Brother Boonaa Mohammed, a spoken word poet of Oromo Ethiopian descent raised in Toronto, shares his journey from the streets and hip-hop culture back to the Islam he was born into but had abandoned. Growing up in one of Toronto’s most diverse neighborhoods, he struggled with identity and found himself adopting whatever culture surrounded him, from Jamaican to Italian to hip-hop, until he realized that hip-hop had become his actual religion, shaping everything from his dress to his language to his values.
When Hip-Hop Became a Religion
Despite attending weekend madrasa and learning the Quran as a child, the weekday influences proved far more powerful. Boonaa found himself completely lost in the hip-hop lifestyle, which for many young people functions as a complete way of life: it dictates how you dress, who you associate with, how you speak, and what you value. He candidly admits that hip-hop became his deen before Islam reclaimed his heart, and this is a reality that affects countless Muslim youth today.
“Hip-hop became like a religion for me. It shapes the way you dress, the people you hang out with, your language, your culture. In many ways it becomes like a deen.”
Choose Friends Like You Choose a Spouse
One of the most powerful pieces of advice Boonaa offers is that we should choose our friends with the same care we choose our spouses. When he began practicing Islam seriously, he had to cut off many people from his life, a painful but necessary step. A true friend is not just someone you know but someone who reminds you of Allah in good times and bad, someone who wants to be your neighbor in Jannah, not just your companion in the dunya.
“We have to start choosing our friends like we choose our spouses. Your friends should be A or A-plus only. If someone is not going to make you a better person, that person is not a friend you should be taking.”
- Weekend Islamic school alone is not enough to protect Muslim youth from the overwhelming influence of street culture and entertainment
- Identity confusion among Muslim youth in the West is a serious issue that communities must address with strong mentorship and programming
- Spoken word poetry and creative arts can be powerful tools for dawah when directed toward beneficial and Islamic content
- Every Muslim must evaluate their friend circle and ensure that the majority of people around them are those who strengthen their connection to Allah
