Soviet Propaganda Targeting Black People

     With the idea of socialism becoming the official ideology of a state in the early 20th century, international relations and the global balance of power were completely altered. This was the most significant outcome of the immense Russian territories, stretching from Europe to Japan, succumbing to the Bolshevik Revolution amidst the chaos of World War I. In contrast to the West, which was experiencing a particularly brutal form of capitalism, a Socialist-Communist Eastern bloc rose, its beautiful words and promises concealing a foundation of lies.

     One of the cornerstones of this Socialist-Communist East was propaganda. The Soviet Union diligently focused on this to establish and inevitably spread the Marxist-Leninist doctrine, and to find new allies. To strengthen its efforts, it seized every opportunity that arose. One such opportunity was the treatment of Black people, especially in the United States. A century after the abolition of slavery, the discrimination faced by people of a different skin color was exactly what the Soviets were looking for. The perception they wanted to pump out was simple yet impactful: "The capitalist world treats people based on their color. If you're Black, you're a second-class citizen... Socialism is great, come join us!"

     Soviet Russia's approach to Black people and its use of them for propaganda began right after the revolution. Posters and flyers prominently featuring Black people were already seen in the 1920s. A useful anecdote to illustrate the propaganda clash between the Soviets and the U.S. is the following: when Americans tried to draw attention to human rights issues in the USSR in response to increasing Soviet propaganda, the Russians would reply, "And you are lynching Negroes!" This phrase was widely used, especially during the Stalin era.

     Beyond American Black elites being influenced by Soviet propaganda, the Communist Party USA, founded in Chicago in 1919, became a sanctuary for African Americans. This was because the party took bold steps to protect the rights of Black workers, even though there were almost no Black members in the organization at its founding. Otto Huiswoud and Claude McKay, two of the most influential African American figures of the time, immediately went to Moscow for the 4th World Congress of the Communist International after the Bolshevik Revolution and stated they were deeply impressed by their visit. Even before this congress, the Bolshevik regime had allocated a budget of $300,000 for propaganda targeting Black people who were oppressed, particularly under the Jim Crow Laws.

     The Great Depression, which hit the U.S. in 1929, was another opportunity for the Russians. The Soviet government invited Black people, who were even more oppressed in the economically struggling U.S., to live and work in their country. It is known that only a few hundred Black people accepted this invitation. Around the same time, Black artists were invited from the U.S. for a film project about racism and xenophobia. The film, titled “Black and White” (Chernoe i Beloe), was never completed despite great hopes. The famous poet Langston Hughes, a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, was part of this project. In the later years of the Cold War, the Soviets continued to use every racist incident in America as a pretext for propaganda. One of the most notable was the long debated "Scottsboro Boys" case in 1931, involving nine Black boys who were sentenced to death after being falsely accused of raping two white women on a train.

     After the initial Soviet campaign, a new wave of propaganda targeting Black people gained momentum in the late 1950s. This was the time when Western countries, which had been exploiting Africa's resources, were being expelled one by one. Under Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Union saw this as another avenue for gain. In addition to providing arms to rebellious regions, young Africans were invited to Russia for education to experience socialism firsthand. Countries like Namibia, Congo, Angola, Algeria, Mozambique, and Egypt stood out in these relationships, and the young people who studied in Moscow later took on influential roles in their governments.

     To strengthen and consolidate relations with Third World countries, the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia was founded in Moscow in 1960. The university was originally named Peoples' Friendship University, but after Patrice Lumumba, a leader in the struggle for Congo's independence from Belgium, was assassinated in early 1961, it was renamed in his honor. The university's purpose was clear: to train young Africans in socialist ideology and place them in various leadership positions within their own countries during the height of the Cold War. Given that many high-ranking politicians from Africa and even Central America—including former presidents of the Central African Republic and Namibia—graduated from here, this objective was at least partially achieved. (The famously erratic Fidel Castro directly sent 300,000 soldiers to aid Africa, but that's a different matter.) The current President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, also studied at this university.

