  The '''Nation of Islam'''  is an African-American religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan, by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930. He set out to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the Black men and women of America. From 1934-1975, the NOI was led by Elijah Muhammad, who established businesses, large real estate holdings, armed forces and schools.[ New York Times]  During the later part of this period, Malcolm X became a prominent minister and leader in the NOI, although he later left it to join Sunni Islam.   Elijah Muhammad's son, Warith Deen Mohammed, assumed national leadership of the organization in 1975. In 1976 he changed the name of the organization to World Community of Islam in the West. In 1981 it changed again to American Muslim Mission. In 1985 Warith Deen Mohammed ordered the dissolution of the American Muslim Mission. W.D. Mohammed said disbanding the American Muslim Mission means &quot;we are members of the worldwide Muslim community...not to be identified in geographic terms or political terms or racial terms.&quot; The decision to break up the organization meant that each mosque would be autonomous.   Splinter groups developed soon after Elijah Muhammad's death, including that of Louis Farrakhan, who was unhappy with Mohammed's leadership.  Originally calling his group Final Call, in 1981 Farrakhan took back the name of Nation of Islam, at the same time renewing the original practices and beliefs of Elijah Muhammad.    Despite the  American Muslim Mission being dissolved legally, it continued informally, and a legal judgement in 1987 which forced the sale of $10 million worth of property. W.D. Mohammed sold a number of properties to Farrakhan, including Temple No. 2, the headquarters mosque, which Farrakhan purchased with a donation from Muammar Gaddafi.  In October 1995, Farrakhan led the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., calling on black men to renew their commitments to their families and communities.   The members of the Nation of Islam are believed to number between 20,000 and 50,000. Most of the members are in the United States, but there are small communities in other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Trinidad and Tobago.   ==History== [[Elijah Muhammad]]   The Nation of Islam was founded in Detroit, Michigan in July, 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad, also known as W. D. Fard Muhammad (1877–1934 or later). The N.O.I. teaches that W. Fard Muhammad is both the &quot;Messiah&quot; of Christianity and the Mahdi of Islam.  By the time Elijah Muhammad died in 1975, there were 75 NOI centers across America.[ &quot;Muhammad's Temple of Islam&quot;], ''Muhammad Speaks'', 4 Oct 1974 In 1975, Warith Deen Mohammed or W.D. (Wallace) Muhammad was installed as Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam. He renamed the organization &quot;The World Community of Al-Islam in the West&quot; which later became the American Society of Muslims.  He shunned his father's theology and black separatist views, accepting whites as fellow worshipers and forging closer ties with mainstream Muslim communities to bring the Nation of Islam closer into Sunni Islam.[ &quot;Nation of Islam&quot;], Oxford Islamic Studies Online  W.D. Mohammed's organization changed names many times and finally dissolved in August 31, 2003, after he resigned from the leadership.  In 1977, Louis Farrakhan resigned from Warith Deen's reformed organization, and with a number of supporters decided to rebuild the original Nation of Islam upon the foundation established by Wallace Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad.  ==Beliefs and theology==   Nation of Islam leader (1981-2007) [[Louis Farrakhan.]]  The Nation of Islam preaches adherence to the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith. The NOI also teaches morality and personal decorum, emphasizing modesty, mutual respect, and discipline in dress and comportment. NOI adherents do not consume pork, frown upon the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, and stress a healthy diet and physical fitness.  However, the Nation of Islam argues that because of the unique experience of the oppression and degradation of slavery, Elijah Muhammad used unique methods for introducing Islam to his people.   The main belief of The Nation of Islam and its followers is that there is no other God but Allah, revealing &quot;Allah&quot; by saying &quot;who came in the person of W. D. Fard.&quot;  Fard founded the Nation of Islam and subsequently installed Elijah Muhammad as the organization's leader. The official beliefs of the Nation of Islam have been outlined in books, documents, and articles published by the organization, as well as speeches by Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, and other ministers. Many of Elijah Muhammad's teachings may be found in ''Message to the Blackman in America'' and ''The True History of Jesus as Taught by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad''.Chicago: Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad, 1992   Written lessons from 1930–1934 were passed from W. Fard Muhammad to his student, Elijah Muhammad.  