DOCSLIB.ORG

Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam Kourtney Mascarenas Malcolm X

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam Kourtney Mascarenas Malcolm X MALCOLM X AND THE NATION OF ISLAM KOURTNEY MASCARENAS MALCOLM X ¡ Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. ¡ His father Earl Little was a Baptist minister and a former supporter of the early black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. ¡ They were forced to move twice before Malcolm’s fourth birthday due to death threats from the Black Legion, a white supremacist group. ¡ In 1929, their home in Lansing, Michigan was burned to the ground. ¡ His father’s body was found lying across the town’s trolley tracks, and his death was ruled an accident. MALCOLM X CONT. ¡ His mother suffered from an emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. ¡ Malcolm and his siblings were sent to foster homes of to live with family members. ¡ He was a very good student in school until one of his teachers told him to become a carpenter instead of a lawyer. ¡ He lost interest in continuing his education. MALCOLM X CONT. ¡ He moved from the Michigan State Detention Home, to a juvenile home in Mason, Michigan, to the Roxbury section of Boston to live with his older half sister Ella. ¡ Had a very unstable and tragic childhood. ¡ In his teenage years he became involved in criminal activities. ¡ Known as “Detroit Red” ¡ Developed into a street hustler, drug dealer, and leader of a gang of thieves in Roxbury and Harlem. ¡ Was sent to prison for robbery from 1946 to 1952. ¡ Sentenced to 10 years in prison, granted parole after serving 7 years. MALCOLM X’S CONVERSION TO ISLAM ¡ During his time in prison, Malcolm began to read books on philosophy, religion, and history to educate himself. ¡ Him and his brother Reginald who was apart of the Nation of Islam in Detroit would talk about the Muslim Religion. ¡ Malcolm was intrigued with the Nation of Islam and began to read the teachings of the Nation of Islam and about its founder. ¡ During his release from prison he changed his name to Malcolm X saying that his last name "Little" was a slave name. NATION OF ISLAM (NOI) AND THE MESSENGER ¡ The NOI was not a mainstream civil rights association like the NAACP and CORE. ¡ They preached more about racial solidarity and superiority. ¡ The leader Elijah Muhammad preached about how African Americans were God’s chosen people who would triumph with the help of Allah. ¡ It was also talked about how African Americans should become more highly educated and practice small-scale community capitalism by owning businesses. ¡ The NOI was a combination of Black nationalism and the teachings of the Muslim religion. NATION OF ISLAM (NOI) AND THE MESSENGER CONT. ¡ What was The Messenger? ¡ The Messenger was a print publication by the NOI ¡ Malcolm X, who was a spokesperson and editor for The Messenger and he was very articulate and witty which appealed to the desperation of urban Blacks. ¡ Malcolm attracted thousands to the NOI Mosque No 7 and he gave passionate speeches and he preached the ideals of self-reliance and faith. ¡ Malcolm also defined which Americans as the enemy and because of his charisma and strong leadership he was feared by many white Americans and evens some middle and upper class African Americans. ¡ Malcolm became a household name known by everybody from the whites to the blacks. FOUNDING OF NATION OF ISLAM ¡ The Nation of Islam is an organization that was founded during the 1930s which was based upon the principles of traditional Islamic teachings and Black nationalist ideas. ¡ The NOI was originally founded by Wallace D. Fard, a Saudi Arabian, and he preached that African-Americans belonged to the Tribe of Shabazz from the Lost Nation of Asia. ¡ He believed that Christianity was a religion for slave owners and that members should replace their slave names with Arabic names. ¡ He disappeared into the woods during the 1930s and many believed that he was an incarnation of Allah. EARLY YEARS AND MISSION OF NOI ¡ Elijah Muhammad took control of the NOI. ¡ He was a strong leader and his theology was coherent. ¡ His teachings consisted of the teachings of Islam which includes monotheism, submission to Allah and a strong family. ¡ Muhammad preached about self-discipline and economic self-reliance with Blacks owning local businesses and “patronizing only black-owned stores”. ¡ This appealed to many Blacks in northern urban ghettos including New York, Chicago, and Detroit. ¡ This is where unemployment was high, housing was old and neglected, and schools were run down and over-crowded. ¡ Muhammad also believed that the white race was the devil and that it was time for black people to assert themselves after 6,000 years of white people holding the power. RISE OF NOI UNDER MALCOLM X ¡ Malcolm was appointed minister and national spokesman and he was also in charge of establishing new mosques around Harlem, Detroit, Boston, and Philadelphia. ¡ He was also an eloquent speaker attracting thousands of followers. ¡ Malcolm spoke a lot about the anger, bitterness, and frustration