fbi files: the nation of islam (part 3)

7/31/2019 FBI Files: The Nation of Islam (Part 3)

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Whilethe Partydoes express sympathyfor theN01onthegroundsthat thecapitalist systemin thiscountry isresponsible forthe conditionsinwhich aprotest movementsuch asthe N01can arise,the Partyinsists, ofcouthat onlyundercommunismwill theNegro havefullfreedom.Asaresult,theParty iscircumspect andhas rejecteda policyof activecooperation wthe

In contrastto theCPUSA positionis thatexpressed byone milita

Marxist group,the ProgressiveLabor MovementPLM!,'which apro- Chinesecommunistlinein this country.A leadingfigure inthis movwho wasformerlyinthe CPUSA, statedafterthe Harlemriotsof July,1964

thatthe PLM waswilling towork withany groupin Harlem--BlackNationa

or Muslim included.

Several articleswith apro-Chinese communistslant appearedin"Muhammad Speaks"in 1964.These articleswere undoubtedlypublishedbecause theN01 considersthe Chinesepeople tobe "brothers," inasmuch

astheyalso are non-Caucasian.One ofthe articles,prepared byRobertWilliams, aNegro extremistwho edto Cubato avoidprosecution fokid-napping andwho,inhisspeechesand writings,advocates violenincivilrights effortsintheUnitedStates, describedhis visitto RedChina, He


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D. iimericangliegroesl Reaction,to NO}Awell-knownNegro authorhas written:"It isaninterestinghistorical

there is sooltenphenomenon thatwhenapeoplereachthe precipiceddespair,waiting inthe bushesasavior--amessiahwho promises tosmtch themhecktrom theedgeoithe abyssand turntheirgrief into greatness."

To somedissatisiied Negroes,Elijah Muhammad,the sel!-proclaim"Iessenger oiAllah, "appears tobethismessiah.Describing inaspeechin

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llosAngeleslast summerthe calamitieswhichhave beiallen peopleinthe"United States,Elijah asked,"Who canhe saved?"His answerwas "thelluslim

V believerswho faithfullyfollowed andobeyed HisMessenger....The wisestandsurest waytosuccessis tounite behindme.Iassureyouthat,with the helpofAllah, youwill accomplishyour goals:money,goodhomes,and friendshipsinallwalksotliie." b_ .

4Negroes livinginslumconditions, hopelessand frustrated,teelmayananswer_to theirmany problems.These arethe Negroes,the

less-educated andleast-privileged, towhom Elijahdirects hisappeals.I_'

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' distortedversion ofIslam, whichcontinually attacksall establishedtheNegronormally looksto forleadership. AsanotedNegro pastoin .Harlem warned,the teachingof theBlack 1luslim8v"isgoingin 1wayemu-towhatwe know isbest. Itsolves noproblems, butonly begetsgreater iantagonism. " p

3 WhilethemajorityoiNegroesintheUnited8tatesdjoin theN01, manyseemtorespectit. Amongthosewho donotjoin,participate inany criticismoiit. The lluslimadvocacy ofblack suprearousesthesympathyoimanyNegroes. Theysilently applaudthe holhepofElijahand hisministers, whoopenlycondemnwhite people.This tap

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iiislinil',_'repeated appealstor cleanliving, sell-respect,and self

sentimsms ofracial pridewhich seldomfind avenuesof expression.

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respectamongAmericanNegroes.Theyapproveoithewaythelluslimslive.g;"l.'44:: >Lackingknowledgeoithecompleteteachingsatthecult,someNegroesseethe

economicadvantagesonly. Attractedby constantpublicityabouttheclaimed

rehabilitationoicriminals,andseeingthemanyphotographsoiwell-dressed

ministersandmembers oftheeliteguard,FruitofIslam F01!,theyare

impressedwiththeapparentsuccess theN01hashadinbetteringconditionsclthesemembers.TheyfeelthatanythingthatcouldhelptheNegromustbepod.

ThoseNegroeswho readtheN01newspaper,"BuhammadSpeaks,"

seeineveryissuealistoftendemands--"WhattheMuslimsWant." TherstV

threeoithesedemands--fullandcompleteireedom,equaljusticeunderthelaw,

equalityofopportunity--areiundamentalprincipleswhich makeuptheAmerican

creedandaredesiredbyallsegmentsofoursociety.Butother stateddemands

d theMuslimsincludelandioranationoitheirown, exemptionfromall

taxation,freedomfromprisonsiorallNegroes,andsoforth.noseare

impracticable,butmanyuneducatedNegroescannothelpbeing receptiveto

someoithesedemands. '' ', Alsoimpressedby publicityontheN01areNegrocriminalsserving

infederabandStateprisons.Theyareaveryreceptivegroup,who see92- .1

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With theattitude ofwhat-have-I-to-lose, theyhope thatsome benets

might cometo themby joiningthe N01. 92_r.1L~1For amultitude of reasons, thereare American NegroesIb - '

sympathize with the Black Muslims or actually become loyal followers di

Elijah Muhammad and his N01 leadership For thosewho join, "the

lessenger's"wordis law, and allwho wish to remain in the cult must follow"

llijah's mmdisciplineasimposed by his loyal ministers anum

discipline has not been able to prevent trouble in the cult. ._

Ilijah's formerleading spokesman,Minister MalcolmX, Illjalfs

sonsWallace and Akbar, and his grandson liassan Sharrietf broke from the

cult. _I-romtheseformer leaders, weheard Elijah called "a religious taker"

and "afraud" whopi omoted"concocted religiousteachings. "Another HG~

minister who left the cult in disgust described the N01 as "organized like an

army"- -the members just "following along" trying to obey the strict discipline

demanded bythe higher-upswho arecarrying on "one ofthe biggestrackets J

"lntheland." =

Who are these higher-ups of the N01? What type of man leads this

, strange organization?

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IV. LEADERSHIPj___.-----"4C 4

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LNational Officials

Absoluterulerover the N01isthe"llessengerof Allah," tliish

Muhammad,the67-year-oldformer ElijahPoole fromSandersville,Georgia. Heformulates andapproves allN01 policyand decisions,has

sconsiderablethe entireiunds oithecult athis disposal, andpossesse'.1

Valuable propertiesthroughout thecountry.

This small,frail, seeminglymeek andhumble man,who hasIand

only afourth-grade education,is amaster atcreating mood,myth,mystery. Elijahpossessesthat "something" mentionedin anessayonleaders attributedto GeneralCharles deGaulle, for"Allah's Mess

N.

seems tounderstandthat"there can beno prestigewithout mystery,

tint,"in the designs,the demeanorand themental operationsof aleader,there mustalways bea somethingwhich otherscannot altogetheriathom,

~ Neverappearingbefore thepublic withouthis blackpillbox hatwhich puzzlesthem, stirsthem andrivets theirattention.

generously encrustedwith jewelledstars andcrescent, Elijahseemsis havea touchof thepatient Orientalinmslace. neis nota dynamic

speaker,public lectures,his ratherrasping voicedrones onin"

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excitement Buddenlyhewillelectrify themwith a tiradeagainst the"Qhlh

devils, "the Government,ornonbelieving"so-called Negro" y From everyspeaker'srostrumon which heappearsbelore the pu

Elijah practicesbrinkmanship tacticsto thefrenzied delightdhis audien

someof whom frequentlyanswer hisveiled accusationswith, "Thatrightor "PraiseAllah." They"get themessage" evenashecarefullyrelrains

from specificlanguage whichcould causehimtobearrestedfor "inciteor "advocacy. " _

Financially andmaterially, Elijahhas donewell forhimself ath

"Messenger ofAllah, "with hiswife,C1ara,and attimes someof hiseiit

children, Elijahresided formany yearsin a19-room, elaboratfurnishome inChicago. Besidesthis $75,000 residence,he ownsalsootherpro

in Chicagoand elsewhere.InChicago,an apartmentbuilding andagroupoother buildingsownedbyElijahare valuedat morethan$200,lI. ~

In 1961,claiming hiscontinued asthmaticattacks it

for himtoleaveChicago, llijahpurchased a$24,000 swimmingresidence inPhoenix, Arizona.He hadthis housecompletelyremodeand movedtherein October, whilehis wifecontinuedtomaintainthe ho

_', Chicago.Wanting morepretentious surin Phoe2: s:~;: 12- roomresidence builton adjoiningproperty,imo which he

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The onlynonfamily memberamong Elijah'snational leadersis

JohnSimmons,knowninthe NOI asJohn Ali.He hasbeen nationalsecretaof theN0! sinceMay,1960,and his dutiesconsist mainlyof fundgatherin

handling theNOI's financialdealings. Beis 87years oldand isdivorced

has servedinthe United StatesArmy, wasemployed asa part-timeteache

worked asan accountant,and hasbeen anN01 membersince 1954.llijah

son andgrandson, whenthey leftthecult,advised thatJohn Ali isanopportunist whoisinthe cultonly for thefinancial opportunitiesand statu

he canmaintain throughcooperation withElijah. Bothclaimed thathe ll

completely untrustworthy,has misappropriatedcult funds,and is"loose

morally. " -

B. Dis sidents

Though troubleshave eruptedamongmembers of thecult onmanoccasions inthe past,none hadpublicly involvedthe solidarityof thenatio

hierarchy. Manypeople havewondered whatcaused therash ofdetection

and expulsionsof formerlesaiers ofthe cultduring thepast year.E wou

bedifficult to statefor certain,becauseitmustbe rememberedthat the

dissident formermembers andleaders wishlater loudlyconaiemed Eli

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among hishop supg;a3i'ie;;"sshad zwecruitsrs. y ,