These were collected and entitled ''The Supreme Wisdom''.  The Nation of Islam continues to teach its followers that the present world society is segmented into three distinct categories. They teach that from a general perspective, 85% of the population are the &quot;deaf, dumb and blind&quot; masses of the people who &quot;are easily led in the wrong direction and hard to lead in the right direction&quot;.  These 85% of the masses who are said to be manipulated by 10% of the people.  Those 10% rich &quot;slave-makers&quot; are said to manipulate the 85% masses of the people through ignorance, the skillful use of religious doctrine and the mass media.  The third group is referred to as the 5% &quot;poor righteous teachers&quot; of the people of the world, who know the truth of the manipulation of the 85% masses of the people by the 10%.  The 5% &quot;righteous teachers&quot; are at constant struggle and war with 10% to reach and &quot;free the minds&quot; of the masses of the people.&quot;Assignment of Mr. Elijah Muhammad, The Supreme Wisdom&quot;, February 20, 1934; &quot;Power at Last Forever&quot;, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Madison Square Garden, New York, October, 1985  ===Official platform===  An official Nation of Islam platform referred to as &quot;The Muslim Program&quot; was written by Elijah Muhammad in his book ''Message to the Blackman in America'' (1965). The itemized platform contains two sections; &quot;What The Muslims Want&quot;, consisting of 10 points; and &quot;What The Muslims Believe&quot;, consisting of 12 points.  ===Cosmology===  The NOI teaches that the Earth and Moon were once the same, and that the Earth is over 76 trillion years old.Elijah Muhammad's 1961 &quot;Atlanta Speech&quot;, quoted in Louis E. Lomax's [ When The Word Is Given...]  The entire land mass on the Earth was called &quot;Asia&quot;. This was, Elijah Muhammad claims, long before Adam.''Message to the Blackman'', Elijah Muhammad, 1965]  ===Black experience of slavery was Bible prophecy===  The NOI teaches that black people constitute a nation and that through the institution of the Atlantic slave trade they were systematically denied knowledge of their past history, language, culture, and religion and, in effect, lost control of their lives. Central to this doctrine, NOI theology asserts that black people’s experience of slavery was the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and therefore, black people are the seed of Abraham referred to in the Bible, in Genesis 15:13–14:   ===Separatism=== In an 13 April 1997 interview on NBC's ''Meet the Press'', Tim Russert asked Louis Farrakhan to explain the Nation of Islam's view on separation:    ===Teachings on race===  The Nation of Islam teaches that Black people were the original humans. Louis Farrakhan has stated, &quot;White people are potential humans…they haven’t evolved yet.&quot; ''Philadelphia Inquirer,'' 3/18/00 Farrakhan further said, &quot;If you look at the human family — now, I'm talking about black, brown, red, yellow and white — we all seem to be frozen on a subhuman level of existence. In Islam and, I believe, in Christian theology and Jewish theology as well, there are three stages of human development. The first stage is called the animalistic stage of development. But when we submit to animal passions, then we can do evil things to one another in that animalistic stage of development. But when moral consciousness comes and we have a self-accusing spirit, it is then that we become human beings. Right now, we have the potential for humanity, but we have not reached that potential, because we are functioning on the animalistic plane of existence.&quot; ''Million Family March Transcript'', 10/16/00    In an interview on NBC's ''Meet the Press'', Louis Farrakhan said the following in response to host Tim Russert's question on the Nation of Islam's teachings on race:   Elijah Muhammad addressing followers Pressed by Russert on whether he agreed with Elijah Muhammad's preaching that whites are &quot;blue-eyed devils&quot;, Farrakhan responded:    During the time when Malcolm X was a member and leader of the Nation of Islam, he preached that black people were genetically superior to white people but were dominated by a system of white supremacy:    The Nation of Islam teaches that intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited.  This is point 10 of the official platform, &quot;What the Muslims Want&quot;, published 1965.