the immigrant community just discovered racial profiling," said Mahdi Bray, a black civil-rights activist who is Muslim and works for the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, which was created by immigrants. "For African-Americans, we've known it for quite a while."
A unity council of black and immigrant leaders formed in the mid-1990s to explore joint meetings and other projects is largely inactive, said Naeem Baig, secretary general of the Islamic Circle of North America, a relief and advocacy group founded by immigrants.
Bagby, Imam Siraj Wahaj and other leading black Muslims are planning to form their own umbrella organization, like the Islamic Society, called the Muslim Alliance in North America, to promote job training and other development projects in their communities.
Leaders from both communities emphasized that Muslims are still establishing themselves in the US and they predict the American-born children of immigrants and the children of black Muslims will more easily mingle.
Abdulmalik Mohammed said his group remains interested in pursuing a joint convention now with the Islamic Society. But he concedes that the members of both organizations may need to wait.
"Most of them, the leadership of the immigrant community, they want to see that happen, but I don't think they feel their people are ready for that," Abdulmalik Mohammed said. "Most of our people aren't ready for that either. Our people are still remembering and feeling the pain of social disrespect, and they have experienced that with immigrant Muslims."
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