     However, the lifespan of socialism was not long, and its battery ran out after 70 years. With its collapse, it became clear that the Russians were not truly fond of Black people and that their actions had been a forced state policy. Xenophobic attacks in Russia have increased since the 1990s, and research indicates they are on the rise in recent years. While a primary reason is the general increase in refugee flows, xenophobia has always been common among Russians. The Western sanctions have also clearly fueled nationalism. In this context, many Black students studying in various Russian cities report being careful to avoid isolated areas after dark. This suggests that the propaganda the Soviet government carried out was merely a facade and failed to find a deep-rooted acceptance among the general population.

Muhammad Ali’s Religion, Arrogance, and the Understanding of Islam Among African Americans in the 60s

 

"I keep telling you, this man has no strength, no heart! I am smart, and I've proven it!"

Just then, David Frost, the promising journalist, steps in with his microphone:

"Congratulations..."

"Am I the greatest of all time?" the sweaty man cuts him off again. "Now everybody stop talking... Attention, I told you all of my critics I told you all that I was the greatest of all time. When I beat Sunny Liston. I told you today I'm still the greatest of all time. Never again defeat me never again say that I'm going to be defeated never..."

     The person who said these words is the same person who said, "When you're as great as I am, it's hard to be humble," and "I am the greatest, greater than anyone who has ever lived," "I am the greatest, in fact, I'm the greatest twice," "I'm so fast that when I try to turn off the light, I can get back to my place before the lights go out," "I'm young, handsome, fast, charming, invincible." This is the same person who repeatedly compared one of his opponents (even though they were of the same race) to a "gorilla" and used a machine-gun-like stream of demeaning words against anyone he saw as a rival: Muhammad Ali. He was the American Black boxer considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. His real name was Cassius Clay, but he was a nonconformist and unique personality who closely followed and personally participated in the efforts of Black people to protect their rights during the intense racism of the 50s and 60s.

     The life of Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016, is well known, enough to be the subject of films. The point we want to focus on here is his understanding of Islam and some of his interesting characteristics that don't seem to align well with the religion. Of course, when the topic is this, it's necessary to mention factors like the "Nation of Islam," "Elijah Muhammad," and "Malcolm X," which were part of the acceleration of the Black movements after the second half of the 20th century.

the person regarded as prophet
by Ali, Elijah Muhammad

     The Nation of Islam: As is known, the acceptance of people of the "Black" race as "human" in the "land of opportunity," the United States, isn't something that goes back very far. The "darkness" of skin color has been a problem for centuries in the West, and especially on the American continent. In this situation, one of the gathering places for Black people seeking their rights was the Nation of Islam, established by a dubious character named Wallace Fard Muhammad (and strangely enough, he was white). During Muhammad Ali's time, this organization, under the leadership of a person known as Elijah Muhammad, had an Islamic facade but was blatantly promoting Black racism. Some Black people, who were unwelcome everywhere white people were and were not even accepted into white churches, went overboard while trying to escape Christianity, which they saw as the white people's religion, and ran into the son of this poor farmer slave who was a prophet impostor (and their meeting places were similar to churches with cushioned seats, and things like prayer were nonexistent).

     The person known as Elijah Muhammad (real name Elijah Poole) shifted to what we could call a "radical racist" line by presenting himself as a prophet and claiming that the origin of all people was Black and that the Black race was superior. But the even more interesting part of the issue is that a smart and outspoken person like Muhammad Ali fell for this guy. In videos you can even find on social media (for example, in his statements after his match against George Foreman in Zaire), Muhammad Ali is seen shouting to the cameras, "There is no God but Allah, and Elijah Muhammad is his messenger!"... And of course, right after, he claims that he is the greatest of all time!

Nation of Islam

     Another figure of the era, who is still seen as an inspiration by millions, is Malcolm X. While Malcolm was in prison for disgraceful crimes, he became acquainted with the movement of the fake prophet Elijah mentioned above, and as soon as he got out, he followed him, just like Ali. However, Elijah's absurd theories gradually pushed him away from this community, and after he went to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in 1964, his ideas changed completely, and he left the Nation of Islam organization. He did leave, but in February 1965, he was assassinated by being shot at close range. Whether Elijah and the Nation of Islam were the perpetrators is still a source of confusion. In fact, Malcolm's (Malik el Shabazz) fiery sermons were very effective in Muhammad Ali's decision to join the Nation of Islam. After Malcolm left the organization, their relationship soured.