V _ But Elijahdoes havetrouble inhis "royalfamily."Thefirst L

outward signsof agrowing dissidencewere revealedafter MalcoX-L ..'.., _.._

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NOI OFFICIALS

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NatioxllSecretary SupremeCaptainofFOI

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uhammad Jr. ~ .H rbertMuhammad gmu ;._,-""r. .- - "

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assassination asan instanceof "thechickens cominghometo roost. "He had'5|?

toldacheeringliblauclienceinNewYorhCitythatthisdidnotmakehimsad,_

it madehim glad.Elijah fearedthe publicityresulting fromlla.lco1ms virulent

statements wouldpresent toasorrowing Nation animage ofhis cultwhich

mightleadto trouble forhim. Afew days later,therefore, heannouncedthat,

because ofMalcolm's statements,he wouldnotbepermitted to makefurther

piblicspeeches. For amonth, many furtiveconferences wereheldbetween

llalcolm and members of Elijahs hierarchy. Differences becamemore pro-

nounced, andin earlyJanuary, 1964,Elijah removed Malcolmas ministerof

Temple No.7, in New YorkCity. Malcolm, onhllarch 8,1964, publicly

announced hiscomplete breakwith Elijahand theNOL

On manyprevious occasions,Malcolm hadgloated overdisasters towhitepeople without incurringcensure fromElijah forhis remarks.For

example, onthe occasionof thecrash ofan airlinerin Francekillim120

Georgia tourists,Malcolm spokeof thetragedy as"a beautifulthingthathas

happened. "There areindicationsthatMalcolm'sremark madefollowing the

?residents assassination was not the real cause but rather the excuse for

i:1,who zlzny lz.:s,zrebeen acquiringanNQZ stzmrs: that

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a statementon December1, 1963,characterizing PresidentJohn I. ,

made Elijahjealous anduncomfortable. ft .5

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e Over the years,the publicpress haddevoted moreand more"1? '

f a8'Elijah'sfavoriteson,Wallacehad actedas acult minister-at-an~_ .0.

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like otherministers hadstrongly supportedallofhis father's beliefsii .. _,_

April, 1960,he wassentenced tothree yearsfor failureto reportfor hospitalwork asaconscientiousobjector. Duringthe nextthree years,his fathermade~

unsuccessful courtappeals tokeep Wallaceout ofprison. Elijahclaims to

have spentabout $20,000 inthese courtbattles. OnNovember 1,1961, just

threedaysbefore entering prison,Wallace marriedhis secondwife.

According toWallace, evenbefore heentered prisonhe hadexperi- .7snced doubtsabout someof his father's teachingswhich hehad feltwere in

oppositiontoorthodoxMuslim teachings.Then, whileserving hisprison term,

he hadtime toreflect ona statementmade bythe judgewho hadsentenced him

concerning howhe hadbeen "dominatedby hisfather. "Be claimedhe also

wondered abouthis fathersconnection withFard, whohis fatherclaimed was

Allah butwho, inFax-d's writingswhich Wallacehad seen,had calledhimself

the '_'MessengerofAllah. "

Upon leavingprison inJanuary, 1968,Wallace saidhe attemptedto

clarify someofhis doubts abouthis fatherand histeachings. Hetalked to

other membersof hisfamily concerninghis father'sbehavior but,he said,

because oftheir completefinancial dependenceon theirfather, theydid nothing.N91 and F131 ..

even teachingsomeclasses atthe Universityof Islam,he apparentlystirred

upmuch


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in theChicago Temple.By January,1964,word had reachedIllilh' e4:weneeeand Malcolm hadtalked togetherand withothers eebeei-em;Imam &'. I

relationship withhis varioussecretaries andthe misuseoi cultiunbU] 1.

Elijah andhis hierarchy.For sometime though,Elijah tookno actionagat

his son. 4

Apparently, llijah's grandsonHassan Sharriewas oneof thecul

members whowere influencedby theswelling undercurrentin Chicago.assduring 1963and untilat leastlay, 1964,when heallied himselfwith Wall

had regularlyattended N01meetings, actedasalieutenant0!the POI in

Muslim MosqueMM! No.2, andwas managerof the104130.Iclothingsto

In June,1964,Hassan left nodoubt concerninghis feelingsabout

his grandfatherand theN01. Hewent tothe ChicagoPolice onJuneI3

requesting protectionfor himselfand hisUncle Wallace.He advisedthat,

at ameeting oi theN01 inChicagoan June21, bothhad beendenounced as

"hypocrites" andexpelled fromthe cultfor deviatingfrom theteachings 0

Elijah. Becauseof this,he feltcertain theywould beattacked, asHansen

knew umother membershad beendisciplined bybeatings deliveredby the

Chicago Temple'sgoon squad. . U-ad ,- ,; 1.; , , .. _, . . -.,'=4,,,;, _,.e92 W/_;~,"_,'.t._Po92>3_..>qp~ o-Mvv 43.....a~',;j->. ,,._..e..,M. 3 , .._.i. u';..~- e;.:-$1-1 --*".e;~-.1.1..; ., ~-T


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Be alsosaid, "Iam notrelerring toany singlelndividua1's wrongor __corruption;Iamreferring toMr. Muhammadand hiswhole stall." Wallaceagreed tothe accusationsagainst theMuslim hierarchy,telling thepaper,

"Not onlyare theytrue,they are mild."Another sonof Elijah,25-year-old Akbar,waspubliclydenounced

asa"hypocrite"in theJanuary 1,1965, issueof "MuhammadSpeaks. "Betterothcated thanother membersof thetamily, Akbargraduated fromabusinessschool inChicago in1958 and,sincethe Fallof 1961,has beenattendinga

university inCairo, Egypt.Akbar's expulsionfrom thecult followedavisit_he andhis Egyptiansecond wifeand childmade tothis countryduringNovember,1964.Elijah had expectedAkbar, whilehere, todenounce pubWallace, MalcolmX, andother"hypocrites." Instead,Akbar toldaNewYorknewspaper thatwhile hewas inCairo hiseyes hadbeen opened.Be saidhisfather's "brand"of religionwas "ahomemade onewith itsown tightrules and

regulations thattend tostiile anycriticism 0!its leader."Akbar andhislamlly shortlyreturned toEgypt.

Ilijah indeedhas hadtrouble inhis "royalfamily"!Further confusingthe imageof ElijahMuhammad andthe NO!were

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opposition toElijah. He formed twoorganizations, theIuslim UOQO, l-153?. 1 Ae

Incorporated, andthe Organizationoi Afro-AmericanUnity, whichU

claimedwould better servethe Negro nationalists. Some !IOI_membors.

leftwith Malcolm and became members of thesenew groups. hiring

several extendedperiods in1964,Malcolm travelled in many ofthe Mrican

countries He returned, amid much publicity, to the United Stateslate in

1964 andimpressed manywith hisnewimage.He appeared tohave sdtenhis violent statements althoughhestill openly condemnedElijah andhis cul

Early in 1965, Malcolmbeganaseries of rallies in NewYork C

On February21, 1965,just asMalcolm beganto speaktoagatheringofbo

400 Negroes,adisturbancestarted andseveral menran towardthe itald

the meetinghall firinggunsatMalcolm. Be wasslain instantly.Arreste

and identiedbyatleast one witnessas Malcolm'sassassins weresevera

Negroes whoin the past hadattended N01functions. '

This eventfullast weekof February, 1965,ended withIlllfl

dissident sonWallace makingan appearanceat theannual ROIconvention

Chicagotoask forgiveness forthings hehad saidabout hisfather andthe

Though, sincehis expulsionfrom thecultinJune, 1964, Wallacehad he=~- - "= . .r..._I= - ._"71 F.,-. - .-t 5..?"w~"" 4-'"5'5.'a - . - - . *Jl!.92%@lL silt?

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The firstweek ofllarch broughtanother surprisingdevelopment. ,,,

As reportedin theChicagopresson March6, Hassan Sharrietidecided to"return tothe told." Atameetingwith hisgrandfather, Hasean'splea for

reinstatement was accepted.

What thefuture holdsfor ElijahMuhammad andhis organization

cannot bepredicted. Amongthe-dissidents, hlalcolm'sfollowing appareisbeingtaken over byhis hallsister, Hrs.Illa Collins;and, whilethe UpliftSociety isnow dormant,those whohad followedWallace cannotbe pleasedby _

his decisions.The manyaccusations againstElijah byMalcolm, Wallace,and

Hassan willnot quicklybe forgotten.Feelings betweenpresent andformer

IUI memberscontinue tobe strained. ~I -

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V.ORGANIZATIQNAI,-w8TRUC'I,",.

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C. Templesor Mosques':.,>

Individual temples,or mosques,are locatedin variousclllthroughout theUnited States,butall are underthe completetllcllnodthe nationalheadquarters atChicago. Elijahhas designatedaltogether88 numberedtemples, oneof whichhas beeninactive forseveral yearsThe 8'1active numberedtemples areattended byabout 4,800 atthe totll

of slightlyover 5,000members ofthecult.Only six ofthese templelivea membershipof over300 memberseach Thesesix templesare locain Chicago;Detroit; NewYork City;Washington, D.C.;Philadelphia;andI.-os AngelesAlmost halfoi theNOI's totalmembership belongtothesesix temples,Six othertemples havememberships ofbetween 100ant!800,and allthe rest5 numberedtemples! haveless than100 memberseach-several havingless than20 memberseach.