that every African-American felt during the civil rights movement. ¡ He utilized a lot of media such as the radio, the newspaper and the television to spread the NOI message. THE FRUIT OF ISLAM (FOI) ¡ The Fruit of Islam has been described as a “military” organization which was formed by the collective, male population of the NOI. ¡ Their main purpose is to protect the NOI. ¡ They carried weapons in order to use them as self- defense but this has been described as problematic because it goes against the Islamic doctrine of peace. ¡ The members are regarded with the highest prestige because they are the protectors of the NOI. ¡ This was very important in protecting Black nationalism and defending African American NOI members against the “wickedness” of the whites. CHANGE IN MESSAGE ¡ In 1964, Malcolm X went on a pilgrimage to Mecca which was a life altering moment for him. ¡ When he came back to the United States, he converted to Sunni Islam due to the overwhelming positive response because of his shared thoughts and beliefs of different cultures. ¡ “I met blond-haired, blue-eyed men I could call my brothers” ¡ Upon return he changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and he no longer spoke about the inherent evilness of white Americas. ¡ He spoke for all races but he also acknowledged that racism was still very prevalent in the United States. ¡ Malcolm X still advocated for Black nationalism and praised African American entrepreneurship as well as advocating for self-defense. ORGANIZATION OF AFRO-AMERICAN UNITY (OAAU) ¡ After Malcolm’s pilgrimage he became a lot more involved in trying to establish deeper ties with civil rights leaders. ¡ He then formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity or also known as the OAAU. ¡ This evoked both cooperation and militancy by voicing support for any action group that world while still fighting over talking. ¡ Malcolm X met with Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife Coretta Scott Kink in support for the recently imprisoned MLK. ¡ A lot of what Malcolm did while working for the OAAU was meeting with various civil rights leaders. IMPACT OF LOUIS FARRAKHAN ON NOI ¡ He was the protégé of Malcolm X and his Muslim name was Abdul Haleem Farrakhan which was given by Elijah Muhammad. ¡ After Malcolm Left the NOI due to political differences, Farrakhan replaced him as head of minister of Harlem’s Temple No. 7. ¡ After the death of Elijah Muhammad, Farrakhan was appointed head of minister of Boston Temple No. 11 which had been established by Malcolm earlier ¡ He also worked to keep the teachings of Elijah in a breakaway group in 1978 which was also called the Nation of Islam. ¡ He was also responsible for over 2 million conversions into the NOI. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALCOLM X AND FARRAKHAN ¡ Of course after Malcolm X’s condemnation of the Nation of Islam, there was a lot of differences between the two civil rights activists. ¡ Malcolm X did not like the teachings that Elijah implemented due to his resignation and he focused more on black nationalism rather than hating whites. ¡ He displayed a large sense of African American Pride. ¡ Louis Farrakhan believed in Elijah’s teachings of how the whites need to stop taking all the power and to get rid of the evilness. ¡ It is also believed that Farrakhan was what built up Malcolm X’s assassination which occurred of February 21 of 1965. ¡ Farrakhan continues to run the NOI and preach their teachings as well. INTEGRATION OF THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT & THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY ¡ The Black Power Movement also known as the Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. ¡ This party justified the use of violence in accomplishing Black justice. ¡ This movement also sparked a number of other blacks to speak out about civil rights. ¡ The Black Panthers also believed that the non-violent campaign of MLK had failed to produce any new progress and did not promise any changes to the lifestyles of the African Americans. ¡ Although they primarily talked about the Civil Rights of Black Americans they also spoke out for other minority groups. INTEGRATION OF THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT & THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY ¡ The Black Power Movement also known as the Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. ¡ This party justified the use of violence in accomplishing Black justice. ¡ This movement also sparked a number of other blacks to speak out about civil rights. ¡ The Black Panthers also believed that the non-violent campaign of MLK had failed to produce any new progress and did not promise any changes to the lifestyles of the African Americans.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From Shabazz to Bilalian: African American Muslims Experience in the Twentieth Century Semra Mese Lehigh University