     Why did we write all of this? To better understand the environment Muhammad Ali came from and the people he associated with. In other words, this famous, sharp-tongued, talkative boxer, in reaction to white people, followed a group of people with corrupt beliefs whose purpose was unclear and openly called their leader a "prophet." Although there are some who say that "he later abandoned these ideas and became a Sunni," it is still unknown whether he was a "Sunni" in the sense we know. His stance was primarily a reactive one, a Black person embracing another religion as a reaction to the white people associated with Christianity.

     Of course, some contradictions are striking here. Most of the people Ali knocked down were Black people from poor neighborhoods who, like him, had suffered greatly from racism. At least as much as white people, his Black opponents got their share, and more, from his sharp, demeaning language and arrogant words. Furthermore, there was no part of the savagery called "Boxing" that was compatible with Islam. Because in our religion, it is not approved to hit any living creature, let alone a person's face. In fact, by his own admission, boxing is "a bunch of white people watching two Black people beat each other to death with pleasure."

     So, why did the conservative people of some Muslim countries (like Turkey), who were not very familiar with boxing, praise and glorify him, waking up at three in the morning to watch his matches, getting excited after every punch, and losing themselves when he knocked down his opponent? Because the things they could understand with the limited news sources of that time were that this distant Black man who fought by dancing on the screen was a Muslim, that he fearlessly shouted his Muslim identity, and that he was taking revenge on America, which was considered "the devil." Ali went far beyond being an ordinary activist, refusing to go to the Vietnam War, fearlessly shouting the hypocrisy of the white people who still hadn't gotten used to the abolition of slavery, and speaking to them from a high-and-mighty position... These were exactly the things that appealed to our complex-ridden mentality when it came to America and the West! In Turkey and similar countries, what caused the name Muhammad Ali to be placed side-by-side with the name "hero" was not his sport and his success in it, but this stance.

Imbalances Experienced by New Converts to Islam or... Missing the "Middle Way"

 

     We sometimes see a familiar sight in Western media: a famous person, as a result of their research or an accident, announces their conversion to Islam. However, this process often involves some peculiarities and imbalances. The points we will detail below lead to a question about those who convert to Islam (especially those who make it a priority and a way of life): "Why do some converts, particularly celebrities, experience certain imbalances and even traumas, especially in the early stages?" Let's examine this situation by considering Islam's comprehensive tenets and its principles that turn believers into "men of action," combined with the sharpness and "dizziness" that comes with a fresh conversion.

1. The Lure of Translations

     One of the initial ways people connect with Islam is naturally through translations. It's a method almost everyone uses to see what the holy book contains and to quench their immediate "thirst." The unique eloquence and rhetoric of the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem captivate people and inspire even the most passive individuals (this is evident even in the most perfunctory translations). There is nothing wrong with this. The real problem arises in the next step: trying to continue shaping one's life based solely on these translations.

      A translation is simply a rendition of the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem into another language based on a person's limited understanding, often for financial gain. These translations can lead to people being influenced by unqualified individuals and cause certain verses and chapters to be misunderstood in a way that is the exact opposite of their true meaning, with obvious consequences. Unfortunately, many new Muslims, starting their journey with good and pure intentions, end up in the shallow waters and swamps of these translations. The most painful part is that they are completely unaware of this, believing, "I'm learning Islam from its original source, I don't need anything else." As is well known, there is no cure for this "compounded ignorance," and it's nearly impossible to teach something to someone who thinks they already know.

     Another aspect of this issue became clearer with the rise of ISIS. The Western world was once preoccupied with young people who eagerly went to join these gangs. People couldn't understand why these youths would go to "jihad." However, most of these new converts were captivated after reading jihad verses in a simple, hastily done translation that was put into their hands. Lacking anyone to guide them and pressured by other confused and directionless groups like themselves, they got involved in things that no sane person would. Thinking they were fighting infidels, they found their way to the Middle East, and many died without ever properly learning about Islam.