About 750N01 membersattend themeetings of31 unnumbe

N01groupsin various citiesinthecountry.Many ofthesegroupsare leby visitingministers iromnearby temples,who frequentlyare accoby membersfromtheirown temples inan attemptto stimulateinterest

these neigliboringcities. Meetingsusually areheld insmall, rentedroom,~ 1 ,>1* ,.,. , ,'L 0 _., .-' 1.~ -~, hi?~_,..i___,,',"-if-i ...,,_,n,,__ _92:Qt; ail~J:.92!-v;'L424!92|: :1;p~ , . t-:1*_~_._U ,4: 5ii ., "-_%==

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25/96

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of theseunnumberedgroups show thatonly tourgroups haveover50persons l ~1- Y.-Iaregularly attending.All ofthe 27other groupshave lessthan 85members each

with manyhaving less than10.

llost templesarelocated in theheart oithe lowereconomicor

deteriorating Negroneighborhoods. Exceptfor thelarger temples,very few

are ownedby theN01 andmost arerented hallswhich arefrequently onthe secon

oor overastore or someother commercial establishment.The notable .

exceptions arein Chicago,the nationalheadquarters, andin Washington,D. C.,

where theonly NOI-builttempleislocated.

lIt isinterestingto notethathalfof the totalNegro populationof the

United Statesas ofthe 1960census! residein the11 SouthernStates whichmade

up theConfederate Statesof theCivilWar period. Yet,in thisarea, theN0!has onlysix templesand 17small, unnumberedgroups havingamembershipof

only about600 outoi thetotal cultmembership ofapproximately 5,000. Obvious

the ROIhasmadeno great impressionontheSouthern Negro.

D. TempleOfficers "-

' The highest authorityin anindividual templeisthe minister. Heis

appointed byElijah and

lh M and Lctuz->~;:. ntiiilLx=.iLll.;.|l'>1~92;'L pvirwosineijcurve. min;vse.'..il.>s,e-w &eA.a


26/96

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In thelarger, establishedtemples, theministerdevotes his @1:2_ .. 1.3time toN01 activityand receiveshis entiresupport fromdonationsmadebythe membersof histemple. Usually,his homeor rentedresidence, hiuntoaand allpersonal necessitiesfor himselfand hisfamily arepaid forby thevarious fundscollected athis temple.Those ministersin smallertemples

with iewregular membersfrequently mustobtain someoutside emploto supplementthe assistancethey receivefrom thetemple. Nearlyallministersdoconsiderabletravelling. Theymake guestappearances othetemples toconduct meetings,or theylead delegationsfrom theirtemplesattendsocial affairs andrallies atother temples. -

The mostarticulate andwidely knownminister, untilhis expul

last year,was MalcolmX Little,oiMMNo. '7, inNew YorkCity.As chiespokesman andtravelling representativeof ElijahMuhammad anthe N0&ior nearlyten years,he hadmade numerouspublic appearancesin lecturand debatesbefore collegeforums, onradio andtelevision, andthroughinterviews givento thepublic press.A tall,well-dresseci, 8

former convict,he freelyadmitted havingbeenadopeaddict, numberunand eur;l.e.rbefore itiecoming"rehabilitated" byElijah MuhammadSincewait; iirllaatiiwin;.t..:-.;&4$ '5;8-PP mu,~...tn;.;..e..i.~:.1.>1}.i =-;r@..::_.~_ ' .~_:_. I ~. ,.,


27/96

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nine mostpublicized andactiveministersincluding those fromthe sixieadinltemples!, onenotes adistinct differencein thetype ofministeractivepriorto Malcolm'srise toprominence andthe typewhichjoined the cultafter 1953and roseto power,influenced andassisted byMalcolm.

Four ofthe nineministers hadbeen membersof theN01 priorto

1958, Threeof thesebecame Muslimsin theearly 1940's,andeach serveda

1-e O __ .Iv--92/

prison termfor refusalto registerfor theArmy draftBach hadbeen aMislim foryearsbefore attaining thestatus ofminister. Thefourth oftheseministers wasMalcolm's brotherWilfred, who,thoughamemberof theN01prior to1953, hadnot yetrisen toaleadershipposition. Hehad earlierbeenrejected formilitary servicebecause oflow mentality.Only oneof thesefour

ministers, whoseaverage ageis 43,completed highschool. _The remainingfive ofthenine leading ministersjoined theN01 after

Malcolm hadbecomealeadingofficial inthe cult.All iivehad beeneitherinuenced byMalcolm tojoin thecuii: orhad receivedhis assistanceintheirrather rapidrise toleadership positions.All hadahighschool orcollege

education, onebeinga?h.D. andformer collegeprofessor.Theseyounger. ,., .-. , _.-1 ali.*.J>-?


28/96

Taemben. -

-==--_____._ ;-.;~ ; . -- -. _ -__ V > ~ ._? '. -*.- ~"_:.~ .- w5 t- ' .__~e'.~ .__. .:y.' _-.___:l__!.-......_.- ,_- '~- _

~

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been firstamemberof the SocialistWorkers Party,and thenaY. -923f ~

memberoi agroupof dissidents whobroke otito iormtizWorkers,Party. Finally,after contactswith Malcolm,he alliedhimlelf Ii@0

As mightbeexpected,the manyMuslim ministewith vargrounds, education,and experience,and withvery littlecontrol othemirom nationalheadquarters. useavarietyoi techniquesinmaintaintheinterest oitheir membersand intheir appealsfor newMuslims. couldbesaidthe ministersstyle ofpreaching isablendoi therevival p-and theward- heelingpolitician Theydeliver theirmessageshiacalmvoice withunctuous earnestnessand sometimeswith rashand istatements. startlingtheir listeners.Anything goes,as longasitholdsthe-

interest oithe presentfollowers ofElijah,gainsnewconverts tothe coandkeepsthe donations cominginto thetemples manyiuntb._Below theminister, thenext highestauthorityinanindivldu

temple isthe captainof meF01, thegroup withinthe N01compos0!theadult malemembers. Thoughanswerable tothe minister,the isresponsible iordiscipline inthe templeand isthe leaderoi thetempl

I1 the asipteii-infrequently recefinanciInd isfurnished anautomobile irom,, >.'__~ >are usuallyaggressive domineeringmen whorelish theopportuoo

1"E-' 7 "It

the members.They maintainstrict military-typediscipline the

.~~-r- _

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29/96

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Jeremiah X Pugh!Philadelphia

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Theministerandcaptainaretheimportantofficialsineachtemple,

butfrequentlythereareconflictsofauthoritybetweenthem.Thisbecameof sufficientconcerntothenationalhierarchythatduring1962Elijahorderedthat'SupremeCaptainoftheF0!RaymondSharrieffmaintainclosercontrolovertheF01captains.Previously.theministercould appointorremovehiscaptainwithoutconsultingnationalheadquarters.

Troublebetweenthetempleofficersleadstothedevelopmentof actioninthetemple.Somememberssupport oneandsometheotherleadertoobtainfavoredtreatment.Those memberssufferingmostusuallyjustdropoutofthetemple,butoccasionallythey formadissidentgroupandcomplaintothenationalofficers.Asaresult,anationalofficerusuallycomes tothetemple,uestionsthemembers,anddecideswhatactionistobetaken.Sometimesthe

sidentmembersare expelledor,whentheofficialbelievesthecontinuanceofthetempleisendangered,oneortheotheroffendingtempleofficeristrans-

ferred to anothercity.

Other,lesserofficialsin the templesareag-mintedbyministeraccordingtohisneedforassistanceinconductingtheactivitiesofthe

temple.ThefemaleN01membersareheadedby oneoftheirnumberwhois,...'*;'-'._-7 ,,.>"'.- 92'92'{"*|"?;3'5?!~,~Q?-r-u"TT|.3""I~'f".~~./.!--.-~-.1~"_e,..,"".1"f!*"'yaw . ,,. I.t;.rit-xi if 1.. viz. hp~~'- .. i.A ~;"__,v '__ -I

manylieutenantsassistingthemasareneeded,according"totheraiseoithe"membershipmHereagain,thereisnostandardizationinnumberofofficers., l_

._ -

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31/96

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in thevarious temples.Favoritism displaybytheminister ltoridiculous situationsat times.tiormally, eaccaptain isassistweorthreelieutenants,but onetemple minisset uphis ownelitecl -twelve particulaririends withinthe templeand madeall oithem uOther membersderisively calledthem the"palace guar"" .

Larger templesgenerally haveinvestigatoimp_'tors,secretaries, et-ceeach withhisownassistatem'~alsolave assistantministers, whoare generaambitiomewoccasionally allowedto leadportions ofthe templemeetingfieldp

to nearbyareasto meet withsmaoi peoministers ,who travel

in anattempt tobring innew convertsE. fruitoi IslamF01!_sTheFruit oimam rm!isthespecial elitgroup meN01, composedoi themale members.Under thele8t1Brs&92-/in imliviclusl temF01 capeacMlL

F Captain Raymond @'L3-1l"ii=>ssystemvrithgeneralor6ers,emp1g'5 1'01is organisedand governedby

similar tothe systemina military orgaReguengages ingroup phyF531 pe*iI%.ici;;,.;r,i;e;:;;i; 1 , ~. Vexercises, andreceives judonn; _, p , training programis tocreate healtminds abodieb0dyul1escorts

iaithiul iollowersatElijah.Actingasl .

