| Term Paper Title | The UnIslamic Nation Of Islam |
| # of Words | 848 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 3.39 |
The UnIslamic Nation of Islam
The mention of the “Nation of Islam” will undoubtedly cause an immense number of responses in any situation. To some, this organization symbolizes blatant racism. To others, it is seen as a savior of the black community. Regardless of one’s opinion of the Nation, though, the differences between Al-Islam(traditional Islam) and the beliefs of the Nation cannot be denied. The Nation of Islam is a social movement. This social movement is undoubtedly rooted in religion, and its principles are derived from those of traditional Islam, but their basic philosophies are so strikingly different that the Nation of Islam cannot be considered Islamic. In 1930, the Nation was founded by an African immigrant who called himself Wallace D. Fard Muhammad. He stated that his mission was to take “the black nation to the full range of the black man’s possibilities in aworld temporarily dominated by the blue-eyed devils”(http://www.forerunner.com/foreruner/X0065_Nation_of_Islam.html). This philosphy was carried on to the next leader of the Nation, Elijah Muhammad, and eventually to the current leader, Louis Farrakhan. The Nation was founded as a black organization, and has remained as such. Islam, on the other hand, is all encompassing. The first, and most astonishing, difference between the Nation and traditional Islam is the role of race in the church’s philosophy. the Nation’s philosophy clearly states that, “We believe that intermarriage and race mixing should be prohibitted (www.noi.org/ program.html)”. The traditional wording of the Koran, however, states that diversity in race is one of Allah’s greatest creations(Koran, 30.22). The Nation of Islam restricts its membersip to those who are black. the beliefs of traditional Islam, however, state that all persons are born Muslim, and that “every person is endowed by Allah with the spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make him a good Muslim.(4) The Islamic church ignores the issue of race when examining one’s spiritual purity. Rather, It is the spirit itself which defines a Muslim. Traditional Muslims and members of the Nation of Islam also differ in their definition of what it means to be Muslim. The belief in Islam is defined by five Pillars: shahada(the belief in only one Allah), salah(prayer), zakuh(obligatory charity), sawm(fasting), and hajj(pilgrimage) (www_leland.stanford.edu/group/Thinker/v2/v2n3/Saudi.html). Of these Five Pillars, the Nation of Islam requires none of its members. The shahada is rejected by the Nation because i...Read entire document
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