During the later part of this period, Malcolm X became a prominent minister and leader in the NOI. Before his assassination in 1965, he had moved to non-separatism and orthodox Sunni Islam after his experience of having made Hajj to Mecca.
Elijah Muhammad's son by his legal wife Clara, Warith Deen Mohammed, a minister in the NOI, was made national leader of the organization in 1975. He led most of the NOI members to merge and convert to traditional Islam and dissolved the NOI structure. He renamed the group the American Society of Muslims, which he led until 2003.
Splinter groups developed soon after Elijah Muhammad's death, including that of Louis Farrakhan, who was unhappy with Mohammed's leadership. Originally calling his group Final Call, in 1981 Farrakhan took back the name of Nation of Islam, at the same time renewing the original practices and beliefs of Elijah Muhammad. He was followed by a minority of the members at the time of Muhammad's death. The N.O.I.'s national center and headquarters were located in Chicago, Illinois at the Mosque Maryam. Farrakhan named it to bridge the gap between his group and African-American Christians, while simultaneously moving toward mainstream Sunni Islam. Farrakhan holds his Sunday meetings at 10AM locally, the same as most churches.[2]
The number of members of the Nation of Islam is believed to be between 20,000 and 50,000. Most of the members are in the United States, but there are small communities in other countries, such as Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Trinidad and Tobago. Another reformist branch is The Nation of Gods and Earths.
History
Main article: History of the Nation of Islam
The original Nation of Islam was founded in Detroit, Michigan in July, 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad, also known as W. D. Fard Muhammad (1877–1934 or later). The N.O.I. teaches that W. Fard Muhammad is both the "Messiah" of Christianity and the Mahdi of Islam. According to their website, they are distinct from followers of the original religion of Islam by their doctrine of believing that Allah (god) was incarnated as W. Fard Muhammad, July, 1930.[5] One of Fard's first disciples was Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975).[6]By the time Elijah Muhammad died in 1975, there were 75 NOI centers across America.[7] In 1975, Warith Deen Mohammed or W.D. (Wallace) Muhammad was installed as Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam. He renamed the organization "The World Community of Al-Islam in the West" which later became the American Society of Muslims. He shunned his father's theology and black separatist views, accepting whites as fellow worshipers and forging closer ties with mainstream Muslim communities to bring the Nation of Islam closer into Sunni Islam.[8]
Beliefs and theology
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Main article: Beliefs and theology of the Nation of Islam
The main belief of The Nation of Islam and its followers is that there is no other God but Allah, revealing "Allah" by saying "who came in the person of W. D. Fard." Fard founded the Nation of Islam and subsequently installed Elijah Muhammad as the organization's leader. The official beliefs of the Nation of Islam have been outlined in books, documents, and articles published by the organization, as well as speeches by Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, and other ministers. Many of Elijah Muhammad's teachings may be found in Message to the Blackman in America and The True History of Jesus as Taught by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.[9] Many of Malcolm X's teachings of NOI theology are in his The End of White World Supremacy, while a later more critical discussion of those beliefs can be found in The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), co-written with Alex Haley.
Written lessons from 1930–1934 were passed from W. Fard Muhammad to his student, Elijah Muhammad. These were collected and entitled The Supreme Wisdom. The Nation of Islam continues to teach its followers that the present world society is segmented into three distinct categories. They teach that from a general perspective, 85% of the population are the "deaf, dumb and blind" masses of the people who "are easily led in the wrong direction and hard to lead in the right direction". These 85% of the masses who are said to be manipulated by 10% of the people. Those 10% rich "slave-makers" are said to manipulate the 85% masses of the people through ignorance, the skillful use of religious doctrine and the mass media.