2. The Focus on Appearance (Beard and Clothing)

    For many striving to make Islam their way of life and fully follow its teachings, another area where they miss the "average" is their appearance, particularly growing a beard. In more advanced cases, there's a tendency toward turbans and robes, but we can summarize all of these under this point. This is often a manifestation of a sincere desire to follow the Our Beloved Prophet and his guidance. However, the mistake here is not fully understanding the place of the beard in Islamic law, and even when they do, the sharpness and dizziness that comes with being a new Muslim leads to a rush to share the newly found blessing with everyone.

                            

Yusuf Islam past & present

     When this well-intentioned fervor is combined with the error of learning the religion from translations (as discussed in the first point), there's a risk of being thrown far off the "average." As we have discussed in another text, in countries outside the Arab world—especially in the West—and particularly after the September 11th attacks, attempting to be an active public figure with a beard, turban, robe will bring many problems and misunderstandings. Trying to display a "non-obligatory sunnah" makes a person seem like a potential terrorist, a boogeyman, or at the very least, unkempt or backward in the eyes of others. They are viewed through various preconceived notions, and people don't even want to interact with them. This doesn't seem like a very wise thing to do.

Hamza Yusuf then & now

     To clarify, of course, it is highly rewarding to follow every Sunnah of Our Prophet, but giving people a reason to mock beards, robes, and turbans while performing a Sunnah that is not even accounted for on the Day of Judgment is not a good deed. It can cause young people to become alienated from Islam and even lead them to become Islamophobic.

3. Broken Relationships with Their Social Circles

     This imbalance often appears in young people who convert to Islam while in a social environment with limited religious practice or one that is entirely secular. The tension between the two sides escalates, and in many cases, there are sharp breaks and separations. Some of these relationships may normalize later, but the pain of "heartbreak" doesn't easily go away.

4. The Haste to "Enjoin Good and Forbid Evil"

     The principle of "amr bil ma'ruf wa nahy 'anil munkar" is one of the famous 54 obligatory duties of Islam, and it can be described as "enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong." It is a duty that Islam places on every individual according to their capacity. However, there are certain conditions for performing this duty, and attempting to do so when these conditions are not met will cause more harm than good. This topic is also directly related to the "lure of translations" we examined in the first point because people who rely on translations often lack the skill to balance the concept of enjoining good and forbidding evil.

5. Following the Wrong People

     This is a particularly noticeable factor today. It manifests through "scholars" who are full of empty words and use flashy rhetoric to trap young people. They target sincere young people who are new to the faith. Young converts fall into the traps of fake mystics, despicable individuals whose lives don't match their words, people who hastily write translations and commentaries for money and fame, and malicious individuals who inject poison into well-written articles. They become victims of severe spiritual poisoning. This often happens especially as a result of the Salafi movement, backed by Wahhabi Saudis, dominating social media. For example, on Reddit, Salafi propaganda is immediately noticeable in most threads related to Islam.

     When we pile these elements up, we encounter figures and ideas that have strayed far from the center—claiming to be Muslim yet failing to grasp the essence, without a firm grounding in Sunni tradition. You can see nearly all of these imbalances in people like Yusuf Islam and more recently, Sinead O'Connor (Shuhada' Davitt). Yusuf Islam's change in appearance and rhetoric is a perfect example: when he first converted, he completely quit music and disconnected from his social circle. Over time, however, he returned to the music scene, took off his turban, trimmed his beard, and picked up his guitar again.

Is It Beneficial to Read the Translation of Al-Qur'an al-Kareem?

 

     Our current age is, as we know, the age of "speed." The concept of speed is active in every area of our lives and, naturally, affects our spirituality (if there is any left). But this speed is not always to our advantage. When the obsession with speed and quickness pushes us to consume information that should be spread out and learned gradually over the long term, taking it in the form of a "concentrated" pill in a short period of time, it often settles in our systems as permanent and effective "side effects." One of the areas that speed and the desire to be fast have permeated is, unfortunately, "religion." When we say "religion," we are of course talking about Islam, not Christianity, which has been "robbed of its spirit" by Westerners.

one of the many translations

     When learning about religion without being "left behind" by the rest of life, the disease of reading the "Meal" (translation) and giving meaning to Islam according to it, exactly as required by "hamburger culture," comes into play. Furthermore, for those who are introduced to Islam for the first time, the effort to understand the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem manifests itself in resorting to translations. This is essentially a very natural action because when you start to get interested in Islam, the need arises to examine the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem, and somehow, someone immediately shoves a translation under your arm. There is nothing wrong with "this," but what comes "after" this is a bit complicated.

