Nation of Islam
Black nationalist African-American new religious movement From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Nation of Islam is a Black nationalist religious movement.
During the early 1960s, Malcolm X (left) and Muhammad Ali (right) helped raise the profile of the Nation.
History
The Nation of Islam (NOI) was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930 by Master Farad Muhammad and re-founded in 1977 under the leadership of Louis Farrakhan. The original group founded in the 1930s changed its name to American Society of Muslims, which rejected many of its original beliefs, including black separatism.
NOI's main goal is to bring back the spiritual, mental, social and economic condition of Black people in the United States. Since 1981, the group has been led by Louis Farrakhan. Malcolm X was also a member until March 8, 1964, a year before his assassination.[1]
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Current status
The headquarters of the Nation of Islam is located in Chicago, Illinois. The Nation of Islam is currently led by the "Honorable Minister" Louis Farrakhan through the teachings of the "Most Honorable" Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad met Master Farad Muhammad and was directly given lost knowledge to rebuild the children of slavery and bring them back to their original selves.
Flag
The NOI's flag has the symbols of the Sun, Moon and the stars. It reportedly represents the universe and a banner of universal peace and harmony.
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Beliefs and practices
The Nation of Islam combines a number of doctrines, primarily Islam and Dianetics. In their literature, they profess their belief in the oneness of Allah (tawhid) and the Qur'an.[2] They celebrate Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Unlike orthodox Islam, they celebrate Ramadan in winter.[3] Their places of worship are called mosques. They are also different from orthodox Islam in that they pray five times a day in English, not Arabic. [4]
In addition to these Islamic beliefs and practices, the theology Nation of Islam also promotes and includes non-traditional religious beliefs. Although their contemporary website highlights their belief in the oneness of God, other sources produced by the Nation of Islam highlight their beliefs in many Gods as well.
For instance, Master Farad, the founder of the Nation of Islam is also considered "God in person".[5] This is a belief that contradicts Islamic teachings. They also believe that Allah is a Black man and that each cycle of history is ruled by a different God, who dies once his cycle is over.
Racism
The NOI has long been criticized for promoting racism, especially antisemitism.[6][7] In the 1960s, the NOI partnered with Neo-Nazi groups due to their mutual support for racial separatism.[8]
Elijah Muhammad
In the 1960s, NOI's leader Elijah Muhammad worked with the KKK to buy farmland in the Deep South with a view to building Black-only colonies,[9] one of which was founded as the Temple Farms, now called the Muhammad Farms, in Terrel County, Georgia.[10]
In the following 10 years, Elijah received huge funding from White supremacist Texas oil baron H. L. Hunt, which was used by Elijah to build luxurious homes for his own family.[11] George Lincoln Rockwell, American Nazi Party's founder, praised Elijah Muhammad as "the Hitler of the Black man".[12]
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was an NOI member until March 8, 1964.[13] Malcolm X had made a series of antisemitic speeches,[6] which promoted The Protocols of the Elders of Zion among Black Americans.[6] He accused Jews of being "bloodsuckers [...] perfecting the modern evil of neocolonialism".[6] He also engaged in Holocaust denial by blaming Jews for having "brought it upon themselves", based on his distorted view of certain events.[6] In 1961, he spoke at an NOI rally along with George Lincoln Rockwell, the leader of the American Nazi Party, who claimed that Black nationalism and White supremacy shared a common vision.[14]
Louis Farrakhan
NOI's leader Louis Farrakhan is well-known for his antisemitic and anti-White views,[6][7] despite his and his group's denial.[7] Many believed Farrakhan to have been involved in the assassination of Malcolm X because Malcolm X reportedly abandoned his racist views about those he considered White. In 2020, Louis Farrakhan was classified by the American civil rights group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as "the most popular antisemite in America".[15]
1980s
In June 1984, Farrakhan went to Libya to visit her dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Upon return, Farrakhan smeared Judaism as a "gutter religion [...] structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit" that "abused" God's name for self-defense.[16] In 1985, at an NOI meeting, Farrakhan said that the Jews deserved the Holocaust by screaming that "And don't you forget, when it's God who puts you in the ovens, it's forever!"[17]
1990s
In 1995, Farrakhan accused Jews of causing the Holocaust themselves, a false claim common among antisemites,[18][19] by alleging that "German Jews financed Hitler right here in America [...] International bankers financed Hitler and poor Jews died while big Jews were at the root of what you call the Holocaust".[20] In October, he mobilized 440,000 men to attend the Million Man March in Washington, D.C.,[21] the tenth-largest march in American history,[21][22] when he called himself "a prophet sent by God to show America its evil".[23]
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Similar movements
New Black Panther Party (NBPP)
The New Black Panther Party (NBPP), a Black nationalist successor to the Black Panther Party (BPP), is also known for sharing similar ideas as the NOI.[24] Before a 2006 Democratic primary runoff in Georgia, the NBPP made an antisemitic public speech:[25]
So-called Jews in Israel in what's really Palestine [...] who the Book of Revelation […] calls the Synagogue of Satan.
When the NBPP-backed candidate Cynthia McKinney lost to her rival Hank Johnson, NBPP's members claimed that it was caused by "Jewish electoral domination".[26]
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Related pages
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nation of Islam.
References
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