The third group is referred to as the 5% "poor righteous teachers" of the people of the world, who know the truth of the manipulation of the 85% masses of the people by the 10%. The 5% "righteous teachers" are at constant struggle and war with 10% to reach and "free the minds" of the masses of the people.[10]
Official platform
An official Nation of Islam platform referred to as "The Muslim Program" was written by Elijah Muhammad in his book Message to the Blackman in America (1965). The itemized platform contains two sections; "What The Muslims Want", consisting of 10 points; and "What The Muslims Believe", consisting of 12 points.[11]Cosmology
The NOI teaches that the Earth and Moon were once the same, and that the Earth is over 76 trillion years old.[12] The entire land mass on the Earth was called "Asia". This was, Elijah Muhammad claims, long before Adam.[13][edit] Black experience of slavery was Bible prophecy
The NOI teaches that black people constitute a nation and that through the institution of the Atlantic slave trade they were systematically denied knowledge of their past history, language, culture, and religion and, in effect, lost control of their lives. Central to this doctrine, NOI theology asserts that black people’s experience of slavery was the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and therefore, black people are the seed of Abraham referred to in the Bible, in Genesis 15:13–14:And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.—King James Version
Separatism
In an 13 April 1997 interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked Louis Farrakhan to explain the Nation of Islam's view on separation:Tim Russert: "Once a week, on the back page [of your newspaper] is The Muslim Program, 'What the Muslims Want' [written in 1965]. The first is in terms of territory, 'Since we cannot get along with them in peace and equality, we believe our contributions to this land and the suffering forced upon us by white America justifies our demand for complete separation in a state or territory of our own.' Is that your view in 1997, a separate state for Black Americans?" Minister Louis Farrakhan: "First, the program starts with number one. That is number four. The first part of that program is that we want freedom, a full and complete freedom. The second is, we want justice. We want equal justice under the law, and we want justice applied equally to all, regardless of race or class or color. And the third is that we want equality. We want equal membership in society with the best in civilized society. If we can get that within the political, economic, social system of America, there's no need for point number four. But if we cannot get along in peace after giving America 400 years of our service and sweat and labor, then, of course, separation would be the solution to our race problem."[14]
Teachings on race
The Nation of Islam teaches that Black people were the original humans. Louis Farrakhan has stated, "White people are potential humans…they haven’t evolved yet." [15] Farrakhan further said, "If you look at the human family — now, I'm talking about black, brown, red, yellow and white — we all seem to be frozen on a subhuman level of existence. In Islam and, I believe, in Christian theology and Jewish theology as well, there are three stages of human development. The first stage is called the animalistic stage of development. But when we submit to animal passions, then we can do evil things to one another in that animalistic stage of development. But when moral consciousness comes and we have a self-accusing spirit, it is then that we become human beings. Right now, we have the potential for humanity, but we have not reached that potential, because we are functioning on the animalistic plane of existence." [16]In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Louis Farrakhan said the following in response to host Tim Russert's question on the Nation of Islam's teachings on race:"The Blackman is the original man. From him came all brown, yellow, red, and white people. By using a special method of birth control law, the Blackman was able to produce the white race. This method of birth control was developed by a Black scientist known as Yakub, who envisioned making and teaching a nation of people who would be diametrically opposed to the Original People. A Race of people who would one day rule the original people and the earth for a period of 6,000 years. Yakub promised his followers that he would graft a nation from his own people, and he would teach them how to rule his people, through a system of tricks and lies whereby they use deceit to divide and conquer, and break the unity of the darker people, put one brother against another, and then act as mediators and rule both sides." -Elijah Muhammad[17]
"You know, it’s not unreal to believe that white people — who genetically cannot produce yellow, brown or black — had a Black origin. The scholars and scientists of this world agree that the origin of man and humankind started in Africa and that the first parent of the world was black. The Qur'an says that God created Adam out of black mud and fashioned him into shape. So if white people came from the original people, the Black people, what is the process by which you came to life? That is not a silly question. That is a scientific question with a scientific answer. It doesn't suggest that we are superior or that you are inferior. It suggests, however, that your birth or your origin is from the black people of this earth: superiority and inferiority is determined by our righteousness and not by our color."[14]
During the time when Malcolm X was a member and leader of the Nation of Islam, he preached that black people were genetically superior to white people but were dominated by a system of white supremacy:"Well, you have not been saints in the way you have acted toward the darker peoples of the world and toward even your own people. But, in truth, Mr. Russert, any human being who gives themself over to the doing of evil could be considered a devil. In the Bible, in the "Book of Revelation", it talks about the fall of Babylon. It says Babylon is fallen because she has become the habitation of devils. We believe that that ancient Babylon is a symbol of a modern Babylon, which is America."