     A meal is a translation made by someone who knows a certain degree of Arabic, based on his own understanding. A person reading a translation understands not the divine will in the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem, but the explanation in the mind of the person trying to translate it into any other language. However, the person with little knowledge who reads the translation reads it as if it is the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem itself. In fact, the translations circulating on the market today are mere translations. That is, they are word-for-word translations. However, there are explanations in places where explanations are needed. It is not possible to briefly translate the verses anyway; it would lead to many misunderstandings.

     In reality, the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem cannot be translated into any language, including Arabic. To understand the meaning of the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem means to understand what Allah wants in any given verse. Nothing is gained from a translation made by a religiously ignorant person who does not even practice the basic commands and prohibitions, other than harm that could lead to blasphemy. Translations written for money and fame sow seeds of doubt in the minds of readers. However, misunderstanding the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem or doubting it can lead to apostasy. Unfortunately, some young people who are fed by translations think of the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem as a book consisting of mythological stories and meaningless thoughts that is "not so noble." Especially when they try to derive judgments from these translations that contain personal opinions and build their faith and worship on what they have understood, it is outright leaving the Islamic faith and following their own "-ism." Books sold with gilded words like "Read the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem in your own language" or "The commentary of the age" cause incurable illnesses in their readers.

     The love for making Muslims read translations is not actually very old. The Ottoman Empire, even though it was ruled by a non-Arab majority and governed very large and diverse non-Arab communities for centuries, never had the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem translated and read into any language, including its own. This is because our ancestors knew very well the method of learning and teaching the Islamic religion. Instead of translations and commentaries, basic books on Islamic theology (kalam), creed (akaid), and jurisprudence (fiqh) were taught (for example, the famous Mizrakli İlmihal). The Ottoman Empire handled religious matters with such sensitivity and without corrupting their origin that it even had the Friday sermon (khutbah) read only in Arabic because it could not find permission for it in religious sources, and to make the sermon understandable, it established the sermon (va'z) before the prayer.

     In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, especially after the deposition of Abdülhamid II and the declaration of the Second Constitutional Era, with the great decrease in competent and authorized religious scholars, a lot of deviators emerged. It is a historical fact that the first translation efforts in the geography of Turkey came from the hands of non-Muslims (you can imagine how much these efforts would be to the benefit of Muslims). Instead of books on kalam and fiqh, efforts were made to produce an environment where everyone would derive their own rulings. In this way, just like with the distorted Christianity, everyone would have their own path, and the path of unity would be broken.

     Today, those who get into this "translation" business are generally alienated from Sunni Islam and follow their own philosophical thoughts. A lot of so-called "theologians" who think of themselves as "world scholars" get into the "translation writing" business in a race against each other, and they do not neglect to slander each other. Since there are people who think of everyone who writes a book that looks like a translation or a religious book as a scholar, those who are eager to earn money and fame from these works are increasing every day.

     In fact, how harmful and misleading the "translationism" is can be clearly seen from the current state of the Christian world. As is known, in the Christian religion, after the distortion of Christianity, the Gospels began to be rapidly translated into other languages. Especially after the Protestants, who were angry with the Catholics, charted their own course, the place was overrun with Bible translations in every language. This caused everyone to act according to their own capacity and understanding, and the unity was broken. In other words, the love for reading translations and acting according to what is understood from them clearly smells of Christianity.

     Anyone who wants to understand and learn the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem should read the books of the old scholars on kalam and fiqh. This is because the books of these religious scholars were taken from and written from the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem and hadiths. The religious books and ilmihal prepared by righteous Muslims as a result of their years of strenuous efforts are already comprehensive and deep translations and commentaries.

     If everyone understood the Al-Qur'an al-Kareem correctly, could the Islamic world be so fragmented? Aren't there so many ridiculous and bizarre paths because everyone does what they want and misunderstands?