~ '-*-'~v-~~- -11. re1~q1 92,_1 ;._,_L'-1*92__'___~:_';, _._ " ,'- "-.-~.--_.~~:-~x;; _',6 - '. _92=5-"+-'...~ --~j .


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_ ,_, __ . 1, ..... . _.. . ,, .92:~3!'_-!.?"-_=92l__;- .__92-' _4_Q- _. . H'1'-4 -. _1'3- V t.._. --- - .- .... ..... Y .-...'._. _.__"."""'..__.._.-.__._.-I-.v -- ---- -

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officials, these vigorous youngmen imparta crisply efficient tonetothe meetings

dthe organization. lheyimpress nonmembersof the Negro communitieswith _

the massedand ready power of the Muslim organization and the accomplishments

they haveachieved throughfaith inElijah'steachings. But the F01 has other

functions .'

Besides the protection of officers and property of the cult, the POI

enforces compliancewith themanycultrules imposed onall members.

Probably mostimportant ofthesemany rules isthatevery Muslimmustsellthe N01 newspaper, "MuhammadSpeaks. " The F01 sees to itthat the members

Tfulfill theirobligation tosell the paper. To discipline those membersbreakingI

the rules, as well as nonmembers whocause trouble for the cult,goon squads

t have been organizedin some of the temples. Thesesmallgroups of selected

1 men, frequently ledby former professional boxers,well-trained in karate and

,7 judo, have beenemployed tothreaten or, on occasions,to brutally assault

other Negroes. Chartshave beenused toshow s~siriez~ablespots onthe humanl

body, andinstructors demonstratethe lethalblows thatcan beused. one1s

_instructor advised membersof his group to"obtain saltbrine" andsoak their

lmnds in it to toughen theta snoazsh t. ..

The F01is deadlyserious. Inone templepreparing fora visitfmmig_, Lg. .v_ 5. _92' - oz :.~./- "" " "


34/96

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all thetime. Hesaid, "Iwant youtolooklikekillers. Weare nothersto play.We willprotect theMessengeratallcosts. "_ __-Inmostlargetemples,the POIis brokendown intosevera

One consistsof men18to25 yearsold, aboutsix leettall,withgood and inexcellent health.These men,smoothshavenwith clos

hair, andneatly attiredin darksuits, actas honorguard atall pubeveYoung men16to18years oiage andmenover25 yearsare geneplaced inother groups.Most templesalso haveajuniorF01 cboys upto16yearsof agewho aretrained toreventually jthe sC1'921P5-

F. MuslimGirls TrainingMGT!

Similar tothe military-typeorganization oithe FOItheN01iemale counterpartcalled theMuslim GirlsTraining MGsomereferred toby thefemale membersas theGeneral CiviClassby itscaptain andes manyfffA'i_l.1are necessthis genin themany activitiesElijah believesnecessary torhis iemaletollow

They haveclasses inhomemaking, hygiecalisthenicothesnack:?%=:.:T.'-.;w3?.:*;t-t*1ff "-s Theyareconsta.-urgedto be ", 31 izaai-is-_esses orwhite robes,at shoes,and nolipstick ancover heawhiteshawl-type headdress.They areexpected topurchasipp

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36/96

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atthecult's Chicagoclothingstore,at prices usuallyhigher thanatother

In allits activities,the HGTisunderthe same strictdiscipline froitssuperior otiiceras isthe POI.And, likethe PG,it hasa juniorHGT cgirlunderthe age oi 16.

G. Schools

Two schoolsare presentlybeing operatedfor N01children, th

University oiIslam No.1, inDetroit, andthe UniversityoiIslamNo. 2,inChicago. Actually,neither isauniversity.Theonein Detroit isattendabout 125students ingradesonethroughnine,and theonein Chicago abo500 studentsand includeshighschoolsubjects.Few stayto graduateThe_University oiIslam No.2graduatedin February,1964, onlyfour fromhighschool andseventeenfrom the eighthgrade.

Christine XJohnson, directoroi theChicago school,saidin arecentissueof "Muhammad Speaks"umthe purpose ofthe N01schoolsbesides teachingthe regularacademic subjects,educating "thechildrenMuslims inthe knowledgeoi self,through thehistory ofblack menfromancient timestothepresent." Shedescribed howthe schoolsturn theiboy

and girls"into self-respecting,imelligent, veil-manndisciplincitizens.

'While thisseemscommendable, thoseinside themovementh.-. - _h' -" "xi-.*~'. ;;r,~A ~_.._ -~-,__, fr ..real purposeis toindoctrinate thestudents withElijah's while

v- ~'Q._',;__- I - . . . ... ,2, -A? -'yI _,- .- .~.~;$-" __....--; '_.:_e-'___. "we; -l


37/96

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them ignorantof Americanhistory andgovernmentand out ofcoltsct _

with the"white devil"children.1:is known umnorschoolshave manyfi".'"problems ofdiscipline, manystudents beingsuspendedand othersdropp_

out because of pregnancy. A _

The Chicagoand Detroitschoolshaveoperated since themiddle

1980's, butover theyears theyhave notbeen withouttheirproblems with

education andhealth officials.hiring1963,the Illinois Legislatureconsideredabill concerning controlof certainschools, specificallyaimed

atcontrolof theMuslim school;but. althoughit passedthesenate, itlailed

to get through the house. ,

Other temples,on occasions,haveattempted tostartschools

buttodate have beenunsuccessful. Severaltemples dooperate one-day

week classesior N01children, andothershavesome form ofan adult

education program. _

For severalyears after1958,therewere numerous requestsand L

much publicityregarding donationsforaproposedlarge N01edacationali

center inChicago. ThoughChicago authoritiesblocked thisbuilding -,

program severalyearsago,Elijah has recentlyinauguratedanewprogram02" aneducational centerinQjhicago He saysthis centerwillhehast.ion";;.~-@.;_t91'_-as.;. s'_.;,~s;}3H.

Muslims exclusively,but forthe wholeblack nation." is, therefo.- '->.~,,1..-~___ -,_-V_ ._,_,1 ..

.._4___:_ ;2__

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38/96

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appealing toall "co-calledAmerican Negroes"to contrihoteto the10! llo.3.~uQeducationalfund.llijah ieels thiscenter wouldassure the"lo-called llegroll

at hisdesire togive them"knowledge ofcell." -

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A. Sourcesof Income - _&___,_,___.._-1---

"The primesource oifunds fornational obligationscome frothMuslims charity," NationalSecretary JohnAli frequentlyreminds tmein lettersto theN01 templesthroughout thecoimtry. "Muslim?charity

'certainly begins 81home, formmAli, soliciting cultfunds, demaum members "shouldforget theirrent, bills,wives andchildren,aswhenthNation needsmoney youmust give."Charity actuallyimplies neeandbenevolenceandgoodwill tothe poorandsuiiering.But, if"llus1imreaches thepoor andneedy, ElijahMuhammad mustexercise thebenevforhecontrolsall theresources oithe cultand cannot,himself, bsaidto

be suiieringirom lackoi materialthings. .Otherrevenueto support"the Nation"is raisedby membe1

bazaars, rallies,ad dinnersarrangedbythevarious templesthroug1

oi thecult newspaper,and iromtheprots of businessesoperatedbysomof thetemples. -

It issignificantthatevery activityof the N01is keyedto the

raising ofmoney.Thoseactivitieswhichdo not producethedesiredproAare abandoned andnew activitiesare thenstressed. 1._-

' .av- .1-


40/96

. . I; ' '--- ,.'7-l%t I,..1

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l|"1.I'unds *____.

.

Ivorymemberoi the N01is requiredto makeregular weeklycontrl-w5;.ial tundscollected ineach temple.Honeycollected in g

tor useof thenational organizationlbutions to numerous spec

92tourof thesefundsissentdirectly toChicago*No. 2PoorTreasury Fund--Theprime charityof thecult, forthe

personal useoi Elijahto supporthis family.Central PointFund--For theexpenses ofthe nationalorganization

' andto assistin payingthe salariesoi variousministers.National SecurityFund--For thedefense otMuslims involvedin_

trouble with the law.

8avior's DayFund--For agift whichis presentedto Elijahat theMuslim conventionheld aboutFebruary 26of eachyear.Each memberis requestedto givefrom $100to $125inhonor ofthe N01founder,W.D. Fard, whosebirth dateElijah claimswas February26. 1877.

of the individual temples.KOther funds areused forthe expenses

ugh theneeds ofthe particulartemple determinethe numberof specialLiundsrequired, thefollowing havebeencustomaryin varioustemples:R AdministrationFund--Forsalaryand expenses ofthe templeministe

Rent orMortgage Fund--Forpayment oftemple rentor mortgagepayments. _tGeneral Treasury Fund~-Forgeneral expensesof thetemple.

Echrool Fund~=Forog;>e@r:z.ti.


41/96

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In additionto theseregularly usedfunds, special .11 ~"-_,..;frequently takenfor specificincidental purposes.For example,_

. .'-._ -J

attends anN01rallyput on bya certaintemple, themembers ,

provide extrafunds tocover hisexpenses. Often,whenatemple ollicer

needsanew car or some extra item, the members must make additional

contributions .

