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Minister Louis Farrakhan and the ministers of Islam defended the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam against these attacks in mass media in their public speeches, written editorials and other public relations thrusts. In discussing how Martin Luther Coon had excited Southern n-----s to push for integration, Fellows could barely contain his anger, and his companions flashed tight grins. "He's not a proud man," he said. Still, like Elijah Muhammads request for Klan assistance in land acquisition, the issue was left dangling. 2) with significant chapters in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Do you find this information helpful? (Religious Leader) Elijah Muhammad was a black American leader of the religious and social movement known as the 'Nation of Islam' (NOI). It was time for the white man in America to sever this Black dependency and allow the Black man to separate and get out on his own. Elijah served as the inspiration and mentor to several personalities, such as Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, and Muhammad Ali, who led the movement further. His preaching is a bearing of witness to me and what God has given to me," he declared. When Elijah Muhammad died in February 1975, the Nation of Islam fragmented. We can work together, Fellows said, and put a stop to this integration. The direct offer brought a wicked smile across Malcolms face that he just as quickly wiped away. Corrections? He's a mighty fine preacher. Moreover, Muhammad allowed for no hierarchy among Caucasians on the issue of white supremacy; from the sitting U.S. president to the imperial wizard, all were slammed as white devils. Accordingly, the Messenger told his two ministers in Chicago that day that the Muslims and the Klan indeed had similar goals but with different shading. Talk of the Nation looks back at the life of Elijah Muhammad the man who led the Nation of Islam for four decades. Guests: Claude Andrew Clegg III Author An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad Professor of History, North Carolina A&T State University. From Chicago, the central point of the Nation of Islam, Mr. Muhammad expanded his membership drive to new heights. In later speeches he blamed the U.S. government for what he claimed was a conspiracy to destroy Black people with AIDS and addictive drugs. Membership was increasing when, in 1955, Brief history on origin of the Nation of Islam, https://noi.org/esp-honorable-elijah-muhammad/, 68 Years of Service: A Gift of Gratitude to The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, FBI COINTELPRO: The U.S. Governments War Against Dissent. (He chuckled)-c'mon around here where they can see you. Initially, the Klansman did not state the intended purpose of the surreptitious surveillancebut he left little doubt. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Rev. Everywhere you hear him, listen to him. He transitioned to being a Baptist preacher once slavery was abolished. Although details had not been hashed out, it was clear that Elijah Muhammads request for Klan assistance in acquiring a parcel of land had figured somehow in the Klan leaders boast. Muhammads humbling outreach to the murderous Klan had served, finally, to open Malcolms eyes. Following the disappearance of Fard in 1934, NOI became segregated forming different groups with different leaders. Omissions? As was his practice, Mr. Fard gave his followers their original name, and the man who came to him as Elijah Poole received the name Elijah Muhammad. It was the name the white slave-master of my grandfather after the so-called freedom of my fathers.". This undercover man would dutifully file notes on the Muslim meeting, dated January 30, 1961, with his control agent at the FBI Atlanta Field Office. The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad,The first full biography of Elijah Muhammad, the,controversial founding father of the Nation of,Islam and the forbearer to Louis Farrakhan. During the 1950s, Mr. Muhammad promoted Min. His hopes for aggressive marching orders were dashed. Resorting to the cover of NOI doctrine, he implied that there would inevitably be violence between the races one day, especially if Black people in America didnt acquire some land and separate from the white man. During this important grand opening of Mosque No. He doesn't take it upon himself. He is remembered for having acted as the Nation of Islam (NOI) leader. Cross-burning Klan rallies were staged in open fieldsmostly on Friday or Saturday nights, to attract the largest working-class crowds, some bringing along their children for the fireworks. Everywhere he advises you to go, go. Instead of the existing system, which exploited Black people by rendering them totally dependent upon the white man for food, clothing and shelter, the Black Muslims wanted a new permanent system that was more equitable and truly separate, politically, racially and economically. It was pitched as something of a down payment for Blacks who stood absolutely opposed to integration with their open enemy, the white man, who hated them without cause. Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 - February 25, 1975) was an American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his death in 1975. Under his leadership, it became one of the most powerful religious and social institutions in the country. He illustrated many of his spiritual lessons about the need of blacks to elevate their behavior, as he saw it, with little humorous dramatic sketches. When Fard disappeared in 1934 Muhammad succeeded him as head of the movement, with the title Minister of Islam. Because of dissension within the Detroit temple, he moved to Chicago where he established Temple No. ", Consequently, Mr. Muhammad, while in Washington, D.C. Was arrested on May 8, 1942, for allegedly evading the draft. As a boy, Mohammed received religious training in the tradition of the Nation, and in 1958 he was appointed minister of Temple No. Jesse Jackson, whom Farrakhan supported. He was a major promoter of independent, black-operated businesses, institutions, and religion. By 1955, the group had about fifteen temples and by 1959 NOI had about 50 temples across 22 states. Mr. The stock market crash in 1929 was the gateway to economic misery that sparked the fuel of the "Great Depression" of the 1930s. He announced and preached that God is One, and it is now time for Blacks to return to the religion of their ancestors, Islam. This was a planned meeting between the Nation of Islam and the Ku Klux Klan, and it had an agenda. The flashpoint that likely irreversibly shattered Malcolms blind devotion to the Messenger was more broadly his Southern strategyobtaining land to set up a separate Black communitywhich flowed out of the meeting. But this was not an ambush. The details of the Klan telegram, and the events that resulted, have never been fully disclosed. During his unemployment, Poole met Wallace Fard, the founder of the Nation of Islam who preached a gospel of black Islam and racial supremacy. He grew up outside of Macon, Georgia, but in 1923 he brought his family to Detroit, Michigan. We want white robes., Returning to the stalemate over racial segregation versus separation, Malcolm chided the Klansmen that they shouldnt be able to segregate him and give him what they want him to have, instead of what he should have. 1897, Sandersville, Georgia, United States of America. In abandoning their pursuit of integration, Malcolm stated, Black folks would need a nest egg so they could strike out on their own with a separate but appropriate share of the wealth they had helped accumulate in America. And he had grown up convinced beyond all arguments that this same Ku Klux Klan had killed his father. He was the leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975, and both Louis Farrakhan and Malcolm X were his disciples. In the early 21st century, the core membership of Farrakhans Nation of Islam was estimated at between 10,000 and 50,000though in the same period Farrakhan was delivering speeches in large cities across the United States that regularly attracted crowds of more than 30,000. Estimates of the number of marchers, most of whom were men, ranged from 400,000 to nearly 1.1 million, making it, at the time, the largest gathering of its kind in American history. [4] (Occasionally, he spent time in Phoenix, where the climate relieved some of his asthmatic dikomfort.). After all, the assigned NOI mission was neither to score debating points nor to humiliate the Klansmen by smashing their credo to smithereensas Malcolm forthrightly would have preferred. The Georgia imperial wizard, Wild Bill Davidson, unveiled a secret weapon to combat integration that included moving all of the Black people in Georgia to a central location, Atlanta, if necessary, according to the news account of the rally in the Sunday, January 29, 1961, edition of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. I thank you.". Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Muhammad died from congestive heart failure at the age of 77 on February 25, 1975, the day before Saviours' Day, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.[1]. The Klan saw him as a dangerous threat to white hegemony. For we are thankful to Allah for this great helper of mine, Min. His controversial beliefs met the criticism from other Islamic groups and many black civil rights leaders. We know he lives around here somewhere, but we dont know where, said Fellows, in a whisper. In 1965, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad promoted Minister Louis Farrakhan to the post of National Representative. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. For the next three and one-half years, Mr. Muhammad was personally taught by his Teacher non-stop. Elijah Muhammad's ascent is another instance of a black man from a small Southern town who achieved national eminence as a religious leader. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He remarked last year that The slavemaster is no longer hindering us, we're hindering ourselves. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Farrakhan to come before the religious community and then the following announcement while digressing from his previously stated remarks: "I want you to remember, today, I have one of my greatest preachers here-what are you hiding behind the sycamore tree for brother? The communiqu caught Malcolm totally by surprise. And Sunni Muslims in Brooklyn were said by the police to have tried to steal guns from a sporting goods store to prepare for a war with Black Muslims. Yes, sir, answered the minister at the screen door. Louis X first proved himself at Temple No. Riding Freedom: 10 Milestones in U.S. Civil Rights History, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Farrakhan, BlackPast - Biography of Louis Abdul Farrakhan, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Louis Farrakhan, Black History in America - Louis Farrakhan, Southern Poverty Law Center - Louis Farrakhan, The HistoryMakers - Biography of Louis Farrakhan, Louis Farrakhan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). His place of birth was in Sandersville in Georgia. He believed Mr. Muhammad's religious interpretations that excluded Caucasian Moslems too narrow, and he was concerned by the Black Muslims policy of nonengagement in civil rights and political affairs. Explains that elijah muhammad was one of the most ethnologically involved and influential critical thinkers of our time. As many as 2,000 paid FBI informants were operating inside the Klan, it later would be revealed. Moreover, America's racial situation continued its downward spiral. All Rights Reserved. Hence, in 1931, after hearing his first lecture at the Temple of Islam, Elijah Poole was overwhelmed by the message and immediately accepted it. He tells you, 'You see what Allah has done.' They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Malcolm X was the chief spokesman, the main recruiter; he brought the heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali into the movement. