The Nation Of Islam

From TinWiki.org

The Nation of Islam, NOI (A.K.A. Black Muslims) is a Black religious/political organisation based in the U.S. (headquarters in Chicago Ill.) While claiming to be a sect of (worldwide) Islam, the core teachings of NOI are based on the writings and teachings of long-time leader Elijah Mohammed (Deceased 1976). Noble Drew Ali and His Moorish Holy Temple of Science also influenced the NOI. Drew died "mysteriously" in 1929. In 1930 Fard Mohammed founded The Lost Found nation of Islam. The NOI is considered to be a separatist and extremist organisation.

1 Origins
2 History
- 2.1 Malcom X
- 2.2 Louis Farrakan
3 Core beliefs
4 External links
5 Relevant discussion threads on AboveTopSecret.com

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Origins

The Nation of Islam, (members are commonly called Black Muslims) had it origins in the 1930's Depression era USA, specifically in the urban northern city of Detroit Michigan. This urban center had attracted many Black Americans from the south, because of the quickly growing auto industry.

Into this urban mix walked a mysterious man, calling himself Fard Mohammed. He Claimed to be of Arab or Mideastern origins. He began to preach a message of empowerment and moral superiority to a willing Black audience.

This man is actually believed to be one Wallace Fard, (or Ford) an ex-con and conman from New Zealand, and of Maori descent. Nonetheless, for his willing audience in Detroit Fard presented an attractive message that told of a rich Black past and presented a new message of economic independence.

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History

In 1930's Detroit, Fard Mohammed attracted many followers, (around 8,000) to what he began to call The Lost Found Nation of Islam. Chief among these followers was Elijah Poole, who began to be known as Elijah Mohammed. Poole was originally from Sanderville, Ga. He was a Baptist minister from a sharecropper family. He took readily to his new faith, and in 1934 Fard named him to the post of Supreme Minister of Islam. Soon after that Fard "mysteriously" disappeared. The official line is that Fard "departed". He was then deified, and said to be synonomous with the "promised messiah".

From the mid 1930's until 1976, the NOI prospered under the direction of Elijah Mohammed. He, with the NOI developed schools, businesses, and several newspapers. It was during the 1960's that the NOI gained its greatest spokesman, MalcomX.

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Malcom X

History remembers Malcom X as a Black spokesperson during the turbulent 1960's. He, like some other very prominent figures was assassinated. Malcom X was the national spokesman for NOI and gained great notoriety for many of his (flamboyant) statements. He was suspended in 1964, when he made the (now) infamous statement of "chickens coming home to roost". This statement was made in reference to the JFK assassination. Malcom had a very public break with the NOI and was later assassinated himself. His assassins had ties to NOI, and allegedly with the FBI. Many, including Malcom X's widow have always claimed government complicity.

In 1976 Elijah Mohammed died. The reigns of NOI were taken over by one of his sons, W.D. Mohammed. W.D. Mohammed was something of a reformer. He sought to mainstream NOI into international Islam. He changed the name of NOI to The World Community of Al-Islam in the West, and later to, The American Muslim Mission.

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Louis Farrakan

Louis Farrakan, during the 70's was a Chief Minister in the NOI Temple where Malcom X once served. Farrakan broke with W.D. Mohammed, forming a splinter group (The Ten Percenters) who reformed the NOI, following the teachings of Fard Mohammed, and Elijah Mohammed.

Currently, there are at least three groups claiming to be the "real" NOI. The faction headed by Louis Farrakan is the best known. In 1995 the NOI boasted a membership of 100,000. The current membership is said to be between 19,000-30.000.

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