Nation of Islam facts for kids
The Nation of Islam is a Islamist group. It was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad. The main goal of the Nation of Islam is to bring back the spiritual, mental, social and economic condition of blacks in the United States. Since 1978, the group has been led by Louis Farrakhan. Malcolm X also was a member.
The current headquarters for the Nation of Islam is in Chicago, Illinois.
Contents
Main belief
The main belief of The Nation of Islam is that there is no God but Allah. They say that "Allah" “came in the person of W. D. Fard", who founded the Nation of Islam. Their type of Islam is different from Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. Their teachings under Islamic standards do not allow making any person divine, or treating God as human.
The flag
The flag of the Nation of Islam has the symbols of the sun, moon, and the stars. It represents the universe. It is also a banner of universal peace and harmony.
What the Nation of Islam want
- Freedom
- Justice
- Equal opportunities for jobs
- To be allowed to create a separate nation of their own which is good for agriculture and minerally rich
- Equal education
- Separate schools for boys (up until age 16) and girls (up until age 18) as well as women’s colleges and universities
- All black children should be taught by black teachers
- Free school equipment
- Intermarriage or race mixing should not be allowed
What the Nation of Islam believe
- They believe in the One God. This God has the name Allah
- They believe in the Holy Qur'an and in the scriptures of all the prophets of God
- They believe in the truth of the Bible, but they believe that it must be reinterpreted
- They believe this is the time in history for the separation of the "Negroes" and the "white Americans"
- They believe that they should have their own names. These names should not be the names they were given by their former slave masters
- They believe that God (Allah) appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad in 1930. They believe that he is the Christian "Messiah" and the Muslim's "Mahdi".
- They believe that all people are equal.
- They see and accept the American people as independent. They respect their laws.
Images for kids
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Young male members of the Nation of Islam in San Francisco, California in 1994
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Nation of Islam members at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London, March 1999.
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Women members of the NOI at a Saviour's Day meeting in 1974. A women's outfit incorporating a headpiece and full-length garment covering the arms and legs was introduced in the 1930s, intended to preserve the wearer's modesty.
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A Nation of Islam mosque in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 2005.
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Bean pies, which are among the food produced by the Nation
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The interior of a Nation-owned bakery in Oakland, California
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The Moorish Science Temple of America, whose members are pictured here in 1928, was a key influence on the Nation of Islam
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Elijah Muhammad, who formulated many of the Nation's key ideas
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Louis Farrakhan, who re-established the Nation of Islam after leaving Wallace Muhammad's group in 1977
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Gaddafi was the Nation's most prominent international supporter; Farrakhan stated that "we will always love him, admire and respect him and stand up and speak on his behalf".
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Members of the Fruit of Islam photographed in 1974
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A crowd of Muslims applaud during Elijah Muhammad's annual Saviors' Day message in Chicago in 1974
See also
In Spanish: Nación del Islam para niños