The Nation of Islam teaches that intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited. This is point 10 of the official platform, "What the Muslims Want", published 1965.[19] Louis Farrakhan nevertheless stated in the Tim Russert interview:Thoughtful white people know they are inferior to Black people. Even [Senator James] Eastland knows it. Anyone who has studied the genetic phase of biology knows that white is considered recessive and black is considered dominant. The entire American economy is based on white supremacy. Even the religious philosophies, in essence, white supremacy. A white Jesus. A white Virgin. White angels. White everything. But a black Devil, of course. The "Uncle Sam" political foundation is based on white supremacy, relegating nonwhites to second−class citizenship. It goes without saying that the social philosophy is strictly white supremacist. And the educational system perpetuates white supremacy.[18]
"The mother of the Leader who came to North America to teach us, Fard Muhammad, His mother was a white woman. His father was a black man. So where there is love, love transcends our racial denomination or ethnicity. Love is the great power of transformation. I don't think that we can say when two people are in love that they shouldn't marry one another. But I would prefer that the black man and the black woman marry into their own kind."[20]
The Mother Plane and Ezekiel's Wheel
Elijah Muhammad taught his followers about a Mother Plane or Wheel, a UFO that was seen and described in the visions of the prophet Ezekiel in the "Book of Ezekiel", in the Hebrew Bible.Louis Farrakhan, commenting on his teacher's description said the following:"Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around."—Book of Ezekiel Chapter 1:15–18, Bible, English Standard Version
"The Honorable Elijah Muhammad told us of a giant Mother Plane that is made like the universe, spheres within spheres. White people call them unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, saw a wheel that looked like a cloud by day but a pillar of fire by night. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that that wheel was built on the island of Nippon, which is now called Japan, by some of the Original scientists. It took $15 billion in gold at that time to build it. It is made of the toughest steel. America does not yet know the composition of the steel used to make an instrument like it. It is a circular plane, and the Bible says that it never makes turns. Because of its circular nature it can stop and travel in all directions at speeds of thousands of miles per hour. He said there are 1,500 small wheels in this Mother Wheel, which is a half mile by a half mile [800 m by 800 m]. This Mother Wheel is like a small human-built planet. Each one of these small planes carry three bombs. "The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said these planes were used to set up mountains on the earth. The Qur'an says it like this: We have raised mountains on the earth lest it convulse with you. How do you raise a mountain, and what is the purpose of a mountain? Have you ever tried to balance a tire? You use weights to keep the tire balanced. That's how the earth is balanced, with mountain ranges. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that we have a type of bomb that, when it strikes the earth a drill on it is timed to go into the earth and explode at the height that you wish the mountain to be. If you wish to take the mountain up a mile [1.6 km], you time the drill to go a mile in and then explode. The bombs these planes have are timed to go one mile down and bring up a mountain one mile high, but it will destroy everything within a 50-square-mile [130 km²] radius. The white man writes in his above top secret memos of the UFOs. He sees them around his military installations like they are spying.
"That Mother Wheel is a dreadful-looking thing. White folks are making movies now to make these planes look like fiction, but it is based on something real. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that Mother Plane is so powerful that with sound reverberating in the atmosphere, just with a sound, she can crumble buildings."—Minister Louis Farrakhan, The Divine Destruction of America: Can She Avert It?[21]
Criticisms
The first book analyzing the Nation of Islam was The Black Muslims in America (1961) by C. Eric Lincoln. Lincoln describes the use of doctrines during religious services.Often the minister reads passages from well-known historical, sociological, or anthropological works, and finds in them inconspicuous references to the Blackman’s true history in the world.... Occasionally the minister chides the audience for its skepticism: “I know you don't believe me because I happen to be a Black man. Well, you can look it up in a book I’m going to tell you about that was written by a white man.” He then reads off references that his hearers are challenged to check.
The 1975 death of Elijah Muhammad
Some members of The Nation of Islam have long denied the fact of Elijah Muhammad's death, proposing that he escaped a death plot, was restored to health, and is aboard “that huge wheel-like plane that is even now flying over our heads.”[22] As witnessed by some 20,000 people at his funeral service on February 28, 1975, Muhammad was buried in Mount Glenwood Cemetery in Thornton, Illinois.[23]Antisemitism
Main article: Nation of Islam and antisemitism
A number of Jewish organizations, Christian organizations, and academics consider the Nation of Islam to be antisemitic. Professor David W. Leinweber, Ph.D. of Emory University asserts that the Nation of Islam has engaged in revisionist and antisemitic interpretations of the Holocaust and that they exaggerate the role of Jews in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Leinweber and others use the original statements of Farrakhan and others as the basis for their evaluation.[24] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) alleges that NOI Health Minister, Abdul Alim Muhammad, has accused Jewish doctors of injecting Blacks with the AIDS virus,[25] an allegation which Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad has denied.The Nation of Islam has repeatedly denied charges of anti-Semitism.[26] NOI leader Minister Louis Farrakhan has stated, "The ADL … uses the term 'anti-Semitism' to stifle all criticism of Zionism and the Zionist policies of the State of Israel and also to stifle all legitimate criticism of the errant behavior of some Jewish people toward the non-Jewish population of the earth."[27]
Jude Wanniski, late associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, wrote, "I've met dozens of men and women who belong to the Nation of Islam, attended many of their conferences, and prayed with them in their Chicago mosque to the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammed. I've concluded beyond any reasonable doubt that there is not an ounce of anti-Semitism or bigotry in Farrakhan."[28]
Comparison with traditional Islam
The Nation of Islam preaches adherence to the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith. Prayers are conducted in temples on seated chairs in church-fashion, instead of mosques and without prostration. The NOI also teaches morality and personal decorum, emphasizing modesty, mutual respect, and discipline in dress and comportment. NOI adherents do not consume pork, frown upon the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, and stress a healthy diet and physical fitness. However, the Nation of Islam argues that because of the unique experience of the oppression and degradation of slavery, Elijah Muhammad used unique methods for introducing Islam to his people. According to Muslim critics, traditional Islamic beliefs are in stark opposition to the theological and creedal foundation of the Nation of Islam.[29]Other doctrines of the Nation of Islam are disputed, specifically:
- God's incarnation:
- NOI teaches that "Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July 1930; the long-awaited Messiah of the Christians and the Mahdi of the Muslims."[5]
- Traditional Sunni and Shi'a Muslim doctrine is that it is heretical and blasphemous to believe that God would manifest in human form. Likening any individual(s) to God is a form of shirk—a major sin in Islam.[30]
- Relations with whites:
- NOI teaches that the Black man is the original man, and from him came all brown, yellow, and white people. By using a special method of birth control law (the Yakub teaching), the black man was able to produce the white race.[17] NOI does not believe that whites are worthy to be evangelized, and thus does not accept them into the NOI.[citation needed]
- Traditional Islam teaches that all races are equal, and any person of any race can convert to Islam. Islam recognizes the Biblical and Qur'anic figure, the patriarch Jacob, but he is considered a prophet, not the Yakub figure as featured in Nation of Islam theology.
