Question about Black Islam

Atif I Chaudhry

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Aug 31, 1993, 12:20:34 AM8/31/93

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I will defer a full responce to someone who is better qualified to answer...
but let me just tell you my own small knowledge of Black Muslims....

As of today the largest group of Black Muslims are SUNI MUSLIMS.
>From my experience with the Black Muslim community in Boston, Black Muslims
are among the most dedicated of any Muslims.

There is a small group that still follows the traditional teachings of the
Nation of Islam and of Farakhan, however they are small in number when
compared to TRUE Black Muslims.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, and one reason is that there
are many converts, especially from the Black Community in America. These
converts almost always adhere to proper Islamic thought.

I am sure that someone else who knows more can tell you much more about the
History of Islam in the Black Community, but let me finish by saying that I
have nothing but the highest regards for the Black Muslims that I have met
in Boston.

--
Atif I. Chaudhry

Hanif Khalak

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Aug 31, 1993, 12:27:36 PM8/31/93

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In article <25u4ti...@life.ai.mit.edu> spe...@uiuc.edu writes:
>Someone recently told me:
>
># There are really two types of American Muslims: your main-line Muslims
^^^^^^^^^

Makes them (us) sound like drug-addicts... :)

># (most of whom are Sunnis, the majority sect) and then there are Black
># Muslims. Black Muslims are not recognized by other Muslims as being
># adherents to true Islam, because of several great theological
># differences. For one thing, Black Muslims feel that God is not spirit
># (A famous quote from Elijah Muhammed, a former leader of the sect, is
># "God is not a spook!!!") but rather He is a person who takes a
># different incarnation in every generation. Past leaders of the Black
># Muslims like Elijah Muhammed and Louis Farrakhan are believed to be
># incarnations of Allah, or God. The founder of the Black Muslim
># movement (who was a white man. I'm sorry but his name escapes me.)
># founded the sect in the 1930s. He was a merchant of African imports,
># mostly from Islamic countries in Africa, and from various sources it
># has been put forward that the whole sect of Black Muslims was an
># elaborate marketing ploy for him. In any case, he was not formally a
># Muslim before he founded the church, and he had very little knowledge
># of the Quran or other sources of Islamic writing.

His name was Wallace Fard. The Nation of Islam (NOI) -- Black
Muslims is not accurate, though it IS historically conventional --
states that he was of Middle-Eastern origin (or Turkish). Apart from
the racist-centered ideology and lack of prayer as Muslims have, the
theology reminds me of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (i.e.
Mormons) -- except black is white and v.v. There is little question
as to the shirk in NOI teachings, especially the way Wallace Fard used
to be mentioned as the incarnation of God on Earth in America.

Warithuddin Muhammed (Elijah Muhammed's eldest son) converted
to orthod- dox Islam after some time, and most NOI members followed
suit. Except, that is, for the followers and imitators of Louis
Farrakhan. The former's group is a thriving community all over the
U.S. and participates in the Northa American Muslim Umma's goals,
aspirations, and events. The latter is, though marginal in numbers
and any profound meaning, a group that actually still has an effect in
inner cities and some prisons.

This might sound strange, but as I see it, the NOI acts as a
filtration process many times for African-Americans who perceive
race/hatred/moral problems in America, and are enchanted by blacks who
don't take oppression lightly. The next stage of development, for
many, has and continues to be, a realization for the need for AQEEDAH
based on something OTHER than race or MAN. And at the same time, a
way of life FOR man, and that equitably DEALS with race.
Alhumdolillah for Islam.

Yours in Islam,
Hanif Abdul-Khalak

>#
># The whole sect of Black Muslims, which aren't really Muslims at all
># theologically, is the largest growing Muslim sect in the US. I would
># put forward that this sect is indeed racist, since its doctrine
># specifically states that whites are an inferior race who are doomed to
># oblivion by the blacks. However, I agree with you that other, "true"
># forms of Islam are not racist. It is this sect of Black Muslims that I
># find most disconcerting.
>
>Is this true? Or how much of this is true? I have come across racist
>ideas from Farrakhan, but then, that doesn't make him not a Muslim just
>because Islam is non-racist, but simply wrong on that point. I didn't
>realize that they were considered non-Muslims alltogether.
>
>Wassalam,
> Ian
>--
>--- Xtrek is lovely, dark and deep.
>God is gracious = Yahya = Yehohanan = But I have promises to keep,
>Johannes = John = Jean = Jan = Ian And megs to write before I sleep,
>Internet: ch...@rambutan.cs.uiuc.edu And megs to write before I sleep.
>

Farhan Muhammad

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Sep 1, 1993, 6:39:49 PM9/1/93

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__________________________________________________________________

In reply to this subject..

I personally know couple of black muslims in Metawan, NJ.
and I have found them the most dedicated 'Sunni' muslims
among many others.

There may be some muslims in black community who still follows
the Fakkarahan beliefs, but to generalize this to the whole Black
Muslim community is unjust and humiliating to the converts who
left their religion and chose to follow the true paths of Islam.

khuda-hafiz
Farhan Muhammad.

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