[ &quot;What The Muslims Want&quot;.] Nation of Islam website. Louis Farrakhan nevertheless stated in the Tim Russert interview:   ===The Mother Plane and Ezekiel's Wheel===  Elijah Muhammad taught his followers about a Mother Plane or Wheel, a UFO that was seen and described in the visions of the prophet Ezekiel in the &quot;Book of Ezekiel&quot;, in the Hebrew Bible.    Louis Farrakhan, commenting on his teacher's description said the following:   ===Criticisms===  The first book analyzing the Nation of Islam was ''The Black Muslims in America'' (1961) by C. Eric Lincoln. Lincoln describes the use of doctrines during religious services.    ==Antisemitism==   A number of Jewish organizations, Christian organizations, and academics consider the Nation of Islam to be antisemitic. Professor David W. Leinweber, Ph.D. of Emory University asserts that the Nation of Islam has engaged in revisionist and antisemitic interpretations of the Holocaust and that they exaggerate the role of Jews in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Leinweber and others use the original statements of Farrakhan and others as the basis for their evaluation.[ H-ANTISEMITISM OCCASIONAL PAPERS, NO. 1M] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) alleges that NOI Health Minister, Abdul Alim Muhammad, has accused Jewish doctors of injecting Blacks with the AIDS virus,[ Nation of Islam] an allegation which Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad has denied.  The Nation of Islam has repeatedly denied charges of anti-Semitism.[ Farrakhan and the Jewish Rift; A Historic Reference] NOI leader Minister Louis Farrakhan has stated, &quot;The ADL … uses the term 'anti-Semitism' to stifle all criticism of Zionism and the Zionist policies of the State of Israel and also to stifle all legitimate criticism of the errant behavior of some Jewish people toward the non-Jewish population of the earth.&quot;''The Final Call,'' 16 February 1994  Jude Wanniski, late associate editor of the ''Wall Street Journal'', wrote, &quot;I've met dozens of men and women who belong to the Nation of Islam, attended many of their conferences, and prayed with them in their Chicago mosque to the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammed. I've concluded beyond any reasonable doubt that there is not an ounce of anti-Semitism or bigotry in Farrakhan.&quot;[ Memo, 10-28-98, Fire Abe Foxman!]  A [[mosque of Nation of Islam in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 2005.]]  ==Comparison with traditional Islam==  The Nation of Islam preaches adherence to the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith. Prayers are conducted in temples on seated chairs in church-fashion, instead of mosques and without prostration. The NOI also teaches morality and personal decorum, emphasizing modesty, mutual respect, and discipline in dress and comportment. NOI adherents do not consume pork, frown upon the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, and stress a healthy diet and physical fitness.  However, the Nation of Islam argues that because of the unique experience of the oppression and degradation of slavery, Elijah Muhammad used unique methods for introducing Islam to his people. According to Muslim critics, traditional Islamic beliefs are in stark opposition to the theological and creedal foundation of the Nation of Islam.Mustafa El-Amin, ''The Religion of Islam and the Nation of Islam: What is the Difference?'', Newark, N.J.: El-Amin Productions, 1991  Other doctrines of the Nation of Islam are disputed, specifically: * God's incarnation: ** NOI teaches that &quot;Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July 1930; the long-awaited Messiah of the Christians and the Mahdi of the Muslims.&quot; ** Traditional Sunni and Shi'a Muslim doctrine is that it is heretical and blasphemous to believe that God would manifest in human form. Likening any individual(s) to God is a form of ''shirk''—a major sin in Islam.  * Relations with whites: ** NOI teaches that the Black man is the original man, and from him came all brown, yellow, and white people. By using a special method of birth control law (the Yakub teaching), the black man was able to produce the white race.Elijah Muhammad|''Message to the Blackman in America'', Muhammad's Temple No. 2, 1965 &amp; Dorothy Blake Fardan, ''Yakub and the Origins of White Supremacy'', Lushena Books, 2001 NOI does not believe that whites are worthy to be evangelized, and thus does not accept them into the NOI, but recommends that they should join orthodox Islam. ** Traditional Islam teaches that all races are equal, and any person of any race can convert to Islam.  Islam recognizes the Biblical and Qur'anic figure, the patriarch Jacob, but he is considered a prophet, not the Yakub figure as featured in Nation of Islam theology.  * Perspectives on the Qur'an: ** The NOI states that they believe in the Qur'an and the writings of all the prophets of God. The NOI believes there are truths in the Bible but it is tampered material and &quot;must be reinterpreted so that mankind will not be snared by the falsehoods that have been added to it.&quot; [ NOI.org: The Official Website for The Nation of Islam] ** The vast majority of Muslims worldwide believe that the Qur'an is Allah's final revelation to mankind and that it was given to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad between the years of 610 and 632. Islam believes the previous scriptures (such as the Bible and Torah) have value but are superseded by the Qur'an.  * Status of the Islamic prophet Muhammad vs. other prophets: ** The Nation of Islam believes that Elijah Muhammad was a messenger and was taught by God, who the NOI claim as &quot;Master&quot; Fard Muhammad (W. D. Fard). ** Islam teaches that Muhammad was the '''last''' of the messengers whom Allah has sent to mankind; there would be no more and all Muslims are to follow the teachings of the Qur'an and accept monotheism.  * Practice of Friday prayers: ** The Nation of Islam ignores the traditional ''Jumuah'' prayers on Friday. In 2002, W. Deen Mohammed, a Muslim in opposition of black separatism, delivered a Friday sermon at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The NOI practice of Jumuah prayer has been replaced by a Sunday service (the traditional practice of Christianity). ** Islam dedicates Friday as the day for congregational prayer (''salat'') to be held just after noon in lieu of ''dhuhr'' (noon prayer).  * Translation of the Qur'an: ** The Nation of Islam generally uses the Maulana Muhammad Ali English translation of the Qur'an. Ali was a leading figure of the Ahmadiyya movement, founded in India in the late 19th century (citation #42). ** By contrast, the most well-known English translation of the Qur'an, commonly used by most English-speaking Sunni Muslims, is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.  '''Table of comparison of Traditional Islam and Nation of Islam''':Abraham Sarker (2004). ''Understand My Muslim People'', London: Barclay Press. p. 90  {| border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;4&quot; cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;unsortable&quot; |- bgcolor=&quot;#CD1E1A&quot;; color:white !Belief !Traditional Islam !Nation of Islam |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''God''' |align=left |God is one, who has no partners |align=left |Wallace D. Fard came as God incarnate |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''Muhammad''' |align=left |The final prophet of Islam, no one comes after him |align=left |Elijah Muhammad is the prophet to tell about incarnation of Fard |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''Race''' |align=left |All are equal regardless of color of skin, judged on behavior |align=left |The original black race of man is superior |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''Creation''' |align=left |God created the universe, first humans were Adam and Eve |align=left |Black scientists created the plan which repeats every 25,000 years |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''Qur'an''' |align=left |Revealed to Muhammad from God through the Angel Gabriel |align=left |Black scientists created and revealed the Bible and the Qur'an |- bgcolor=&quot;#EBB5C2&quot; |align=left |'''Sharia law''' |align=left |Sacred rules and laws of Islamic life, based on Qur'an and Sunnah |align=left |Not followed, created own, such as 4-6pm meal or avoid white-flour cake meals |}  ==Noted current and former members and associates of Nation of Islam== * Elijah Muhammad * Tynetta Muhammad * Louis Farrakhan * Khalid Abdul Muhammad * Khadijah Farrakhan * Malcolm X - Later converted to Sunni Islam * Muhammad Ali – Later converted to Sufism[ Muhammad Ali's New Spiritual Quest] * Mustapha Farrakhan - Supreme Captain of the Nation of Islam * Mustapha Farrakhan Jr. * Warith Deen Mohammed – Later converted to Sunni Islam *Clarence 13X- Later formed the Nation of Gods and Earths * MC Ren – Later converted to Islam [ MC Ren: RenIncarnated] HipHopDX * KAM- member of the Nation of Islam and former associate of Ice Cube * John Allen Muhammad – The Beltway Sniper, Gulf war veteran, former NOI member * Benjamin Chavis Muhammad * JT The Bigga Figga * Paris - left and became an agnostic * Snoop Dogg[ Snoop Dogg does not specify a date when he joined.  ==The Nation of Gods and Earths==   The Nation of Gods and Earths is an offshoot of the Nation of Islam  founded in 1964 in  Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan in New York City by Clarence Smith.  He was commonly known as Clarence 13X. Gods and Earths hold events known as Universal Parliaments in various cities—usually once a month—to build on their interpretation of the Supreme Mathematics, lessons, and to discuss business concerning the Nation.  