Even after receiving constant physical threats and being mistreated by government officials, American imam Abdul Alim Musa says he and his movement have only become stronger as a result of the hardships they have faced. Musa is the founder and director of As-Sabiqun as well as the Islamic Institute of Counter-Zionist American Psychological Warfare.

For nearly the last four decades, Musa has also run the Masjid al-Islam in Oakland, California and in Washington D.C. Musa says despite the religious nature of his masjid and As-Sabiqun, it is their tendency to speak out against the behaviour of government, its actions and that of Zionists active in the United States that has caused trouble to turn their way.

“We’ve become like a hybrid created from all the threats we’ve faced. You know when you have a bunch of bugs and they get sprayed with bug-spray, most of them will die, and a few will be left over, and they’ll get sprayed, but there’ll be that group that builds up a resistance and survives. We’re like that,” Musa told VOC News in a lengthy interview.

Musa’s grandson was shot and killed in 2013 and a few months ago his son was shot and stabbed several times inside a house by four assailants. His son survived the ordeal and although Musa has no direct evidence to link the attacks to any government institutions, he believes there is some form of conspiracy acting against outspoken Muslim leaders.

“My son was shot six times, in a residential area. Three of the assailants were men and a fourth, a woman. He cried out for help but no one acted. An ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital, but upon later investigation we found that there was no record of the call to 911 about what happened. The police did not take a statement from him or anyone that was around when it happened, either.”

But despite all the resistance he faces in mainstream and conservative American media, Musa says the attention he has received has in fact backfired against those who attempt to tarnish his name.

“All of the negative things that have been said about us on Fox News and from conservatives and Zionists have actually made us more loved, because other Muslims can see that we are not telling lies, and that we are standing up against the psychological tricks used against muslims in general in this country.

“So many other Muslim organizations have folded or have stopped political activities because of the danger of being vocal, but we press on. But now, there are so many organizations around, but because we are made to be a public enemy I don’t even get calls from other Imams and Sheikhs I served a long time with.”

Musa has rehabilitated hundreds of drug addicts and taken them off the streets. In the sixties and early seventies, he himself was a major drug dealer. When he abandoned drugs, he was arrested and sent to prison.

It was in prison that he was introduced to Islam through the Nation of Islam. But once he came out of prison, he discovered the true Islam. Since that time, he has worked hard to create a sense of community belonging and strong family bonds.

The alim visited VOC last year, as part of a public speaking tour to Cape Town on his fight against substance abuse. Musa says although he will likely get blocked at airports again, he still wishes to travel abroad spreading his message of Islam, and may even choose to travel to South Africa later this year. VOC (Andriques Che Petersen)