The Nation of Islam was originated by Wallace Fard in 1930, during a period when blacks were severely oppressed. They believed him to be “the incarnation of Allah” who had come to teach them what he referred to as “the Lost-Found Nation of Islam in the West.” Fard’s followers were promised that if they would listen to his teachings and learn the truth about themselves, that they would “overcome their white ‘slave masters’ and be restored to a position of dignity and primacy among the peoples of the world. (NOI, 1) It is told that Fard was a mysterious man, whose appearance in Detroit is still unexplained. He appeared there preaching black nationalism and Islamic faith, and disappeared sometime in 1934, after completing training to Elijah Poole, who eventually became Elijah Muhammed, and took over the reigns of the Nation of Islam.

Muhammed’s main followers and converters were poor, disenchanted African-Americans from the North who had migrated from the South, as he had. Most converted for a large variety of reasons, but many because of the poverty and racism, which was painfully present in those Northern cities, made the Nation of Islam’

The Nation of Islam’s journey through time is one that has seen several Master, who claim to all be Muslim, yet all teach different ideas, as well as tragedy, and assassination. It has survived the cruel habits of Americans, and their tendency to verbally attack, and demoralize people who do not conform to the majority. They have survived, and will continue to be a religion, which conforms to none.

The NOI is not only shunned by Americans because of their defensive nature, but also for their neglect to conform to the practices which are common to all Muslims, including orthodox. For Example, an essay written by a college student at KSU points out that “the hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required of all Muslims who can make the journey, yet, the Nation of Islam does not require its members to do so; the hajj is said to be as important to Islamic faith as baptism is to Christianity.” He then continues to argue that the Nation of Islam is not Islamic at all. (Miller, 1)

Some topics in this essay:
Nation Islam, Nation Islam’s, Elijah Muhammed, White’s America, West” Fard’s, NY Malcolm, Saudi Arabia, Earth” NOI, Muhammed Fard, White America, nation islam, nation islam’s, elijah muhammed, black muslims, black nationalism, elijah muhammed’s, white america, islamic faith,