The killings took place in Columbus, while last summer, May 25, 2020, a black man under the knee of a police officer of Minneapolis from the US state of Minnesota named "Derek Chauvin" was killed.

He angrily placed his knee on the neck of a black man named "George Floyd" for about 7 minutes and pressed hard enough to kill him under his knee. He did not pay any attention to the black man's moans and pleas.

The incident was recorded with a mobile camera by passers-by and was widely shared on social media.

There have always been widespread protests against such crimes of police, but they have had no effect on police treatment towards blacks.

Historical Background

The attitude of the US government and white people towards black people has been very hateful and violent since its establishment.

From 1880 to 1890, for ten years, 100 blacks were lynched in the United States each year: Burned either alive, dismembered, or hanged. The sad and terrible stories of dealing with blacks in the US that are even uglier than slavery periods that have been narrated in many books. One of the best works in this regard is "Roots" written by a black person who was the victim of these discriminations and sufferings named “Alex Haley ".[1]

Until before the abolition of slavery in the United States - in the 17th to 19th centuries - black African slaves were imported, exported and traded like any other commodities. Ships full of slaves from Africa used to arrive to America and formed a market for their sale. Newspapers advertised that strong and agile slaves were being sold at a reasonable price. The images of these newspaper ads, slave trades and treating with them, which is contained in historical documents, is very heart breaking.

A sample of advertisements

Prices of the Blacks

Slaves had two uses, one on cotton farms doing tedious work and the other in homes that had to obey family members for different tasks. Corporal harsh punishment on them was usual and flogging that used to leave traces on their backs forever, was a common method of punishing slaves. Slaves who may have escaped were fastened with shackles for a long time. One of these methods was to use a thick chain with one end locked on the leg and attached to the other side a heavy weight. Just look at the pictures on the Internet under the heading of slavery in the United States to see that the violence against slaves did not ever applied to animals!

Samples of turtures

During the humiliating and miserable life of blacks in the United States, some personalities of the black men rose against that miserable situation and led a massive struggle. Among them were Elijah Muhammad, Malcom X, Martin Luther King, and Louis Farrakhan, some of whom were assassinated because of their struggle.

Despite the fact that slavery has been abolished in the United States since many years and the issue of racial discrimination has apparently been removed, the effects of this discrimination still exist and the oppression to blacks in the US continues. Numerous books, articles, and films that have been published and produced in the US from time to time indicate that there is unjust discrimination against blacks.

Honor and respect for blacks in Islam

Despite the fact that there are a lot of propaganda against Islam every day in the western media, and Islamophobia and anti-Islamism acts are continued, if anyone is a little familiar with this religion, he knows that there is no racial discrimination in Islam, and all humans of all races are respected in this religion.

The Following famous saying of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) quoted in countless sources and works:

“O people! Know that your Lord is One and your father is one. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, no a non-Arab to an Arab, no Red Indian to a black, and no black to a Red Indian, except for the piety. Truly the dearest of you in the sight of God, is the most pious of you.”

In some other narrations of this hadith, human beings likened to shoulder teeth.

In practice, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was following this valuable statement. Bilal Habashi, a black man, the Muezzin (one who calls people to prayers) of the Prophet, was highly esteemed and very close to him. His honesty and trustworthiness had made him the treasurer of the Prophet's treasury.

Najashi, the black king of Abyssinia, who allowed the early emigrants of Islam to enter his country and later converted to Islam through a letter from the Prophet of Islam by Ja'far bin Abi Talib, was always concerned and respected by the Prophet.

Joweiber was another pious black man who was beloved by the Prophet. He was young and single. The prophet advised an Arab nobleman to marry his daughter to him. He accepted proudly and did the same. The Prophet also married his cousin Zainab to Zayd bin Haritha, a young black man.

The life method of the Prophet of Islam during his mission was to eliminate racial and tribal discrimination and wealth proud, and to establish unity and brotherhood among all of his followers.

The prophet's Ahl al-Bayt (progeny) also followed the same method and respected blacks, white race, Arabs and non-Arabs alike.

Jown bin Howay, one of the martyrs of the Karbala incident, was a black man from Nubia (a region in Africa) who respected by Imam Hussein (AS) and honored to help him. He fought and finally martyred in the footsteps of Imam Hussain (AS).

Some Imams of the prophet's progeny (AS) married African women who were typically female slaves:

Imam Musa al-Kazem’s mother was Hamideh Barbariah, Imam al-Reza’s mother was Najmah Maghrebiah, Imam al-Jawad’s mother was sabikah Nunia, Imam al-Hadi’s mother was samanah Maghrebiah, Imam al-Askari’s Mother was Hodaith and Imam al-Mahdi’s mother was Narjes khatun.

Abdullah bin Salat quoted a man from the people of Balkh: I was with Imam al-Reza (AS) on his journey to Khorasan. One day food was prepared for him. The Imam invited his black and non-black slaves to share eating food. I said to him: “Isn't it better for them to sit at a separate place?”