~The contributions demandedfrom membersvary in individual tem

from about$6to $18. 50per week.Ofcourse, not allmembers canmeet th

demands andthis is a frequentcause forridicule ofor disciplinary action

against the delinquent member. A

N01 rules,whichministers constantly stressto members,include

fastingon certain occasions,reductionofregular meals toone aday, and

the nonuseoftobacco, liquor, and drugs.Ostensibly, these rulesare for

improving membershealth, butone wondersifthere also maybeaneconom

reason behindthese regulationsmade byElijah. In their constantrequests

for contributions, ministers remindthe membersthat Muslimswho eat

only onemeal aday save$730 peryear morethan Christianswho eatthree

meals aday; that,by followingthe rulesagainst smokingand theuseof

liqusr, theycan saveadditional hu.n~ciredsofdsllars a year;92_;_ 2ft _,;:.' " Pf; -,

itshould be nohardshipforthem to make their weekly duty contributolt_-_ _.d._ V.-. t-i..:? 1

or theirannual 8avior'sDaygifts.~ ~.I __ .- 1 47; 92--_'_:__._~-ff.-

'" '.3 - ->-' .".'=-_


42/96

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2.Cult Newspagr

While servingastheirmain propaganda organ,the cult'sweeklynewspaper, "MuhammadSpeaks, "is anothermoney-making enF01eaptains regularlyemphasize tomembers that"the number-oneprogram isselling thenewspaper. "Though thenumber tobe soldvaries inindividualtemples, eachF01 memberis requiredto purchaseand resellirom 50to 300

copies ofeach issueof thepaper.Contestsare held bythe varioustemplesTeams aremade upto covercertainareasof each cityand prizesare awato topsalesmen.Awinningteam of twoyoung salesmenoi onetemple so1800copies oiaparticularedition. Currently,the paperisrunninganationwide contestinwhichthe winner,who "circulates"the mostcult papebeiore June30, 1965,is promiseda new1965 automobile.

Sales bythe NOI'sunpaid "newsboys"plus incomefrom advertnet thecult approximately$30, 000from eachweekly editionof "Muham

8.N01 Businesses

Most oithe largertemples ofthe cultoperate restaugroce

or meatstores, clothingstores, orservice-type enterpand, innearlyall otherareaswherethe cultis active,many additionalbusinessesseemt~, wand operatedbycult members.Because thesebusinessmen dmost o"+~v" '15 Keir incomeirom salesto othercult members,they buyadvertising'>si

, =- 5 -. - I _.. ' ~_ ~~

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43/96

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intheN01paper.Then, reapingdoublebenefits,the cultdemandssiaea- 4.

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contributionsfrom thesebusinessowners. e

Elijahconstantlypreachesthathisfollowersshouldtradeonly

withother Muslimsandstressesthe importanceheplacesonMuslimsdevelopingtheirown businessenterprisescompletelyseparatefrom the

white society._

DespiteE1ijah'semphasison membersoperatingtheirown

businesses,the cult'smanyrulesrestrictingitsmembersmakethe

successfuloperationofabusinessverydifficult.Thememberwho own

abusiness,justasanyothermember, isrequiredto attendcultmeetinseveralnightsa weekandon weekendsandisexpectedto sellhisquota

ofthecultnewspaper.Foracultmemberwhoseestablishmentshouldstayopeneveningsandweekends,theserequirementscausehimalossofincome.Additionally,manyofthebusinessman'scustomersare

cultmemberswho frequentlybuyon credit.Thisfurther.restrictsthebusinessmansincomebecause,asmentionedearlier,members

areadvisedtopaytheircultduesbeforepayingtheirbills.

. _;.~s_;,_"., '5-92;.._'Y.. >.'"~,1 *1-;"?"~

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4.Public_Activities--Bazaars andRallies -

Other favoritefund- raisingactivities ofthe N01are ralliesand 1.,f

bazaars heldby the various temples hiring the year.

Amid muchpublicity, bazaarsare supposed"to focuspublic attention

onthe economic potentialof theNegro communityby displayingthe wares,

prochcts, andservices ofNegro businessmen." Someform ofmusical entertament isprovided, andtheMuslimminister and someNegro celebrityusually

appear asspeakers. Ofcourse, admissionis charged,and refreshmentsmd "

craftwork aresold. Heavyweightboxing championCassius Clay,known inthe

mlt asMuhammad Ali,isa great drawingcard forthe N01and hasappeared at

_ bazaarsin NewYork, Boston, andother cities. A.

Individual templesalso holdrallies atwhich Elijahor someother

member ofthe nationalhierarchy usuallydelivers themain speech.Busloaddcult members fromnearby templesattend theserallies, andvisiting

ministers precedethemainspeaker to "warmup? thecrowdwath praiseof

Elijah. lollectionsaretakenfrom those inattendance, andfrequently the

host templearranges adinnerwherethose inattendancemay purchasemeals' followingthe rally. i

- The most importantpublicrallyof the cultisthe anmual convezionA_ eV'_- .&_"

called the8avior's Dayconvention ofthe Muslims.The 1965convention W_ I' . . My J- 7~,..w

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!

to menon liars.He confidedthat Allahtakespicturesof people onliars.Theyretall and skinny,they're aboutseven toninefeet tall, notintelligent _i~~"_

aswe are.'"The 1965 conventionwasnoglowing success. Attendance1all *

ninctions wasconsiderablylessthan atprevious conventions.

8-:_v.e_=~1u

Al previouslymentioned, allN01 fundsand propertyare underthe

complete controlof ElijahMuhammad. Althoughmost realestate isowned inthe namesof varioustemples, membersof Elijah'sfamily, orthe Progressiv

Land Developers,incorporated, Elijah,asthe "Messenger ofAllah" and

absolute rulerof the N01, makesor approvesall decisionsinvolvingthe

financial policiesand holdingsof the entire cult. ' _

In recentyears, Elijahapparently obtainedprofessional aidto protect

his real-,estateholdings. TheProgressive LandDevelopers, Incorporated,was

organizedinJanuary,1963,"to own, operate,manage andmaintain,subdivide

and otherwisedevelop andpromote real-estatebusiness. "Officers ofthis

company areF01 CaptainRaymond Sharriefi,MMNo. 2Minister James 31

Anderson, andJohn Hassan--RaymondSharrietfscousinand an old-timemember

who hasno authoritybut whosenameisfrequently utilizedinthe cult's finatransactions. Thetitle to many ofthe recentreal-estate acquisitionsof themr if

has beenheld inthis corporation'sname. ::'=-?.";a..-,,;,j,*-__LI A_H

""-=#* r . , .15. -"Sm; " ---Q-- V

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various NO!programs.Oneof these programswhich theN01 hasproudly

advertisedinits newspaper andby signson publictransportation vehicles

is "Muhammad's3-Year EconomicPlan." This so-called self-helpsavings

plan deserves close examination.

Elijah Muhammadbegan layingthe groundworkfor his new savings

bank programin twoarticles oneconomics whichappeared inthe July3and

1'7,1964,issues of "MuhammadSpeaks. "In thesearticles, Elijahrenewed

his often-repeatedclaims that"the whiteman'stime is growingshorter"

and that"Christianityhasnever been abletoproduce the right leadership for

our people--andneverwill." He againberated the"black manin America"

as"a people whodo notwant toaccept theirownresponsibility," who are

"begging andpraying tothe whitemanlo acceptyou."Elijah complained that

"it is difficult toplan aneconomicsystemfor a peoplewho aresubject tothe

whim ofanother people.You arelimited inyour jobs,salaries andincome

by thewhiteman. But youcanstilllearnnot to bereckless andwasteful

spenders." .Elijah advisedhis readers,"You cansave hundredsof millionsof

dollars--even billions--ifyouwouldaccept the righteconomic programand

stopusingthings which destroyyour health,such astobacco, whichdoctors

warnuscan cause cancer.X-rays areknown alsoto bedangerous andproduce


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cancer. . . .Scientists now warn you against gazing into TV sets for any

long length of time, because this can produce cancer in the body."

Elijah warned, "The only salvation for you and me now is in unity

and beingunder the guidance of Allah through his Messenger and His program

for us all. . . .Our problem is to be solved by adivine solutionof Allah's

Messenger. Follow me and live. Reject me anddie as people without

the help of God and friend. "

v 0The first public announcementof Elijah s divine solution" appeared

in the August 28, 1964, issueof the cult paper. Large headlines proclaimed,

"Muhammad Calls for--3-Year Savings Plan for Negro." The article by

Elijah contained the following excerpts: '

"I appeal to all Muslims, and to all the membersof the original Black Nation in America. to sacrificeat least 5 cents from each day's workto create anEconomic Savings Program to help fightunemploy-ment, abominable housing, hunger, and nakednessof the 22 million Black People here in America whocontinue to face these problems." g

"Send your 25 cents every week to Muhammad'sMosque No. 2-Chicago, Illinois. This 25 centswill be banked until we have amillion dollars to

begin building abanking system. "

"Let the entire nation sacrice. . ."

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"As soon as we have enoughfinance in our bank to

purchase farmlands sufficientto feedthe 22millionblack people,we will build storagewarehouses tostore our produce forthe necessitiesof life forour people. " '

0 0 00 n 0 Q

"Please respondand helpyourself. Each and everyoneof youwill be sentareceipt which willbe recordedin our books for the Muslims ThreeYear EconomicProgram forthe BlackNation inAmerica. Youwill

bereceiptedfor every pennyyou sentto thisoffice,which youwill keep as your record. "

"I await your response. "

The nextissue of"Muhammad Speaks"contained anotherarticle byII

Elijah inwhichhe claimed greatprogress withthe "3-YearSavings Plan.

