Becoming Muslim: Tyson’s Story
February 18, 2022
Interfaith America is pleased to share the series “Becoming Muslim” from the podcast “The Spiritual Edge.” The series explores the motivations and challenges of converts as they carve out a unique path for being Muslim in the United States. Over seven episodes, the podcast profiles eight individuals from various cultural backgrounds who offer different windows into this diverse and complex religion. A spiritual seeker travels to Cairo, a prison inmate hangs with the Muslim brothers to stay safe, a college basketball player finds the Nation of Islam, and more.
Listen to Episode 5: Tyson
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Related Audio
“In my young mind, the most powerful image or representation that I saw of blackness and an unapologetic revolutionary approach was that of Malcolm, and Malcolm was amazing. And still is to this day. And so the calculus in my mind was whatever produced him, I need to be connected to.”
“In my young mind, the most powerful image or representation that I saw of blackness and an unapologetic revolutionary approach was that of Malcolm, and Malcolm was amazing. And still is to this day. And so the calculus in my mind was whatever produced him, I need to be connected to.”
“I don’t focus a lot on what might or might not happen. We all go and die. It’s just the reality of the situation, but how are we going to live? That is something that we do have some control over.”
This is Tyson Amir, an Oakland-based rapper, writer, and teacher. His path to Islam came out of the Black American experience.
“Although I didn’t have what people would consider traditional religion in my home, I’m surrounded by religious practices. The black experience. There’s a spirituality to that.”
Tyson is talking about the Black American revolutionary spirit of the 1960s, but also, his ancestors.
Tyson is carefully handling a large book. It’s a family treasure.
“This is the book that chronicles my family history on my father’s side. So the title of it is History and Genealogy of Bartlett and Rhoena Flemister.”
Bartlett and Rhoena were Tyson’s great great great grandparents. The bulk of what Tyson knows about his family history comes from the book he’s holding. It was put together by his extended family in the early 1980s.
Hundreds of people are listed in this book, all of whom trace their lineage back to this couple. It’s hardbound with green leather and embossed with gold letters. There’s a subheading in quotations that reads “I want my blood there on judgment day.”
That’s was they say Tyson’s great, great, great grandfather would always say. It was his tagline.
Tyson believes these words expressed his ancestor’s longing to see justice for the crimes of slavery. The book is full of pictures and archival documents, and it begins with the harrowing tale of how Bartlett and Rhoena Flemister survived slavery.
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Imran Ali Malik is a freelance writer and audio producer, currently pursuing a master’s degree at Berkeley Journalism. He is the producer of the Submitter podcast. Photo by Tom Levy.
Funding for Becoming Muslim comes from the Templeton Religion Trust.
