African slave descendant marries Mayflower Pilgrim descendant

August of 1970 in Northern California two young people found common ground based on principles. His favorite criteria for handling the diversity of people came from the first 17 verses of the second Chapter of the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an. It describes three kinds of people: 1) those who believe in the unseen, pray, and give alms, 2) those who reject such beliefs, and 3) those who claim to believe them but are hypocrites. She loved the use of discrimination based on character traits in words and deeds.

In the hippie culture of “whatever”, lazy disregard for cleanliness caused pain to individuals, groups, and the planet. He taught her that the first step toward worshiping The One God of all the worlds begins with self-purification. He taught her peaceful submission to the Will of God is called Islam. He invited her to learn what the Qur’an teaches about the continuum of virtue and vice; such as, diverse people of varying colors allow us to recognize one another but the diverse levels of behavior matter the most. We should excel at serving humanity, leave behind arrogance, and give thanks to God; we should become the beloved of God.

More than a century and a half ago this country witnessed the emancipation of slaves. Those who were treated as less than human finally thought that they would be given back their human dignity. But how wrong they were. Emancipation still kept them in the shackles of racism. This country needed a man like Dr. Martin Luther King to break these shackles and today we are celebrating his achievements. However, how many are aware that fourteen hundred years ago, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him), the founder of Islam, taught the importance of universal brotherhood. He said, “All of you are equal. All men, whatever nation or tribe they belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal…an Arab possesses no superiority over the non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over an Arab.”

Fyi: The she is me. He returned to His Maker in 1973, gunned down in broad daylight in a remote area of Oregon. Over 10 young converts prayed his funeral prayers thanks to his example and teaching skills.