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Lehigh University: Lehigh Preserve Lehigh University Lehigh Preserve Theses and Dissertations 2013 From Shabazz to Bilalian: African American Muslims Experience in the Twentieth Century Semra Mese Lehigh University Follow this and additional works at: http://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Mese, Semra, "From Shabazz to Bilalian: African American Muslims Experience in the Twentieth Century" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1559. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. From Shabazz to Bilalian: African American Muslims’ Experience in Twentieth Century by Semra Mese A Thesis Presented to the Graduate and Research Committee of Lehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in American Studies Lehigh University September 2, 2013 © 2013 Copyright Semra Mese i Thesis is accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Arts in American Studies. From Shabazz to Bilalian: African American Muslims’ Experience in Twentieth Century Semra Mese _________________________ Date Approved _________________________ Dr. Lloyd Steffen Advisor _________________________ Dr. Edward Whitley Dept. Chair ii Table of Contents Abstract..……………………………………….…………………………………………1 Chapter 1 A. Introduction The Creation and Appropriation of Islam among African Americans in the Twentieth Century……………………………………………..………….……..………2 B. The Root of Islam for Black Islamic Movements in the United States for Twentieth Century African Americans……………………………………..………….3 C.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Dakwah and Muslim Movements in the United States in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
    JURNAL AQLAM – Journal of Islam and Plurality –Volume 5, Nomor 2, Juli – Desember 2020 CULTURAL DAKWAH AND MUSLIM MOVEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE TWENTIETH AND TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES Mark Woodward Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict Arizona State University [email protected] Abstract: There have been Muslims in what is now the United States since tens of thousands were brought as slaves in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Very few maintained their Muslim identities because the harsh conditions of slavery. Revitalization movements relying on Muslim symbolism emerged in the early 20th century. They were primarily concerned with the struggle against racism and oppression. The Moorish Science Temple of American and the Nation of Islam are the two most important of these movement. The haj was a transformative experience for Nation of Islam leaders Malcom X and Muhammad Ali. Realization that Islam is an inclusive faith that does not condone racism led both of them towards mainstream Sunni Islam and for Muhammad Ali to Sufi religious pluralism.1 Keywords: Nation of Islam, Moorish Science Temple, Revitalization Movement, Malcom X, Muhammad Ali Abstract: Sejarah Islam di Amerika sudah berakar sejak abad ke 18 dan awal 19, ketika belasan ribu budak dari Afrika dibawa ke wilayah yang sekarang bernama Amerika Serikat. Sangat sedikit di antara mereka yang mempertahankan identitasnya sebagai Muslim mengingat kondisi perbudakan yang sangat kejam dan tidak memungkinkan. Di awal abad 20, muncul-lah gerakan revitalisasi Islam. Utamanya, mereka berkonsentrasi pada gerakan perlawanan terhadap rasisme dan penindasan. The Moorish Science Temple of American dan the Nation of Islam adalah dua kelompok terpenting gerakan perlawanan tersebut.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam in the Mind of American State Courts: 1960 to 2001
    FAILINGER-TO PRINT (DO NOT DELETE) 4/2/2019 9:20 PM ISLAM IN THE MIND OF AMERICAN STATE COURTS: 1960 TO 2001 MARIE A. FAILINGER* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ISLAM IN THE MIND OF AMERICAN COURTS: THEN AND NOW .............................................................................................. 28 II. CRIMINAL CASES ............................................................................. 30 A. BLACK MUSLIMS: SUBVERSIVE, VIOLENT, UNTRUSTWORTHY .................................................................. 31 1. Legends: The Black Muslim Riots and Khaalis Assassinations ................................................................... 34 2. Black Muslims as Subversive, Violent, or Criminal ........... 39 3. Muslims as Untruthful ........................................................ 46 B. JURY PREJUDICES ABOUT DISTINCTIVE MUSLIM PRACTICES ...51 C. JUDGES’ AND LAWYERS’ PREJUDICE ......................................... 55 D. WHEN DEFENDANTS INTRODUCED EVIDENCE ABOUT ISLAM ...................................................................................... 56 E. THE RELEVANCE OF A CRIMINAL DEFENDANT’S MUSLIM FAITH TO THE UNDERLYING CRIME ........................................ 61 F. FREE EXERCISE CLAIMS BY MUSLIMS IN CRIMINAL CASES ...... 66 G. CULTURAL DEFENSES................................................................ 69 III. FAMILY LAW CASES ...................................................................... 70 A. CUSTODY DISPUTES .................................................................. 72 B. MUSLIMS IN
    [Show full text]