Following areexcerpts fromthis September11, 1964,issue:"This planhas beenaccepted byboth Muslimsand non-Muslims. . . .Let us continue this most essential work:give allwe canand stopbuying thatwhich wecan dowithout.

"I am asking thatwe thewhole nation!sacrifice forthe nextthreeyears, and whenwe getenoughinourbank wewill put it to work to make moremoney.. . . "

n 0 10 0 1I

"We wouldlike to raiseat least $500,O00, 000in thenextthreeyears. If all would contributewillinglyand honestlyall that they couldto this economic plan. .. .we would soon have billions. .. ."

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"There are millions of yourdollars lyingin thewhiteman'sbanks, doing nothingfor anyone.. . . "

"I amappealingtoyou--eachandeveryone oi the22 millionblack peopleof America--tosend everypenny, nickel,dime. dollar,hundreds ofdollars,thousands ofdollars, andmillions ofdollars thatyou canspare tothis Three-YearEconomic Pla.n;'MU'HAMMAD'S MOSQUENO. 2--5333South GreenwoodAve. --Chicago, Illinois 60615. "

". ..When ourmark ofone milliondollars isaccomplished,we aregoingtobuild a nationalreserve bankfor theblack people of America. "

Tothecasual observer, thisprogram mayappear plausible.But us

littlearithmetic,wefind thatbefore Elijah Muhammadcould accomplishisgoof

$1, 000,000 toopen thenationalreservebank, hewouldneedconsiderablehelpnon-Muslim Negroes. For,lleveryone ofhis knownactive followersfaithfucontributed the25 centsper weekwhichElijah has requested,it wouldtake ov

15 years,or wellinto 1980,to collectthatamount. ,

Even moreunlikely ofaccomplishment ishis proposaltoraise$500, 000,000 inthe nextthreeyears. 'I:oreachthis goal, wellover 12millio

persons wouldhavetocontribute25centsevery week forthe nextthreeyears.Could itbethata friend ofthe NOIappliedsomearithmetic to Elija

"divine solution"and pointedout itsinconsistencies?Atanyrate,there appe

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in theSeptember 25,1964, issueof "MuhammadSpeaks"acoupon to be clipped,

signed, andmailed to the Chicagoheadquarters oi the "3-Year EconomicPlan."

In fine printwas the pledge: 9

Iam going to enclose 50with this coupon, andevery

coupon hereafter that is printed in this Newspaper. . . "Soon issuesof the paper containedmore than one coupon. The

November 20issue had five. Perhaps it was felt that it "every coupon" was

forwarded to Chicago,Elijah's proposedbank could be started earlier than 1980.

D. Educational Center

Elijah Muhammad apparently desires to initiate programs frequently

to show his earnestness inaiding the "so-called Negroes" in America. With

his "3-Year Economic Plan" under way, he has renewed anearlier plan for an

N01 educational center to be built inChicago.

This earlier proposed center was announcedin 1958. In the following

two years, Elijah's constantappeal for contributions began with $3, 500, 000

and grew to $20, 000, 000. Though land was purchased in Chicago, it wascondemned laterfor city use by the Chicago Park District, and the NOI was

compensated for its return. Whatever funds werecollected in this two-year

drive neverhave been publicly accounted for.

Now, Elijah has revived his drive for anew educational center. In

January, 1964, the cult newspaper beganthe campaignwith articles and drawings


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_ ___________ ____________ ___ _ __ __________ _______ ___________ ___ ____ _ _ _ _______ __ ____9239;v____;_g_H~Hm _W_____1 ?_'_#E___________JWi_,WH-#39;_ _;_2._>___92_r_929;9;___92i_hn______H_____92_&_,___39;__y%"__~__"_,___*_*___O_"_A$_._r__9;u_4__92____r_'_9;r_.9;__2


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regarding theproposed center.The plansareevenmore extravagant t

earlierones;however, thistimeElijah does notsetafigure fortheamount

he needsbefore beginningthe project.Eachissueof the paperrequests"all

so-called Negroes"to"sendyour contributions todayto; Muhammad&

Mosque No.2Educational Fund. "

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VII. RECRUITMENTAND MEMBERSHIPPROCEDURES

A. Recruitment

The mostsuccessful recruiterfor theBlack Muslimsover thepast

few yearshadbeenMalcolmX.Due to therising interestinthe Negro rights

movement, Malcolm'soutspoken attacksonwhitesociety, widely publicized

in thepress, arousedthe curiosityof manyAmericanNegroes. Thesepeople, therefore, wereinareceptivemood whenapproached byMuslim recruiters

"fishing" for"lost-founds" to"come toMuhammad's templeand hearour

minister tellyou ofour programfor theso-called Negro."

All templesrequire theirFOI mento "fish"throughout Negroareas

prior tothe Sunday,public.NOI meetings.Frequently, thisis doneinareas

whereNegroChristian churches holdtheir services.FOImen,while hawking

the cultnewspaper, alsourge Negroestovisitopen temple meetings.But

strictrulesforbid these recruiters,or anyrank-and-file Muslim,to engage

in discussionof NOIteachings withnon-Muslims. OnlyNOI ministersand

national officerstrained topromote Elijah'sversion ofIslamarepermitted

to teachthe "lost-founds. "

During theSpring of1964, theF01 captainof oneof theleading NO

temples discussed"fishing" procedureswhich hesaidElijah wanted follo&

He saidElijahwasinterestedinthe "trashy" orindigent-typeNegrorather _

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than the"elite" or"snooty" ones.According tothis captain,Elijah was

interested indope addicts,prostitutes, thieves,gamblers, anddrunkards

His techniqueapparently istoofferto society's blackrejects theorganiza

tional apparatusofthe N01. Believingthese socialoutcasts willbe shun

byotherNegro leaders, Elijahhopes toimpress uponthemthathe is inteintheirrehabilitation. After considerableexperience, Elijahknows the

unintelligent Negrois moreapt tofollowcult teachings.To date,Elijah hashad littlesuccess inrecruiting educated

Negroes, whomhe calls"white folksloving" Negroes.He expressedhis

feelings towardthem atan N01rally inDetroit inMay, 1964.He said,_

"Col1ege peoplethinktheireducation will savethem. Negroesareignorant

even thoughthey attendedcollege becausethey donot haveaknowledgeof

themselves. Theywill bedestroyed becauseoftheir ignorance and

stubbornness. "

Cult ministersandotherleaders recognize thatthe constant

turnover inmembership requiresconstant recruitingefforts. Oneextrem

measure usedin Chicagoover thepastfewyears has beenthe cult'effor

to interestvarious Negroyouthstreetgangs in N01membership. N01recruiters, takingadvantageofagangmember's penchantfor militancy_

approachayouthand remindhimthatthe N01 basicallyis fightingfor th

same objectiveasthe gang, thatis, Negrosupremacy; and,whereasthe

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gang issmall, theN01 isgreatand would welcomethese youths.As additional

enticement, recruiterspromise thegang memberhewill receive judoand _karate trainingasamemberof thecult. ChicagoWelfare authorities,who have

closely followedthis recruitmentactivity, reportthe Muslimshave hadno

apparent success.Gang members,when introducedto thereligiousaspects of

the cultand thediscipline demandedof members,after onlyafew meetings

loseinterest in the NOI.

The cultnewspaper, "MuhammadSpeaks, "and Elijah'sexploitation

of famousNegro athletesare other approaches torecruitmentwhichwill be

discussedlaterin thismonograph.

B. MembershipProcedures,

The "lost-found"Negro whohas been"steered" intothe templeby

NOI recruitersis metthereby awell- dressed, politeFOI guardwho takesthe

visitor's name.The guardexplains tothevisitor that beforeentering themeeting

room be must besearched. Followingafrisking, the visitor isseated near the

front ofthe hall,facing theminister. Muchof theminister-s messageis

directed tohim andhis fellowvisitors. Guestsare alwayspressed toreturn

to the next meeting.

Afterthe initial visitby a "lost-found,the follow-up methodsof the

various templesmay beslightly different.However, alltemples continually

urge nonmembersto "unitewithyour own kind." Those who expressadesire


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to learnmore ofthe N01are considered"registrants."They receivea

certain amountof instructionand arefurnished aletter whichthey must

copy intheir ownhandwriting andsend toElijah Muhammaaddress. Thisletter isthe sender'sapplication formembership and

Hcloses with thestatement: "1desire toreclaim myown.Please give

me myoriginal name.My slavename is.. . "

Usually, theregistrant mustwait severalweeks beforereceivin

ananswer from Chicago.II hemade noerror onhis application,heis

notied hehas beenaccepted formembership andhis nameentered inthe

"Book ofLife. "

' It isexplainedto theregistrantthatthe "so-called Negro,"

during thecenturies hewas inslavery, losthis originalname andwas giv

his master'ssurname. Whenthe registrantbecomes anN01 member,his

"slave" nameis droppedand heis givenan Xmeaning unknown!until his

"true" nameis givenback tohim. Whenenteredinthe "Book ofLife, "

the firstJames wasJames X;the second,James 2X;and soiorth.