- Perspectives on the Qur'an:
- The NOI states that they believe in the Qur'an and the writings of all the prophets of God. The NOI believes there are truths in the Bible but it is tampered material and "must be reinterpreted so that mankind will not be snared by the falsehoods that have been added to it." [31]
- The vast majority of Muslims worldwide believe that the Qur'an is Allah's final revelation to mankind and that it was given to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad between the years of 610 and 632. Islam believes the previous scriptures (such as the Bible and Torah) have value but are superseded by the Qur'an.
- Status of the Islamic prophet Muhammad vs. other prophets:
- The Nation of Islam believes that Elijah Muhammad was a messenger and was taught by God, who the NOI claim as "Master" Fard Muhammad (W. D. Fard).[32]
- Islam teaches that Muhammad was the last of the messengers whom Allah has sent to mankind; there would be no more and all Muslims are to follow the teachings of the Qur'an and accept monotheism.
- Practice of Friday prayers:
- The Nation of Islam ignores the traditional Jumuah prayers on Friday. In 2002, W. Deen Mohammed, a Muslim in opposition of black separatism, delivered a Friday sermon at the Los Angeles Convention Center.[33] The NOI practice of Jumuah prayer has been replaced by a Sunday service (the traditional practice of Christianity).
- Islam dedicates Friday as the day for congregational prayer (salat) to be held just after noon in lieu of dhuhr (noon prayer).
- Translation of the Qur'an:
- The Nation of Islam generally uses the Maulana Muhammad Ali English translation of the Qur'an. Ali was a leading figure of the Ahmadiyya movement, founded in India in the late 19th century (citation #42).
- By contrast, the most well-known English translation of the Qur'an, commonly used by most English-speaking Sunni Muslims, is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
| Belief | Traditional Islam | Nation of Islam |
|---|---|---|
| God | Allah is one, who has no partners | Wallace D. Fard came as God incarnate (God is the black man) |
| Muhammad | The final prophet of Islam, no one comes after him | Elijah Muhammad is the prophet to tell about incarnation of Fard |
| Race | All are equal regardless of color of skin, judged on behavior | The original black race of man is superior |
| Creation | Allah created the universe, first humans were Adam and Eve | Black scientists created the plan which repeats every 25,000 years |
| Qur'an | Revealed to Muhammad from God through the Angel Gabriel | Black scientists created and revealed the Bible and the Qur'an |
| Sharia law | Sacred rules and laws of Islamic life, based on Qur'an and Sunnah | Not followed, created own, such as 4-6pm meal or avoid white-flour cake meals |
Actions and programs
The NOI has worked to clean up drug addicts, reform prostitutes, and keep black youth out of gangs. It has helped some newly released ex-convicts make a new start and stay out of jail.
In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin wrote:
Elijah Muhammad has been able to do what generations of welfare workers and committees and resolutions and reports and housing projects and playgrounds have failed to do: to heal and redeem drunkards and junkies, to convert people who have come out of prison and to keep them out, to make men chaste and women virtuous, and to invest both the male and the female with pride and a serenity that hang about them like an unfailing light. He has done all these things, which our Christian church has spectacularly failed to do. (James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time, New York: Vintage International/Random House, 1963)During the 1980s when crack cocaine became very common, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development employed several private firms run by members of the Nation of Islam to provide security in housing projects in black neighborhoods. The Anti-Defamation League successfully lobbied Congress to sever the HUD contracts.[35]
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