  • African American Inequality in the United States
    N9-620-046 REV: MAY 5, 2020 JANICE H. HAMMOND A. KAMAU MASSEY MAYRA A. GARZA African American Inequality in the United States We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. — The Declaration of Independence, 1776 Slavery Transatlantic Slave Trade 1500s – 1800s The Transatlantic slave trade was tHe largest deportation of Human beings in History. Connecting the economies of Africa, the Americas, and Europe, tHe trade resulted in tHe forced migration of an estimated 12.5 million Africans to the Americas. (Exhibit 1) For nearly four centuries, European slavers traveled to Africa to capture or buy African slaves in excHange for textiles, arms, and other goods.a,1 Once obtained, tHe enslaved Africans were tHen transported by sHip to tHe Americas where tHey would provide tHe intensive plantation labor needed to create HigH-value commodities sucH as tobacco, coffee, and most notably, sugar and cotton. THe commodities were tHen sHipped to Europe to be sold. THe profits from tHe slave trade Helped develop tHe economies of Denmark, France, Great Britain, the NetHerlands, Portugal, Spain and tHe United States. The journey from Africa across tHe Atlantic Ocean, known as tHe Middle Passage, became infamous for its brutality. Enslaved Africans were chained to one another by the dozens and transported across the ocean in the damp cargo Holds of wooden sHips. (Exhibit 2) The shackled prisoners sat or lay for weeks at a time surrounded by deatH, illness, and human waste.
    [Show full text]
  • The Uses of Race and Religion: James Baldwin's Pragmatist Politics
    GRADUATE STUDENT ESSAY AWARD The Uses of Race and Religion: James Baldwin’s Pragmatist Politics in The Fire Next Time Courtney Ferriter Auburn University Abstract In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin argues that the American dream is far from being a reality in part because there is much Americans do not wish to know about themselves. Given the current political climate in the United States, this idea seems just as timely as it did in the 1960s. Baldwin’s politics and thinking about race and religion are informed by an optimistic belief in the human capacity to love and change for the better, in contrast with Ta-Nehisi Coates, the heir appar- ent to Baldwin’s legacy. Considering current events, it seems particularly useful to turn back to The Fire Next Time. Not only does Baldwin provide a foundation for understanding racism in the United States, but more importantly, he provides some much- needed hope and guidance for the future. Baldwin discusses democ- racy as an act that must be realized, in part by coming to a greater understanding of race and religion as performative acts that have political consequences for all Americans. In this article, I examine the influence of pragmatism on Baldwin’s understanding of race and religion. By encouraging readers to acknowledge race and religion as political constructs, Baldwin highlights the inseparability of theory and practice that is a hallmark of both pragmatism and the realization of a democratic society. Furthermore, I argue that Baldwin’s politics provide a more useful framework than Coates’s for this particular historical moment because of Baldwin’s emphasis on change and evolving democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • An Approach to the Doctrine of God and Implications for Liberation
    AN APPROACH TO THE DOCTRINE OF GOD AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBERATION by Michael “M. A.” Bell Bachelor of Science, Wiley College, 1972 Master of Divinity, Howard University, 1976 Master of Arts, University of Texas, 1981 A Doctoral Dissertation submitted to the faculty of Interdenominational Theological Center in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Ministry 1985 ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is quadrilateral: (1) to critically engage the doctrine of God as preached in Blackamerican pulpits and as perceived by those who frequent the pews of the Black Church, (2) to identify, report, and address the dissonance emanating from the Black Church’s social activistic rhetoric and course of action and the disliberating theological posture assumed by the Black Church, (3) to raise questions and fuel debate within the indigenous (Black) church relevant to the liberating currency of its present theological position, (4) to propose a viable liberating alternative in primer form, to be utilized in a continuing education program designed for parish clergy0 It should be clear from the outset that this paper is intended as a prolegomenon. Because of the dearth of materials by Black or other Third World authors on some of the topics addressed herein, hermeneutical materials from “outside the camp” are employed when relevant. In fact, much of the conceptual backdrop for this study is drawn from contemporary European theologies. This is not to suggest that any new theological direction for the Black Church must necessarily be manacled to paradigms espoused 11 by White theologians. It does suggest, however, that truth is not racialistic.