Members withacommongiven name arenow beinggiven "X"namesin

highnumbers, such asJames 78X,John 57X,and Charles87X.Buthowhereceives his "true"name, ifever, issomewhatoia

mystery toeven theN01 member.Hassan Sharrieff,inhis letterof

resignation fromthe N01,denounced hisgrandfather Elijahand comp

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;bout libflagrant injusticewithregardto assigning "true," ororiginal, nam

gq hisfollowers. Elijahnever didfavor certainold iaithfulswith anybut an"1" name,Hassan saidand addedhis observationthattheseslighted Musliwere thosewho achievedno materialgain orfamehiElijah'seyes. AlthougBassan recalledthat Elijahhad saidhecouldnot giveout thesenames, thatitwasup to Allah,he notedthat Elijalfsfavorites, suchas hispersonal sec

National SecretaryJohn SimmonsJohn Ali!,and CassiusClay MuhammAli!,the heavyweightboxing champion,received their"true" namesquite early.Clay learnedoi hiswhilehewaslistening toaradiobroadcast. Hecomment"I am honored. "

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VH1. PUBLICITY

Elijah Muhammadfully understandsthat widepublicity isextreme

necessary forthe continuationof theN01. Thoughhe andhis ministers

appear beforethe publicfrequently topromote N01teachings--on radioand

television, atrallies andfeasts, andatthe annual conventions--Elijahhas

long feltthe writtenword couldreach "so-called Negroes"who wouldnot

attend publicfunctions. Also,he hasnot overlookedthe factthat thismetho

of spreadinghis "messageof Truth"brings inconsiderable revenue.

A. Public ' -ations

Beginning inearly 1956,Elijah arrangedfor acolumn, underhisby-line, entitled"Mr. MuhammadSpeaks" toappear regularlyin theweekNegro newspaper,the Pittsburgh"Courier. "Immediately, sellingpapers

became oneof themost importantof thecult's programs.In temples

throughout thecountry, N01members weregivenquotas for thenumber

of thesepapers theywere requiredto buyand resell.By theSummer of

1959, however,E1ijah's attemptsto dictatethe paperspolicy causeda

conflictwiththe publisher, andhis columnwas dropped.The N01then

surittzheci itshawking activityto anotherNegro weekly,the L-osAnge-les

"Herald-Dispatch, "which alsohad beenprinting Elijah'scolumn andother

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By theFall of1961,Elijahand someoihishierarchy dethey

had "mademoney forseveral otherpapers, nowwewillmakesome toour-selves. "In October,1961, theyhired the"Chicago Defento printthefirst issueoftheirnewpaper, "MuhammadSpeaks. "Soon afterthe Mubought themselvesarotarypress andissued theirown paperonceamontunJuly, 1962,when theychanged ittoabimonthly.Since Febru12, 19

"Muhammad Speaks"has beenissued weekly.The paperfirst soldat10cenand to 20 centsper copy,butthepricewas raisedto 15cents inJanuary, 196in April, 1963.

Over theyears, otherNegro newspapershave intermiprinarticles onthe cult,as wellas columnswritten byElijah andothercult meBut Elijah'sdictatorial attitudeand demandshave causedconsider

The editorsoitheLos Angeles"Herald-Dispatch" bdisenchawitElijah anddropped hiscolumn inMay,1963. Onlythe"NewCrusadeastruggling Negroweekly publishedin Chicago,has beenfairly coninrunning Elijah'scolumn. Priorto itsN01 association,thissmallpaper,edited byaformerwaiter, waspublished underanother namand suleftist doctrines.h/iuhammacl Speai-1;:s":2. gr-.ubl_ishMuhMosque No.2,at634East 79thStreet, Chicago.Generally 2to 28paglength, thispaper issuperior tothe averageNegropaperin layout

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technical quality. Large headlinesin unusualcombinations ofblack

and white lettering on a shadedbackground streakacross the pages.

Since mid-1964, moreandmorepictures have beenprinted incolor.

On thefront pageoi everyissue, anarticle byElijah Muhammad

usually accompaniedby his photograph, dramaticallysetsiorth some

phase ofhis teachings. Very often, also appearingon thefront page

is either a large pictureor adrawing which emphasizesracial strife,police brutality,or someform of violenceagainst theblack man.Through

out thepaper, nearlyeverything printedtends toaggravate thesoreness

of race relations in the United States andaround theworld. Always, the

whiteman is portrayedas thebrutal oppressorand theblack manas the

innocent victim. 0ne- ortwo-paragraph news articles and filler-type

inserts printedthroughout thepaper followthissameline. Someof the

articles aredated, butmany arenot. The time elementisnot important.

One recentissue containedsix filler inserts, all oi whichreferred to

Negro slaverevolts inthe UnitedStates


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cases, theytell howthey wereunhappy, destitute,and withouthope buthow,

after becomingfollowers ofthe "Messengerof Allah," theyare happy,theireconomic stamshas improved,and theyhaveapurposein life.

Many photographsand pictorialsketches areincluded througheach

issue ofthe paper.A typicalissuecontainedfive picturesshowing Nbeing beatenby whitepolice, twocartoons depictingthe Negrobeing threa

by whites,alargephotograph ofasobbingNegro motherwhose sonhad beeslain inariot, and oneofaNegromale victimofabeatingby whiteyouths.interspersed withthese picturesof whiteviolence aremany news

pictures ofElijah, Negroleaders ofemerging Africancountries, smilandhappy NOImembers,andprominentNegroes--both Muslimand non-MusThe backpage ofeach issuehasaphotographof Elijah,and therest ofthe pa

is devotedto "TheMuslim Program."This consistsof thelist of10itemsentitled "Whatthe MuslimsWant" andalist of 12items entitled"What the

Muslims Believe. " V

Considerable advertisingappears ineachissueoi "Muhammad

Speaks." Thepaper regularlycarries classifiedadvertisements pby -

businesses operatedby thevarious NOItemples andby individualNOI memIn additionto cc>11Z7""Sfuture a::ive::1**;isi:?i;are printed.Readers arethus enticedto clipand mailthese couponindi-cating thereonthat theywish tocontribute tothe "3-YearEconomic P"


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or desireto subscribeto "MuhammadSpeaks, "or perhapswant to

purchase booksand otherproducts forsale byN01 shopkeepers.Regular featuresof thepaper arecolumns byTynnetta Dean_

Harriett Muhammad,and AbdulBasitNaeem. Who arethese featured

columnists ?

Tynnetta Deanar,in late1959,was a young,light-skinned,

unmarried Negrogirl whobecameasecretaryto ElijahMuhammad asoon beganwriting acolumn entitled"Women inIslam. "In hercolumn,Tynnetta forcefullyechoes Elijah'steaching thatthe Negrowoman shcompletely disassociateherseli fromthe customsand practicesof thewhite woman,that thewhite raceis "thereal enemyof ourpeople," i

and thatthe blackpeople mustdevelop strong"racial prideand solidaWhat Tynnettaadvocates, however,is notwhat Tynnettapractic

Since servingasasecretaryto Elijah,she hastaken twovacations, on

travelling toCincinnati in1960, whereshe gavebirth toa babygirl, andagain toAlbuquerque in1964, whereshe gavebirth toa babyboy. Thisyoung Negrocolumnist, whoso stronglyadvocates prideof race,listed

the girl'sbirth certicatethat thebaby waswhite, thatshe herselfwaswhite, andthat thefailiexs s.~"-iiite.

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. Q! QIUNAMIAD SPEAKS

The Messengerol Allah Presents

The Muslim Program0;;-1-:c~&IQ9v92ry15iQ4'?Iii.'Y'1392'3?51->;~$?->!F=7 7133

What the

sllms Wanteenteeeee-eelreeqeeeb

eeellbe92leet.e.192eel-lialldlleeednib

l.Wewl-nth-eelen.Iewelie@lIlW ffOQOII92.

8. We wni puke. Ieenl iii!"D4"

In hw. Ie nu: pence upplke rev"! Iel. peg-uell el neederden ev eelev.s. we em an-im d v~R=-Kr "I

gg Q! Qeiiertlh IQt-hf! I1 it1- hdened rectory.

wee! ew peek hlnenee wieeereeu were eeeeeelnee

eeeehblhe eeeytheirewe-eiter ee

wine. We ieibeve Ill!nare eel-Intel le pre-ithe Area It he lev-

We ielieve lei oerreeillplel In Quie-1D til: eeperelelev-

le 5yeere-nt we areapply eerewe eeell.

eanhoi geiLion; wiu men Uequality eergiving them 3lweei andblood endrtCeiVl[ lacl thewon: ueermenihumenbe-

e everezperiencee, we believeouraueaesoihuinndenaibeeuenng

heed uponUby white America,iutlei oureenem vartnmpleie eepenuonin esine orirriiaryat aw awn

I. We wuu n-eeaamfor ell Ieiieven atHun now held ll federal pruou We wuiueeeam la:ell blackmen endwomen nowwi-eereeeauenunce in inmunenbieprieou ine Noni uwell ume loam

We wenteverybiecl men endwomen loIve lie freedom laeccepr.orreieei hemeireied from the lllve inuLer'| elilrenII Jubliel elandof ilieirown

IelaewltaiibeeteveplnierbeeelrHeel eel willie eeeflkihbe beet

D he prellel letweel ewe

Uniied Bill-ll.Yedenl government

mu blackmen andcounereceive Janice ineme: oi mei.u>6-or wowiuuon tar ouneivee, e4i-edom uaEben!.

1. we are noteiiawed in

tree.all nee:-eeery anawn andee92l*9iI92i92-eehwle unicollege building!hat limbteacher! dull be ie treeno leechend ueilQeu peeplen|beIeyeIn|[email protected]! and eel! rugecl.

li. We bell" Ill! intermarriageernee-ixinelhwldeepeelibiled Ievtllerflegion oiwen ueeii wuhaei Lieder-enceermftlllb.1Ieeeereeeu92eqli!e92IlbIHll'I-KNgugu, Igni for git peaple inIon! Ameri-a.

