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Muslim Works
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THE MODERN COMMUNITY
Following Elijah Mohammeds death in 1975, he was succeeded by his son, Warith Deen Mohammed, or W.D. Mohammed. The new leader made broad, sweeping changes to reconcile the NOI with traditional Islam. He renounced the deification of Fard, eliminated the notion of black superiority and worked to align the group with the larger community of Muslims.
His actions created a rift: In 1981, traditionalist elements led by Farrakhan publicly announced the reconstitution of the NOI, guided by the original teachings of Fard and Elijah Mohammed. The divide has been bridged in recent years, however, with Farrakhan recanting the notion of Fards deification and denying that Elijah Mohammed was a prophet, calling him a messenger. Farrakhan and W.D. Mohammed publicly embraced in 2000, officially announcing the movements unity.
The Muslim Journal, W.D. Mohammeds newspaper, is headquartered in a building on the outskirts of Chicago. Inside the front door hangs a large poster of W.D. Mohammed with the late Pope John Paul II. The editors of the Muslim Journal say one of W.D. Mohammeds missions has been to eliminate contempt for Christianity within the organization. This contempt was partly rooted in the perception that the common white image of Jesus Christ supported the concept of racial inferiority of blacks.
What would happen to little white kids if they were made to sit before a black image and worship? They would look at the image of God and then in the mirror and they would feel inferior, says Ayesha Mustafaa, the journals editor.
Today, the majority of African-American Muslims are Sunni, although a large number are still students of W.D. Mohammed. Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African-American and the head of the Muslim Alliance of North America, who does not follow the NOI, speaks before his congregation of diverse ethnic backgrounds at Masjid Al-Taqwa (literally, The Piety Mosque) in Brooklyn, New York. Wahhaj, who more than 10 years ago became the first Muslim to invoke prayers in front of US Congress, believes that most African-American Muslims do not consider themselves a part of the NOI; nor do most of the new converts.
Some people are like, You should be following Warith Deen Mohammed. Why? We have these great scholars that have legitimate differences that base their differences upon their understanding of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, which makes for dynamic conversation and interaction, Wahhaj says.
Were not here to become rigid soldiers, he says. Were thinkers.
Recently, one of the most important concerns of the American Muslim community has been discrimination since the September 11 attacks. Wahhaj often draws parallels between the struggles that Muslims are going through now and those of African-Americans in the past.
When I rehearse history to Muslims who are foreigners or immigrants, I say, It happened to black people, it happened to Jews, it happened to Italians and almost everyone had that kind of discrimination and scrutiny. For us, its patience, he says. Its not going to be like this forever. There [are] too many verses in the Quran that teach us patience.
Wahhaj, who was born in America and converted to Islam with his parents, travels to connect with Muslims across the country. He recently visited three different cities in one weekend and claims that at each airport, officials told him he had been randomly selected by the computer for security inspection.
Despite the discrimination, many Muslims see a bright future for Islam in America. Muslims who once remained in obscurity are becoming vocal about their faith and they are not afraid to practice Islam in American society, which they say is committed to allowing them religious freedom and embracing diversity. But to bring change, Muslims in America will probably have to do it on their own.
You should pray as if everything depends on God, Wahhaj says, but you should work as if everything depends on you. et
Following Elijah Mohammeds death in 1975, he was succeeded by his son, Warith Deen Mohammed, or W.D. Mohammed. The new leader made broad, sweeping changes to reconcile the NOI with traditional Islam. He renounced the deification of Fard, eliminated the notion of black superiority and worked to align the group with the larger community of Muslims.
His actions created a rift: In 1981, traditionalist elements led by Farrakhan publicly announced the reconstitution of the NOI, guided by the original teachings of Fard and Elijah Mohammed. The divide has been bridged in recent years, however, with Farrakhan recanting the notion of Fards deification and denying that Elijah Mohammed was a prophet, calling him a messenger. Farrakhan and W.D. Mohammed publicly embraced in 2000, officially announcing the movements unity.
The Muslim Journal, W.D. Mohammeds newspaper, is headquartered in a building on the outskirts of Chicago. Inside the front door hangs a large poster of W.D. Mohammed with the late Pope John Paul II. The editors of the Muslim Journal say one of W.D. Mohammeds missions has been to eliminate contempt for Christianity within the organization. This contempt was partly rooted in the perception that the common white image of Jesus Christ supported the concept of racial inferiority of blacks.
What would happen to little white kids if they were made to sit before a black image and worship? They would look at the image of God and then in the mirror and they would feel inferior, says Ayesha Mustafaa, the journals editor.
Today, the majority of African-American Muslims are Sunni, although a large number are still students of W.D. Mohammed. Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an African-American and the head of the Muslim Alliance of North America, who does not follow the NOI, speaks before his congregation of diverse ethnic backgrounds at Masjid Al-Taqwa (literally, The Piety Mosque) in Brooklyn, New York. Wahhaj, who more than 10 years ago became the first Muslim to invoke prayers in front of US Congress, believes that most African-American Muslims do not consider themselves a part of the NOI; nor do most of the new converts.
Some people are like, You should be following Warith Deen Mohammed. Why? We have these great scholars that have legitimate differences that base their differences upon their understanding of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, which makes for dynamic conversation and interaction, Wahhaj says.
Were not here to become rigid soldiers, he says. Were thinkers.
Recently, one of the most important concerns of the American Muslim community has been discrimination since the September 11 attacks. Wahhaj often draws parallels between the struggles that Muslims are going through now and those of African-Americans in the past.
When I rehearse history to Muslims who are foreigners or immigrants, I say, It happened to black people, it happened to Jews, it happened to Italians and almost everyone had that kind of discrimination and scrutiny. For us, its patience, he says. Its not going to be like this forever. There [are] too many verses in the Quran that teach us patience.
Wahhaj, who was born in America and converted to Islam with his parents, travels to connect with Muslims across the country. He recently visited three different cities in one weekend and claims that at each airport, officials told him he had been randomly selected by the computer for security inspection.
Despite the discrimination, many Muslims see a bright future for Islam in America. Muslims who once remained in obscurity are becoming vocal about their faith and they are not afraid to practice Islam in American society, which they say is committed to allowing them religious freedom and embracing diversity. But to bring change, Muslims in America will probably have to do it on their own.
You should pray as if everything depends on God, Wahhaj says, but you should work as if everything depends on you. et