    [Show full text]
  • Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam Separatism, Regendering, and A
    Africana Islamic Studies THE AFRICANA EXPERIENCE AND CRITICAL LEADERSHIP STUDIES Series Editors: Abul Pitre, PhD North Carolina A&T State University Comfort Okpala, PhD North Carolina A&T State University Through interdisciplinary scholarship, this book series explores the experi- ences of people of African descent in the United States and abroad. This series covers a wide range of areas that include but are not limited to the following: history, political science, education, science, health care, sociol- ogy, cultural studies, religious studies, psychology, hip-hop, anthropology, literature, and leadership studies. With the addition of leadership studies, this series breaks new ground, as there is a dearth of scholarship in leadership studies as it relates to the Africana experience. The critical leadership studies component of this series allows for interdisciplinary, critical leadership dis- course in the Africana experience, offering scholars an outlet to produce new scholarship that is engaging, innovative, and transformative. Scholars across disciplines are invited to submit their manuscripts for review in this timely series, which seeks to provide cutting edge knowledge that can address the societal challenges facing Africana communities. Titles in this Series Survival of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Making it Happen Edited by Edward Fort Engaging the Diaspora: Migration and African Families Edited by Pauline Ada Uwakweh, Jerono P. Rotich, and Comfort O. Okpala Africana Islamic Studies Edited by James L. Conyers and Abul Pitre Africana Islamic Studies Edited by James L. Conyers Jr. and Abul Pitre LEXINGTON BOOKS Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Published by Lexington Books An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Malcolm X and Christianity
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ScholarBank@NUS MALCOLM X AND CHRISTIANITY FATHIE BIN ALI ABDAT (B. Arts, Hons) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2008 Acknowledgements I extend my sincerest gratitude first to the National University of Singapore (NUS) for granting me the Masters Research Scholarship that enabled me to carry out this undertaking. Also, my thanks go out to the librarians at various universities for assisting me track down countless number of primary and secondary sources that were literally scattered around the world. Without their tireless dedication and effort, this thesis would not have been feasible. The NUS library forked out a substantial sum of money purchasing dozens of books and journals for which I am grateful for. In New York, the friendly staff at Columbia University’s Butler Library, Union Theological Seminary’s Burke Library and Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture provided me access to newspaper articles, FBI files, rare books and archival materials that provided much content for my work. In Malaysia, the staff at the University of Malaya enabled me to browse through Za’aba’s extensive private collection that included the journal, Moslem World & the U.S.A. In the process of writing this thesis, I am indebted to various faculty members at the Department of History such as Assoc. Prof. Ian Gordon, Assoc. Prof. Michael Feener and Assoc. Prof. Thomas Dubois, who in one way or another, helped shape my ideas on Malcolm X’s intellectual beliefs and developed my skills as an apprentice historian.
    [Show full text]
  • Issn: 2278-6236 the African-American Islamic
    International Journal of Advanced Research in ISSN: 2278-6236 Management and Social Sciences Impact Factor: 4.400 THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Saiedjamaledden Alerasoul* Javad Haghnavaz** Abstract: The purpose of the following historical survey is to present the basic realities of the Muslim Experience in the West. I have chosen several methods of looking at these present realities and past experiences. Some of these are case studies and still others are from readings in history. Today as a community we are at a point where we can either succeed or fail to a much greater extent than in the past. We have schools, professionals, Islamic centers and well-read Muslims. What we lack is a core of brothers and sisters willing to try to organize Muslims into cohesive voting blocks and into strong neighborhoods and communities where the Muslims are visible and have a voice in the destiny of the greater society and to some degree in the foreign policy of America. Keywords: Islam, Islamic Civilization, Islamic History, Islam in United States. *Department of Islamic Thoughts faculty, Jolfa Branch, Islamic Azad University, Jolfa, Iran Vol. 3 | No. 8 | August 2014 www.garph.co.uk IJARMSS | 155 International Journal of Advanced Research in ISSN: 2278-6236 Management and Social Sciences Impact Factor: 4.400 INTRODUCTION: The history of Islam concerns the religion of Islam and its adherents, Muslims. Muslim is an Arabic word meaning one who submits to God. Muslims and their religion have greatly impacted the political, economic and military history of the Old World, especially the Middle East, where its roots lie.
