وَأَمَّا مَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ

“And as for that which is of benefit to mankind

then it remains in the earth...”

These are the words from the Muslim Holy Book, the Noble and Generous Qur’an. It’s nobility and generosity is in its communication that is always respecting human life, and giving to it as support for the best conditions and existence for it on this earth. 

That human life itself is common to all humans in its fundamental dignity, original design, and eternal purpose as the most sacred favor G’d bestows on mankind and is acknowledged by all civilized Peoples on this earth. All individual lives in human communities, within Nations, or among Peoples, regardless of ethnicity or religion, economic status, political orientation; or any other moral and nature-based distinction in which human beings understand themselves or organize themselves are entitled by birthright to enjoy the benefits of Life as G’d planned and intended it.

The notion that one People is better entitled to that which is meant to aid all humans, especially in critical moments where the human family must rely on the knowledge and goodwill of its better situated members, is considered unconscionable and categorically rejected by Muslims and all people of conscience. This is based on the principle that this verse from the Qur’an highlights - that all human beings are deserving of that which G’d intends to benefit them. To deny them is oppression, and oppression in the estimation of the Islamic conscience as demonstrated by Muhammed the Prophet and the teaching of the Holy Qur’an is “worse than outright slaughter.”

The public and official position that the state of Israel’s health minister takes accepting “no responsibility” to make available doses of the COVID vaccine to a Palestinian population whose legitimate lands are occupied by his government is demonstrably immoral and condemnable by all appreciable standards of human decency. It is precisely this oppressive spirit which reminds us of 20th century Nazi murderers of innocent Jewish lives claiming that such lives were of a lesser human value than the Aryan type.

Now, I would like to address the African-American people on behalf of Muslim-African-American traditional thinking. The fact is that there is one Islam and Muslims are commanded by G’d and must perceive themselves as one community. So, to properly represent Muslim-African-American interests a true and correct perception of interests recognizable to all informed Muslims must be the standard obeyed.

The prideful minority of African-Americans who have thumbed their noses at the COVID vaccine citing American duplicity, racism, and history of abuses as reasons for distrust, should consider that poor nations concentrated on the African continent and among all non-white Peoples all over the earth, have lost as many as 3 times more innocent lives to the COVID pandemic than have been officially counted and published. This is due to the nature of poverty and general attitudes held by an elitist view in the so-called ‘rich’ world that these lives lost are of a lesser human value.

It should register in the moral conscience of proud American Negroes that under-reported pandemic casualties in Africa, South America, and Black and Brown Asia gives the impression that those COVID-related deaths are not important enough to report accurately and therefore the vaccine is more meaningful and important where the virus has been ostensibly more deadly. The verifiable, common-sense facts are that this virus is a pestilence affecting ALL human communities, ALL nations, ALL races, ALL religious followings, rich, and especially the poor. 

Leaders of the African-American Muslim community have for 90 years been the foremost in encouraging our people to “think” and think deeply. They were fearlessly committed to bringing correct information to the oppressed African-American people up from slavery with the intent to support the strengthening of their status as an independent People standing on the moral principle that their humanity must be respected. This, in spite of their legalized second class status supported by government and countrymen in the name of segregation laws.

In this spirit the Honorable Elijah Mohammed rejected American identity up to the point where he said clearly and to the masses of his great following: “If the white people can do good by you then you do good by them.” Our Islamic faith and our tradition in that faith does not permit us to be lambs for the slaughter at the altar of ignorance. We stand upon certain faith and objective knowledge. This is the well-known commitment of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. I commit myself to this in the same measure as they did and on behalf of their people. 

It is my position that if those proud American Negroes think so little of the vaccine that is valued by so many around the world, then it should not be a burden on them to find a way to donate the nominal $30 per dose so that one or many poor people can have access to that which will protect them in their human right to live with dignity irrespective of their poverty. This includes the Palestinian victims of Nazi-like Israeli officials, and all who want the vaccine upon the moral basis that they want to protect their human right to enjoy for themselves that which G’d has made beneficial to them.