A reminder for some Arab Muslim brothers and sisters

As-salamu alaykum. I want to share something from my own experience: I’ve noticed that some Arab Muslims act like they know more about Islam than people who don’t speak Arabic, especially when those people are Black. I can often sense a quiet arrogance from some brothers and sisters. This pride isn’t always loud or rude. It often shows up as assumptions. Someone can be polite, but still assume they understand Islam better than you do. I’ve had people explain very basic parts of our faith to me in casual conversation, as if Islam wasn’t ours too. I’ve even met Arabs who seemed surprised to see us praying. I get that in Europe or America many Black people aren’t Muslim, but that surprise can go too far. Also, don’t get me started on families who don’t want their sons or daughters to marry outside their race, or who hide prejudice behind “preferences” or “cultural differences.” That’s just arrogance, and racism is a form of it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned: “No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” And we’re reminded that there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab; nor white over black nor black over white-only piety makes one better. Let’s check ourselves, treat each other with humility, and remember that true worth is by righteousness, not language, ethnicity, or background.