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. It is possible, of course, that the informer himself, especially given his scant report on Klan maneuvers at the meeting, purposefully omitted this, along with other damning information, or, possibly, his account of the King threat resides in some yet undisclosed FBI report. Corrections? He asked Malcolm and Jeremiah directly if the Muslims would reveal where King resided and supply the Klansmen a schedule of his habits and real-time movements when he was in town. Also, it did not escape Malcolms notice that, in contrast to the Christian Reverend King, the Black Muslims drew not a jot of ire from the one white group in America that was universally despised as devils by all Black people, including Malcolm himself. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Deeply religious as a boy, he became active in the St. Cyprians Episcopal Church in his Roxbury neighbourhood. He was born in the United States. He moved to Detroit in the 1920s, where he met Wali Farad, founder of the movement there. The son of sharecroppers and former slaves, Muhammad moved to Detroit in 1923 where, around 1930, he became assistant minister to the founder of the sect, Wallace D. Fard, at Temple No. A setup? Elijah Muhammad is a member of the famous Bodybuilder list. However, in 1982, Cook County Judge Henry Budzinski ruled that the money was given to Elijah Muhammad for his personal use and should be turned over to his children with the interest accrued. Estimates of membership range from 25,000 to a high of 250,000 claimed by the movement. In 1953 he married Khadijah, with whom he would have nine children. We want to be totally separated from you. They had eight children, Emmanuel, Ethel, Lottie, Nathaniel, Herbert, Elijah, Jr., Wallace and Akbar. Although more nondescript than the diminutive Fellows, his buddies were no less tight-lipped and hard-eyed. Fellows indeed requested that King be tracked so that his group, which had the motive and the means, could kill him. He was known under many names, "Mr. Evans," his wife's maiden name, "Ghulam Bogans," "Muhammad Rassoull," "Elijah Karriem" and "Muhammad of 'U' Street. Occasionally, the sly hotspur within Malcolm compelled him to disobey his sovereigns orders that he humbly petition the Klansmen. This vast government network may well have instigated the Klans outreach to the Black Muslims for Hoovers own ulterior motive, such as the desire to influence or get inside information about the NOIs plans. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. It is our brother in Detroit and Chicago or New York. Media related to Elijah Muhammad at Wikimedia Commons. He is a notable black religious figure. Malcolm was just being provocative throughout the heady negotiations, Jeremiah recalled, just leading them on to see where they were going. In matching wits with the dullard Klansmen ranged around the table, Malcolm trotted out verbal maneuvers from his prison days debating Ivy League scholars, and double entendre from his throw-downs in barbershops, pool halls and churchyards. Because of Muhammads separatist views, his most prominent disciple, Malcolm X, broke with the group and, before his assassination in 1965, helped to lend an identity to the group (once known as the American Muslim Mission and now part of the worldwide orthodox Muslim community) that split from the Nation of Islam after Muhammads death in 1975. Mr. Muhammad avoided their evil plan and went to Washington, D.C. to study and build a mosque there. As the dust settled, a patrolman from the Atlanta police drove up to the lead vehicle and rolled down his window. Fellows said theyd noticed in local media that the peripatetic King was irregularly traveling in and out of Atlanta a lot. Blacks were awed by the discipline, and admired the orderliness the followers displayed. Malcolm faced a major conflict of conscience. The opportunity to be somebody was one of Mr. Muhammad's major offerings to black men and women who joined the Black Muslimsthe name given the group by Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, chairman of the department of religion, and philosophical studies at Fisk University. 7. He was previously married to Clara Evans. Adapting the tricky retorts that he shouted atop ladders and flatbeds trucks along Harlems 125th Street, Malcolm set debate trapsdebate ambushes, debate guillotinesfor the Klansmen. NOI was a select group of black Muslims who believe in black pride and . Early Life Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah Robert Poole on October 7th, in 1897. Sundays | 10am CST Never had he imagined that this nonviolent Baptist minister, who preached Black kindness and charity for ones enemies, could evoke such toxic venom, such genuine hatred from the very grassroots whites whom King continually encouraged his followers to love. The founder of the Nation, Wallace D. Fard, foretold Mohammeds birth and his rise to leadership of the movement. A hometown boy, King had been born in his grandparents home, at 501 Auburn Avenue, a block away from his fathers Ebenezer Baptist Church, at 407, where the son was an associate minister. "Second, I was 45 years of age and was NOT, according to the law, required to register.". Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Elijah Muhammad. Also, after assuming the leadership of the Temple of Islam by the order of the Founder of the Nation of Islam, Mr. Muhammad faced a death plot at the hands of a few disgruntled members. When Elijah Muhammad died in February 1975, the Nation of Islam fragmented. Mr. Fard and Mr. Muhammad were building a Northern urban movement in bad economic times with predominantly Southernborn blacks. Some work for me. He left behind a considerable trail of followers with about 250, 000 people being members of NOI. Mr. Muhammad then dispatched Minister Louis Farrakhan to New York City to take over the mosque there and begin the rebuilding effort. Mohammed reformulated the Nations teachings, rejecting the beliefs that white people were blue-eyed devils and that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Under Farrakhans leadership, the Nation of Islam established a clinic for AIDS patients in Washington, D.C., and helped to force drug dealers out of public housing projects and private apartment buildings in the city. Having officially placed Elijah Muhammads pet proposal on the agenda, Malcolm shifted into fervent, personal eloquence on a major point of clarification: We are in favor of complete separation of the racesnot segregation, separation!. 9780312181536. eBay Product ID (ePID) The F.B.I 's declassification of its files on Muhammad and the cooperation of his sons helped Muhammad's biographer paint a portrait of a man who left his mark on race relations indelibly stamped on the American consciousness. Later he was promoted to the position of "Supreme Minister" and his name was changed to Muhammad. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Some three dozen white men in civilian clothes sat bolt upright in a 10-car motorcade parking out front of Jeremiahs house. Exploring the opening, he then stated that his spiritual leader stood willing to accept the help of those white people, including the Klan, who would assist Black people in obtaining this land to maintain their own businesses and government. As ordered by the Messenger, the national spokesman of the NOI requested directly that the KKK assist the Muslims in acquiring a piece of land for Blacks, perhaps a county for starters, somewhere in the Deep South. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The Klan request embarrassed Malcolm, according to Jeremiah and his wife, and it likely disheartened and shamed him as well. The others were dressed more casually, including a rural politician in long sleeves. Mr. Muhammad, a small man about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a high, thin voice, held court in his offices, listening to aides, weighing their reports by balancing what they said with the qualities he saw in them as individuals. Elijah Muhammad wedded Clara Evans in 1917. He left the Nation in 1963 over theological differences with other leaders. He was on a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 about the heroin trade, and he was a finalist for the award for international reporting two years later for an 11-part series on South Africa. Chicago, IL 60649 There were some good n-----s, he said to the nodding grins of his colleagues. Seeking a point of agreement, Fellows extended an invitation for the Muslims to join the Klan in fighting this gathering scourge of integration., And then, revealing a key item on their agenda, Fellows expressed grave concern over the growing influence in the South of Martin Luther Coon.. He currently resides in GA. Muslim leader who believed in black nationalism for African Americans. Biography (note) The Nation of Islam was founded in Detroit (Mosque No. World Telegram & Sun photo by Stanley Wolfson, Courtesy US Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-116389), African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Thus, he suspended Malcolm X after Malcolm X had said of the assassination of President Kennedy that the chickens had come home to roost.. He is the co-author, most recently, of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X. Tamara Payne was the principal researcher and co-author of The Dead Are Arising. He prevented Black Muslims from participating in the country's political process, including any political activity on behalf of a separate state, because, he contended, what was to be achieved by the Nation of Islam was to be achieved divinely, through natural catastrophes and warring among whites on a national and international scale. Fellows, and he was a local Klansman. Indeed, the Muslim parents felt that the educational system of the State of Michigan was wholely inadequate for their children, and they established their own schools. He passed away in 1975. In 1919 he married Clara Evans and in 1923, with two children, they moved to Detroit. In 1976 Mohammed renamed the organization the World Community of al-Islam in the West; the name was changed again to the American Muslim Mission in 1978 and to the Muslim American Society in 1985. Elijah later left his home place to go and work in factories. Each of the groups, he repeated, was to take care of its own traitors and hypocrites. In Malcolm's words, "For Mr. Muhammad's teachings really to resurrect American black . Its all the same thing to us, Fellows said finally. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Warith-Deen-Mohammed, BlackPast - Biography of Warith Deen Mohammed, Independent - Warith Deen Mohammed: Imam who preached a moderate form of Islam to black Americans, PBS - This Far by Faith - Warith Deen Mohammed.