Sulayman Nyang

Sulayman S. Nyang

Scholar of African and Muslim affairs

"On Faith" panelist Sulayman S. Nyang teaches in the Department of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. A scholar of African and Muslim affairs, Nyang, who is a native of the Republic of the Gambia, also served as his homeland's deputy ambassador to seven Middle Eastern and North African countries from 1975-78. Except for those three years, Nyang has taught at Howard since 1972, serving as acting director of the African Studies Program from 1973-75 and from 1986-1993, as chairman of the Department of African Studies. In 1993, he became senior consultant on the African Voices Project of the Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution..In 1997, Nyang became the first scholar to be named the Henry Luce Professor for Abrahamic Religions at the University of Hartford and Hartford Seminary. From 1999 to 2002 Professor Nyang served as a principal investigator and co-director of the Muslims in the American Public Square (MAPS) project sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trust and housed at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Now a U.S. citizen, Nyang has written extensively on African, Islamic and Middle Eastern affairs .His most widely-known book is Islam, Christianity and African Identity. He has also authored or co-edited Religious Plurality in Africa, with Jacob Olupona; A Line in the Sand: Saudi Arabia's Role in the Gulf War, with Evans Heindricks; and Islam:Its Relevance Today, co-edited with Henry Thompson. Nyang also wrote Islam in the United States of America (1999). His latest work is Muslims' Place in the American Public Square. Hopes, Fears, and Aspirations (2004), jointly edited with Zahid Bukhari and John Esposito of Georgetown University, and Mumtaz Ahmad of Hampton University). Nyang, who holds a doctorate in government from the University of Virginia, also serves on the advisory boards of several national African and Muslim organizations and was the first American Muslim president of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Close.

Sulayman S. Nyang

Scholar of African and Muslim affairs

"On Faith" panelist Sulayman S. Nyang teaches in the Department of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. A scholar of African and Muslim affairs, Nyang, who is a native of the Republic of the Gambia, also served as his homeland's deputy ambassador to seven Middle Eastern and North African countries from 1975-78. more »

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Thankful for Land of Opportunity

Thanksgiving has long been established as a national day and a joyful moment in the lives of most Americans who look at the material and spiritual resources of the country and thank God and nature for making it possible for us to live in domestic tranquility when compared to many other societies in the world. Those of us who have the willingness to eat, drink and be reflective about the human condition and the challenges facing us as creatures in this terribly polarizing planet cannot remain silent without asking the big questions. Who are we and what are the things that deserve our attention while we enjoyed the fruits of this society and dig deep into the bosom of the planet? Are we faithful to our duties and mindful of our responsibilities to safeguard peace and security among us as human being and as custodians of the earth?

In order for us to celebrate Thanksgiving joyfully we must also bear in mind that this day can best be imagined as an annual letter to the inhabitants of this land. Such a letter must have space for all the residents of the land and their joys and sorrows must be acknowledged and their dreams must be seen in the sentences that make up the message from all of us. Be it noted, America is the Great Magnifying Mirror. Its successes and the happiness of its people would be magnified in words and deeds. The CNN factor in conjunction with the VOA factor are living witnesses to the individual and communal articulations of our joys and sorrows. Therefore, Thanksgiving is an opportunity for all of us to identify the common threads that define who we are and what we are. As Americans we commit ourselves to the permanent success of this land. In this respect we celebrate Thanksgiving as a moment when our individual and collective memories about what is good about this land and what are the things that make all of us human and American at the highest levels. While working on this tall order we must not forget justice in our words and deeds. Thanksgiving without care and concern for justice between human beings is empty; thanksgiving just for the sake of filling our bellies and entertaining ourselves is unlikely to inspire those who come after us. In our celebration of Thanksgiving we must thank our Creator for the gifts He places before us and within nature.

Modern Americans have responsibilities beyond the wildest expectations of the founding fathers. With trillions of dollars to do good and change human lives at home and abroad we have reasons to celebrate. Even though presently we are caught in serious and deathly engagements in Iraq and elsewhere there is still room for gratitude. Thank God we survived long ago the pain and grief of the Depression; thank God we overcame the woes and pains of segregation; thank God we survived Vietnam and all the calamities that war brought to us; thank God we will eventually survive Iraq if we stay steadfast in our desire for peace and have goodwill toward other men and women on the planet who harbor no malice towards us and employ no terroristic means to kill, wound or intimidate us.

As we celebrate we join others who may not be American citizens but are fellow humans whose commitments to their nationalities have not robbed themselves of any individual or group appreciation of American life and culture.As we celebrate Thanksgiving we wish and pray that those who live among us are equally appreciative of our opportunities and are sufficiently inspired to enjoy without grudge all the good things that are available to all human beings and
creatures living under this land of fifty states.

Nature has been overly generous to Americans and all those who traveled from elsewhere and landed in this country have come to appreciate the affluence and the natural beauty that awaits the visitor. Many Americans never have been abroad and their appreciation of this country rests on what they know when they grew up to love and to appreciate the country. Let us celebrate by starting with what we know and build on what we have. Amen.

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Posted by Sulayman Nyang on November 26, 2007 5:53 AM

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