“Be silent!” He said. “The Lord of all is one, the mother is one and the father is one and one's reward is for his deeds.”[2]

It is narrated that the seventh Imam, Musa bin Ja'far (AS) met a black man. He first greeted him, sat down next to him and talked with him for a long time. Then he told him: “Would you help me if something comes up for me and I need it?”

Someone told the Imam “O offspring of the holy prophet! Do you sit next to this person and ask him about your needs while he needs you more?!”

"He is a servant of God, a brother according to the Book of God and a neighbor in the city of God. We share with him the best fathers, i.e. Prophet Adam (AS) and the best religions, i.e. Islam. Maybe one day we will need him, then after our vanity to him, he will see us humble before him!" The Imam answered.[3]

Following the Holy Prophet of Islam and his Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH), the Ulema and elders of the Shiite school have continued their way of life, and have tried to save the deprived and blacks from the oppression of the arrogant.

Imam Khomeini (ra) wrote in one of his annual Hajj messages:

“The cry of our acquittal (in Hajj ceremony) is the cry of the Muslim people of Africa, the cry of our Muslim brothers and sisters who, for being black, bear oppressions of the racist uncultured oppressors.”[4]

Imam Khomeini also ordered the release of women and blacks during the occupation of the US Embassy in Tehran, where all 66 employees was taken as hostages.[5] Following their release sparked a wave of rejoicing in the black American community who had always been humiliated. After their release, a large number of American blacks sent letters of appreciation to Imam Khomeini and praised Islam, some of which received by the Iranian Consulate General in San Francisco, which translated, and sent to the Imam's office.

A sample of letters to Imam Khomeini

Another beautiful move in this regard is that during the turbaning ceremony of some religious students in Qom, Grand Ayatollah, Safi Golpayegani kissed the hand of a black student after placing his turban.

The image of this emotional move later published in cyberspace, next to the image of a violent American police officer who pressed his knee on the neck of a black American (George Floyd) which led to his suffocation and death.

A meaningful comparison!

Honor and respect for blacks is an example of the teachings of Islam, along with hundreds of other precepts and moral duties in this pure Muhammadan religion. Unfortunately, some Muslims do not pay attention to them or do not follow them on the one hand, and on the other hand, the enemies of Islam are always trying to hide the beauties of Islam and expand Islamophobia and anti-Islamism.

يُريدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ وَاللّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَ لَوْ كَرِهَ الْكافِرُونَ. (الصف: 8)

They desire to extinguish with their mouths the light of Allah; but Allah perfects His Light, though the unbelievers be averse. (61:8)

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According to the latest news, on Friday, July 25,06,2021 judges in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sentenced former police officer Drake Shawn to 22 years and six months in prison for the murder of George Floyd.

A 12-member jury on April 12 found 45-year-old Drake Shawn guilty of three counts of second-degree and third-degree murder.

The death of George Floyd sparked widespread protests against racism in the United States and around the world, and many in the United States called for reforms to reduce police brutality.

Trump had ordered the protesters should be shot and their skulls be crushed!

A part of American anti-racist demonstrations and brutal police raid

Many people have written about former President Donald Trump and his controversial administration in recent months, including Trump's nephew Marie Trump, Michael Cohen's lawyer and former Trump aid John Bolton and former White House National Security Adviser and American journalist Bob Woodward.

In the most recent case, Michael Bender, the White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, in a book, exposes Trump's order for crackdown of anti-racist protests in the United States.

In a part of the book reads: As the so-called "Black Lives Matter" protests erupted, which began after police assassinated George Floyd, a black American citizen, heated debates erupted in the White House Oval Office. Bandar wrote about these meetings: Trump repeatedly asked law enforcement officials and the military: "Beat the protesters severely." "You have to treat these people like this ... crush their skulls," he wrote, quoting Trump.

[1] -This book translated in Persian language by Alireza Farahmand and published by Ketabhaye Jibi Co. publication in Tehran. The 11th. edition has now been published.

[2]- Seyyed Moradi, Ahmad, Shi’a in Africa (شیعه در آفریقا) p. 50.

[3]- Ibn Sho’bah Harrani, Tuhaf ul- uqoul, p. 305.

[4]- Hajj Message of Imam Khomeini dated July 28, 1987, Sahifahh of Imam, Vol. 20, p. 317.

[5]- The US embassy in Tehran, where after its occupation was known as the "American spy nest" occupied by students on November 4, 1979. The main motives of this movement were:

1- protesting against the 25-year-old American crimes in Iran, which specifically started with the coup d’état of August 28, 1943,

2- Protest against US regarding the ousted King, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who escaped to the United States and was not extradited for trial,

and 3- And protest against US interference in Iran's affairs during 9 months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution (between February 13, 1979 to November 4, 1979) and doing all kinds of conspiracies and espionage against the Islamic Revolution throughout the country.