The Nation of Islam History Research Paper Coursework

Assignment
Name
Institution
The Nation of Islam
Organizations and movements are formed to champion for rights of particular groups that are deemed vulnerable. The organizations, however, go through different challenges in different phases of leadership through time. This work highlights and discusses the rise and development of the organization, The Nation of Islam, since its formation in 1930 to date.
This is an organization that was formed in the year 1930 by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in Michigan. The Nation of Islam's second center was put up in Chicago by Fard's assistant, Elijah Mohammad. It is a movement of the African Americans that aims at teaching and promoting the ideas of the black Islamists together with that of traditional Islam. It taught African Americans to trust in God even in the face of hardships and discrimination. Its members enjoy the privilege of strong discipline besides racial unity. The history of Islam in the US dates back to during the slave trade era. Muslims are known to be strong in faith, and during this era, they maintained their religion even as slaves, introducing and growing Islam in the United States (Spencer 2019, 84).
Fard got the idea to form the Nation of Islam from Noble Drew Ali, who formed the Moorish Science Temple of America in 1913. Drew was administering Muslim teachings, and he developed The Holy Koran, which is a sacred book that resembles the currently used Koran by Muslims. Fard Mahammud happened to be an associate of the Moorish Science Temple of America, and this is what gave him the noble idea. Issues emerged in the headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, in 1934 that saw Elijah Muhammad take over the leadership. After the retirement of Fard, Muhammad continued teaching the members that Fard was a prophet and that his presence signified the presence of God, Allah (Gibson 2012 14).
Muhammad was a better leader compared to Fard. His theological mastery was excellent besides possessing outstanding leadership qualities. Theological teachings of Muhammad included the need to submit to Allah, monotheism, as well as encouraging healthy family life. His teachings went a notch higher to incorporate other practices from traditional Islam, including prohibiting the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and eating pork. These beliefs appealed most to African Americans.
According to Elijah, the white race was a devilish race that was created by a scientist who was black called Yakub. He believed that Allah put the whites in power for 6,000 years, which ended in 1914, and so their time was up. The 20th century according to Elijah, was the time for the black race to begin their reign of leadership. This belief generated a revolution among the black race with economic prosperity with businesses owned by blacks being developed. It also prompted the blacks to demand that a separate nation be set aside for them from the state of Georgia, Mississippi as well as Alabama. Muhammad then asked his followers to abandon the names they used as slaves and adopt Muslim names. Those who had lost their identities and did not know the tribes they belonged to were to adopt the use of X in their names (Spencer 2019, 86).
The Nation of Islam did not allow his followers to join the ...