Why Islam is my choice — Page 93
93 ‘Umar Bil ā l Ebrah ī m How I Accepted Isl ā m My name is ‘Umar Bil ā l Ebrah ī m. I am African American and am 56 years old. I was born in Roseboro, North Carolina on the 18th of February 1942. I am a professional barber and I work in Harlem New York. I live in both Harlem and Winston-Salem because I have my family living in Winston- Salem. I live in Harlem only for the reason of delivering the Message of Isl ā m, for that reason and for that reason alone. Harlem is the heart for Renaissance Movements among African Americans. And I believe for A ḥ madiyyat to become rooted in America among African Americans, it will start from Harlem. How I accepted A ḥ madiyyat is by All ā h’s Grace alone, starting with the family, the Mother (Mattie Culbreth) and Father (Elvie Culbreth), All ā h blessed me with. I was the 8th child of my 9 brothers and 1 sister. My family’s background was rooted in religion. My Mother’s father (Harry Parker) was a Pentecostal minister, and my Father’s grandfather (Isaac Culbreth) was a Pentecostal deacon. In my community you were either a Baptist or a Pentecostal. One almost had to be one or the other. As a young boy I was told to look after my Grandfather Isaac on account of his age but in truth it was he who was looking after me. He was what you might call my tutor on the rites of passage from my adolescence into manhood. A lot of his way of doing things and explaining things came from my attachment to him. Aside