The New Muslim Left: Islamic Theology and Contemporary Political Organizing in New York City

• In Event: Sociology of Religion Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 8. Navigating Modern Religion

Abstract

This paper documents the formation of a contemporary Muslim Left in New York City, exploring how members of this movement are incorporating Islamic theology and ethics into their political practice. On the heels of electing the city’s first Muslim socialist mayor, Muslim organizers are turning to Islam as a language of resistance against the crises of affordability, capitalist accumulation, and imperialist war. Combining participant observation with in-depth interviews, this paper documents this political formation tethered by shared networks and commitments to integrating Islamic ethics and theology into its political organizing practice. Seeking to escape the secular left’s suspicion of religion and Islamic orthodoxy’s emphasis on individual piety, participants of this movement are articulating a new political Islam. The movement is consolidated not only through electoral organizations like the Muslim Democratic Club of New York City, but also within cultural institutions like Acacia, the freshly launched political and cultural magazine of the Muslim Left, and informal study groups exploring the relationship between Islam, Marxism, and Abolition. This paper also explores the threads of a new political Islam emerging through weekly jummah khutbas (Friday prayer sermons) in spaces like the Islamic Center of New York City, where the progressive imam reminds hundreds of attendees that Islam calls on its followers to resist the excesses of capitalism and the violence of white supremacy. Muslim artists across performance spaces also offer progressive articulations of Islam, weaving together Qur’anic verse, melody and lyrics, inviting their audiences to reconnect with inner sources of divinity muddled by the demands of life within everyday capitalism. Across these spaces, I document the reflections of Muslim community leaders, political organizers, and creatives to understand how the New York City Muslim Left is forging a theological critique of American capitalism and imperialism.

Author

• Sarah Merchant, University of California-Berkeley