    [Show full text]
  • I Premillennium Tension
    52Souls Souls Winter 2005 Malcolm X Premillennium Tension Malcolm X and the Eschatology of the Nation of Islam Wayne Taylor In 1930, a stranger appeared in the ghetto of Detroit, selling silks, raincoats, and a new religious philosophy that catered to the needs of an oppressed African-American urban population. He taught the tenets of a new religion—the “true” religion of the dark peoples of Asia and Africa, a religion that promised empowerment and redemption for a commu- nity ravaged by racism, migration, and a debilitating economic depression. From these humble beginnings, the silk peddler Wallace D. Fard built one of the most enduring reli- gious enclaves in the American Black community—the Nation of Islam. Elijah Muhammad, Fard’s personal assistant, carried this philosophy to a number of the Black urban centers of the North following Fard’s mysterious disappearance in 1934. The man who sparked the major growth in the membership of the Nation of Islam, however, was Elijah Muhammad’s own disciple, Malcolm X. Malcolm’s articulation of a political and economic agenda for the Black community in the face of entrenched racism moved the Nation from the sidelines of the racial debate to the forefront of the conflict by the 1960s. Malcolm’s tenure as a minister with the NOI, dating from his parole from prison in 1952 until his break with the Nation in 1964, saw membership in the organiza- tion rise rapidly. While scholarly works and popular culture continue to appropriate Malcolm’s message of Black nationalism through political and social unity within the African Diaspora, little has been said about Malcolm’s articulation of the Nation of Islam’s theology, the original theology of his mentor Elijah Muhammad and, by proxy, Muhammad’s mentor Wallace D.
    [Show full text]
  • A COMPARATIVE STUDY of the NATION of ISLAM and ISLAM Dwi
    A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NATION OF ISLAM AND ISLAM Dwi Hesti Yuliani-Sato A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2007 Committee: Dr. Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, Advisor Dr. Awad Ibrahim ©2007 Dwi Hesti Yuliani-Sato All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Dr. Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, Advisor This study compares the Nation of Islam with the religion of Islam to understand the extent of its religious kinship to Islam. As with other religions, there are various understandings of Islam and no single agreement on what constitutes being a Muslim. With regard to that matter, the Nation of Islam’s (NOI) teachings and beliefs are regarded as unconventional if viewed from the conventions of Islam. Being unconventional in terms of doctrines and having a focus on racial struggle rather than on religious nurturing position the Nation of Islam more as a social movement than as a religious organization. Further, this raises a question, to some parties, of whether the NOI’s members are Muslims in the sense of mainstream Islam’s standard. It is the issue of conventional versus unconventional that is at the core of this study. The methodologies used are observation, interview, and literary research. Prior to writing the thesis, research on the Nation of Islam in Toledo was conducted. The researcher observed the Nation of Islam in Toledo and Savannah, Georgia, and interviewed some people from the Nation of Islam in Toledo and Detroit as well as a historian of religion from Bowling Green State University.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Scholar Volume 26, No
    THEBLACKSCHOLAR The Nation of Islam: 1930-1996 Religious Heterodoxy and Nationalist Tradition: The Continuing Evolution of the Nation of Islam by Ernest Allen, Jr. NE OF THE MORE PROFOUND cultural and Islamic community with substantive ties to a O political phenomena of the late twenti- larger international community of religious eth century has been the religious conversion adherents. In October 1976 the NOI became of approximately one million African Ameri- the World Community of al-Islam in the West cans to Islam.' Encroaching upon a domain (WCIW) ; in its final incarnation, lasting over which Christianity held virtual sway for from May 1980 through May 1985, the orga- one and a half centuries, this recent turn of nization was known as the American Muslim events owes most of its influence to an organi- Mission (AMM), after which time it disband- zation known as the Nation of Islam (NOI) .2 ed. Today the work of Wallace Muhammad The NOI - both the original group and its - who now goes by the name of Warith offshoots - offers an intriguing example of a Deen Mohammed - is primarily evangelical, religious-oriented nationalist movement his constituency comprised basically of which, over a period of six decades, has come African American Muslims who regularly to embrace traditional Islam in halting and attend some 200 plus masjids throughout the contradictory ways. At times this embrace has United States . Within Islamic circles at home been direct and deliberate; at other times and abroad, Imam Mohammed's voice car- more indirect and pragmatic, in order that ries considerable influence; within the secu- central aims might be more effectively pur- lar world he rarely has been heard from in sued .
    [Show full text]