Warith Deen Muhammad (born Wallace D. Muhammad on October 30th 1933) is an influential Moslem leader with the the United States. He is also known under the names of Warith Deen Mohammed, Warith Deen Mohammad, the honourable Al-Imam Warith Deen Muhammad or Imam W.D. Mohammed. He is the 7th wire of Clara Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad. This last was the leading one of Nation off Islam of 1934 with 1975, an organization preaching an not-orthodoxe form of Islam (vision of the white like envoys of the devil and refusal of the marriages ethniquement mixed, recognition of Wallace Fard Muhammad as being Allah incarnated, refusal of the physical resurrection of died during the last judgment) as well as black nationalism in favor of an independent black state in North America.

After the death of his/her father, Warith Deen Mohammed directed the organization towards orthodoxe Islam sunnite. It is in 2007 the main leader of an American black Moslem current which would have between one and two million members.

Youth

In 1958, Warith deen Muhammad becomes at 25 years the person in charge of the temple of Philadelphia. It would have started there to develop a religious approach much nearer to orthodoxe Islam. In 1960, in accordance with enseigement of NoI which refuses any collaboration with the “white mode”, he refuses to carry out his military service, and makes 3 years of prison with the federal prison of Sandstone. It would be in prison that it would have completed its personal conversion with the Islam sunnite.

The meeting with Malcolm X

In the years 1950, Warith Deen Muhammad becomes a close relation of Malcolm X, one of the leaders more for NoI. Warith Deen Muhammad informed this last “in 1963, that his/her father Elijah Muhammad had put pregnant six of his secretaries”. The Adultère is completely contrary with the lesson of Nation off Islam . After having drawn aside this information, Malcolm X would have ended up obtaining confirmation in 1963 from it. Elijah Muhammad itself would have ends up indicating that being the envoy of God on ground, it was not subject to same the rules as the common run of people. These events strongly seem to have deteriorated the confidence of X in the holiness of Elijah Muhammad, and one undoubtedly contributed to the rupture between Malcolm X and NoI in 1964, and to the conversion of this one with the orthodoxe Islam sunnite.

A little before the departure X, in January 1964, Warith Deen Muhammad (which is called then still Wallace Muhammad) is expelled by his/her father NoI. In spite of the assassination of X by three militants of NoI on February 21st, 1965, Wallace is reinstated in 1965, before being again expelled the same year. For this period, he exerts various trades, in particular as workman. His/her father reinstates it in 1969, but returns its religious functions to him only in 1974, giving him even the right to preach its “orthodoxe” vision of the Islam.

Fastening with the Islam sunnite

Little before its death in 1975, Elijah Muhammad designates his/her son like his successor. This designation would come from a prediction of Wallace Fard Muhammad, the founder of Nation off Islam , which would have indicated to Elijah Muhammad that its 7th sons would be its successor.

After having taken the direction of Nation off Islam (NoI), Warith Deen Mohammed attaches her organization to orthodoxe Islam sunnite, giving up theological specificities of NoI. Into 3 years, between 1975 and 1978, it transforms basic into roof the Idéologie of the movement, and on a religious basis sunnite brings it, while breaking with the racist ideology and nationalist of its father. “The idea that we had community is not Islamic, and comes the days of black nationalism”. The project of an independent state for the blacks is thus given up, and prohibition to vote or be useful in the army is raised. The movement intends to continue to address in a way privileged to the American blacks, to bring them towards the Islam, but he regards himself also now as a community belonging to the world sunnism. Within the framework of this evolution, the name of Nation off Islam is replaced by Bilillian Community then by the World Community Al-Islam in the West (WCIW) then by Muslim American Society . About the middle of the years 1980, the organization will be even dissolved in the name of the independence of the mosques, before being reformed.

The strong typical centralization of Nation off Islam is reformed, in order to support a broad decentralization of the Mosquée S, in conformity with the tradition of the Sunnisme: “our religion does not require the degree of organization and centralized control which we used. The Moslems are right Moslems, and they go to the mosque, and it is all.

Competition with Nation off Islam

In 1978, a group of historical members of the Nation of Islam, directed by Louis Farrakhan, decides to reorganize around the lesson of Elijah Muhammad. In 1981, Louis Farrakhan proclaims officially the restoration of the Nation of Islam, and fidelity with the dogmas of Elijah Muhammad. The “news” NoI continues like the legitimate continuatrice of the organization created by Elijah Muhammad, as well in the religious plan as in the plan of the Nationalisme Afro-américain.

The “news” Nation off Islam has a success more modest than that of the black Moslems according to the Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, but its black speech militant gives him a real influence on the black community. Its positions with the edge of the Racism, as well as the reproaches of Sexisme are worth a certain mistrust however to him. The relations between the black NoI and Moslems sunnites were thus loan of mistrust and competition. In 2000, Warith Deen Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan were however officially reconciled, but the divergences did not disappear for as much.

Recognition

The partisans of WD Muhammad “now profess the racial harmony, the brotherly love and American patriotism”. Warith Deen Muhammad thus gradually became a religious leader respected and impossible to circumvent with the the United States.

In 1977, it carried out what was then the largest delegation of the American Moslems on the pilgrimage with Mecque.

It will be asked to him in 1992 to make a prayer with the American senate, and it is him which will make the Moslem prayer at the time of the interdenominational prayer for the nomination of the president Clinton, in 1997.

It met the first time the pope in 1996, but of other studies give less low figure half: 2,8 million for the American Jewish Committee . In addition, the study of the Council one American-Islamic Relations indicated that the Afro-américains were 30% of the people taking part in the worship (more 3,4% of immigrants of sub-Saharan Africa). On a total from 3 to 6 million Moslems, one arrives thus at a figure from 1 to 2 million Black muslims , in conformity with the estimates often given. The university of Georgia (the USA) gives for example the figure of 2,1 million Moslems Afro-Americans, just like the NewYork Times in an article of February 28th, 2000, and others rather 1 million.

The black Moslem groups are:

  • the Sunnites more or less attached to Warith Deen Muhammad. They would be approximately 90% of the total.
  • partisans of Nations off Islam (members and sympathizers). They would be 20 to 40.000, without counting the sympathizers, that is to say 5 to 10% of the total.
  • Various historical dissidences: a few percent.

Today, American black Islam is always expanding fast, in particular because of many conversions.

Since the Seventies, one finds also immigrants African Moslem in the United States. They can join the local communities, or constitute theirs on bases of common origins.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Islam in the United States by the State Department.
  • Children of Allah and America, Article of the monthly magazine the Express train.
  • the official site of '' Nation off Islam ''.
  • '' Muhammad Speaks '', retranscribing site of the speeches of Elijah Muhammad.
  • '' final The cal '', weekly magazine of '' Nation off Islam ''.
  • '' Emergence off Islam in the African-American Community ''.
  • '' Louis Farrakhan and The Nation off Islam '' pdf .
  • ''How Elijah Muhammad Won''.
  • has Century off Islam in America '' pdf .
  • Online version of '' Message to the Blackman in America '', by Elijah Muhammad
  • '' New Africa Radio operator ''
  • '' The Mosque Cares ''
  • '' WDM Publications ''
  • '' Malcolm X Reloaded: Who Really Assassinated Malcolm X? ''

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