http://www.noi.org/
The Nation of Islam is an African-American religious movement was founded in July 1930 by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan. Fard Muhammad's intention was to seek to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the Black men and women of America by spreading his interpretation of Islam. He is identified as the "Messiah" or "Mahdi" by the NOI and was described as literally God in person by his main student and disciple Elijah Muhammad who in 1934, following Fard Muhammad's death, became the leader of the NOI for the next 41 years. In these years, Muhammad established businesses, large real estate holdings, armed forces and schools in an attempt to spread the word of the Nation of Islam.
Notable members of the Nation of Islam were Civil rights campaigner Malcolm X, who was also a prominent minister of the NOI, boxing champion Muhammad Ali; and more recently rapper Snoop Dogg.
The Nation of Islam is an African-American religious movement was founded in July 1930 by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan. Fard Muhammad's intention was to seek to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the Black men and women of America by spreading his interpretation of Islam. He is identified as the "Messiah" or "Mahdi" by the NOI and was described as literally God in person by his main student and disciple Elijah Muhammad who in 1934, following Fard Muhammad's death, became the leader of the NOI for the next 41 years. In these years, Muhammad established businesses, large real estate holdings, armed forces and schools in an attempt to spread the word of the Nation of Islam.
Notable members of the Nation of Islam were Civil rights campaigner Malcolm X, who was also a prominent minister of the NOI, boxing champion Muhammad Ali; and more recently rapper Snoop Dogg.
Although not as influential as it was during the Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century, The Nation of Islam still remains a controversial and fascinating organisation. They preach a theory of Black superiority and have also been accused of anti-semitism. Farrakhan has stated in the past that "White people are potential humans…they haven’t evolved yet." Furthermore, Malcolm X often preached that Black people were genetically superior to Whites and that they were being held down by the dominant notion of White supremacy.
Despite progress made in civil rights over the years, The NOI and its followers still reject an American identity and want to separate completely from the United States, as current leader Louis Farrakhan stated in 1997: "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." Rather than their faith defining their identity as an American, the Nation of Islam is unique in that it seeks to distance and separate itself from a country it has become completely disillusioned by.
No comments:
Post a Comment