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Harriett Muhammad'sadvice-to-the-lovelorn co"For and

About You,"has beenaregularfeature ofthepapersinceNovemberHarriett wasmarried toElijah's sonAkbar from1960 toOctober, 1InSeptember, 1961,she accompaniedAkbar toCairo, Egypt,where boattenschools. Theirmarriage wasunsuccessful, andthey returnedto theUnitedand weredivorced inOctober, 1963.Akbar wentback toEgypt andmarriean Egyptiangirl. Harriett,with hardlythe bestqualifications her nejobimmediately beganher advice-to-the-lovelorncolumn. InJune, 1964columnist Harriettremarried. Thistime, shebecame thewife ofa27-yebigamist whohad deserteda wifeand threesmall children.

The thirdregular contributorto thecult paper,AbdulBasitNaeemfor thepast eightyears haswritten muchin praiseof ElijahMuhamNabegananewcolumn, "Speakingof Business," inthe January29, 196issuof"Muhammad Speaks."Its purposeis toreport onand furnishadvice toMusbusinesses andtostimulatetheir use oithe newspaperior advertisin

Naeem wasborn inIndia andentered theUnited Statesfrom Pin1953.In theFall oi1956,heissueda bimonthlypublication, "MosWorld andthe U.S.A." Throughthislittleperiodical,he said,he destoimpart informationaboutand toconsolida.te varioorthodoxgroupsintheUnited States.After includingan articleabout theN63 inoneissue, hewas contactedby cultleaders. Beingin direiinancial st

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Naeempublished additional favorablearticlesonthe N01 inexchange f

considerable monetaryassistance anda guaranteedincrease insales 0!his publication.Orthodox Muslimsthen stoppedbuying hispublicationand hedevoted hisattention toElijah Muhammadand theN01. Sincethen

Naeem,pretentiously claimingtobe a"leadingPakistan Muslimandworld lecturer," haswritten profuselyfor thecult paperextolling

Elijah Muhammadand theN01.An editorialin theJanuary 29,1965,issue of "Muhammad

Speaks" revealsthe maintheme andpurpose ofElijah Muhammawholermblicity program throughthe years:

". . .we cannotget ourfreedom, justiceand dignityfrom theAmerican governmentwithout Divinehelp.It hasbeen Diwinely predictedthat Godalone would

sendaMessengerand thatmessenger isamong us."

". ..'lheslave isnever abletotree himself fromthe masterwithoutaguide. And thatguideis theHonorable ElijahMuhammad, borntodo just that."

But the"so-called Negroneeds prodding.Elijah's art

conclude withthe urgentappeal: "HURRYAND JOINONTO YOUROWN

THE THLS #127012-1.1:! ISNOW ATHAND. "

Elijah occasionallyhas hadto changethis "time"that heioreb

and onceagain heis warninginthe above-mentionedissueof the paper

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w !COLUMNISTS

for "Muhammad Speaks"

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Abdul Basit Naeem

"Speaking of Business"

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Harriett Muhammad"For and About You"

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"America isfalling. Herdoom hascome andnone,said theprophets,shallhelp her inthe dayof her

downfall. ...Whatis goingto happenin 1965and1966?It certainly willchange yourminds aboutfollowingadoomedpeople--apeoplewho hateyouand yourkind, andwho callone whoteaches thetruth aboutthemahater.They arethe producersof hatredof us.We arewith Godand therighteous. "

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B Eifploitation of NegroAthletes

Noted Negroathletes, withmany admirersamong membersd

all races,are exploitedby theNOI togain publicityfor thecult.The N01

has beenmost successfulin this regard withheavyweight boxingchampion

Cassius Clay. H

Clay wasknown priorto his title fight with SonnyListon on

February 25,1964,as the "greatmouth" and"the impishchatterbox whodabbled inverse. " Clay's "I-am-the-greatest"antics broughthim con-

siderable newscoverage. Onmany occasions,hehad been askedby the

press abouthis reputedMuslim connections.During interviewsat that

time, hegave theimpression thathe wasnotaMuslimmember, although

headmitted his respect tor the religion.

Then,the day afterClay's defeatoi Liston, which greatly

surprised thesports world,Elijah Muhammadannounced tothe annual

Muslim conventionin Chicagothat CassiusClay wasafollower of the

Muslims andhad acceptedhim -asthe "Messengerof Allah." Elijah claimed

that thereason Clayhad notbeen defeatedwas that"Allah andmyself said

no. " Clay thentold thepressthat hehad beenamemberof theMuslims

Clay's ownfather, speakingearlier to the pressabout hisson,

said thatthe Muslimshad been"hammering athim andbrainwashing him"

eversincehe had wonthe Olympiclight-heavyweighttitleat Rome in1960

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Like manyother Negroyouths inLouisville, Kentucky,Clay hadevidenced someinterestintheMuslims, buthe hadalso "marchedfor integtion. "Clay spentconsiderabletimewithcult leadersin Miamiwhile tra_forafightduring theFall of1961. During1962,with his youngerbrother, attended severalN01 functionsin Miamiand elsewhere.But littleattentionwas paidto himby theN01. Infact, theN01 wasbacking Listonand in

"Muhammad Speaks,"ofFebruary 18,1963, printedan articlecaptioned to CassiusClay. "The articlesupported whatitcalledListon's haymthat Claywas "theyoungest, fastestthing comingup- -withhis mouth," andreferred toListon as"the bestthing thathas happenedto boxingsince JoeLoublazed acrossthe fistic horizon. "

Threestraight victoriesinthering byClay duringthe firsthalf of

1963, andClay wasgaining considerableattention inthe press.Suddenlbecame importantto theMuslims. MalcolmX developedaclosefriendshwith Clay.During therest ofthat year,Cassius andhis brotherwere inas"visitors"at severalN01 temples;and thepressthroughoutthe coundescribed Cassiusappearances atvarious publicN01 functions.The inte

of thepressreally became arousedin January,1964, whenClay disapfrom Miami,wlie1*ei1e hadl;l?5;ii..12j{"fer iiiile fight,and :1;stspoke beforeaNewYork N01rally. Thesewere theevents thattook plabefore Claybecame championand thatled tohis openaffiliation withthe N

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With this new champion inhis corner, Elijah decided it was

time tohonor Claywithanew name. OnMarch 6,1964,Elijah bestowed &

on Clay his "true" name, MuhammadAli. Since then MuhammadAli has l

not failed to stir up the publicity which Elijah so desperately seeks.

Although they may never find another Muhammad Ali, the

publicity-seeking Muslims have not bypassed other Negro athletes. Profession

football star Jimmy Brown and professional basketballers Bill Russell and

Wayne Hightower have each been publicized in the cult paperfor statements

they made praising the Muslims.

C. Advertisig '

Elijah Muhammad has utilized various advertising media to

publicize himself and his cult programs. Withtypical extravagant and

exaggerated claims, he publishedaschedule in the first edition of "Muhamma

Speaks" whichlisted 198cities throughoutthe countrywhere hisweekly radio

broadcasts could be heard. Asis usual with Elijah's pretentiousplans, his

radio broadcasting too was beset by problems. Stations which began broad-

casting his weekly tapedspeeches frequently cancelled the program after

short periods of timebecause of complaints from listeners. Those stations

whicii continued to cazmg-"i,1!*";."i*5,Ti~.111.1: 4: eL; V -

and wereobliged to repeatprevious programs.

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Theactualvalue to Elijahof hisradio broadcastingis hardly

assessable. However,it issigniiicant thatthe schedulecontinues tobe setout inthe cultpaper andthat frequentlythe listof stationscarrying hispro-grams andthe listof citiesreached reectchanges. TheMarch 5,1965,issue of"Muhammad Speaks"lists31 cities whichcan receiveE1ijahbroadcasts beamedfrom 19radio stationsaround thecountry. Fourteeof

the 31cities aresupposed tobe receivingthe programsfrom StationXERF,aMexicanradio stationlocated justacross theborder fromDel Rio,Texas.Another advertisingmediatriedby Elijah wasbeset witheven mo

difficulties. Earlyin 1964,Elijah decidedto utilizepublic transportasystems tocarry signsadvertising hisprograms. Thisplan provedexpenand disappointingto Elijah.Many transportationcompanies wouldnot acchis advertising,othersthat agreedto carrythe signssoon cancelledthe progafterreceivingcomplaints fromcitizens andcivic organizationsintheirarea

When thetransit programwas beg-unearly in1964. thesigns ca

Elijah's pictureand, inlarge letters,the challenge:"Read--MuhaNewspaper. "Below thesewords appearedthenameof thelocal radiostatio

andthetimewhen Elijahsspeeches couldbe heard.Later, afterhis ecoprogram wasdevised,thosecompaniesstillacceptinghis advertisedisplayed pertinentnew signs.Again, Elijah'spicture drewattentionthe

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captionread:"JoinMuhammad's3YearSavings Planto HelpFight Poadand Want--5335S0. GreenwoodAve.,Chicago,15, Illinois.Buy 'Speaks newspaper."

Early in1965, becauseof theexpense andthe lackof respons

the transitadvertising programwas discontinued.

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IX. SECURITYMEASURES ANDDISCIPLINE

A. Security Measures"Itsforev

fbi files: the nation of islam (part 3)

Documents