Islam in USA
By
Dr Clinton Bennett
About 6 million
Migrants from throughout Muslim world. Several distinguised academis, such as Fazlur Rahman and S. H Nasr, have found refuge in American Universities, in political exile.
Also converts, including Afro-American Muslims
American Muslim Mission (under leadership of Wallace Warith Din Muhammad, 1 million. W. W. D Muhammad is widely recognized as head of the Muslim community in America. Officially, the Mission no longer exists although institutions and agencies originally sponsored by the Mission continue to operate. Its former members now wish to be known simply as 'Muslims'.
Nation of Islam, under Louis Farrakhan, 50,000 
Black ISLAM
Dissilusionment with Christianity as the oppressors, slave owners religion. Jesus as blond haired, blue eyed.
Black preachers as sychophsants, imitating whites.
Black culture and identity devalued and destroyed.
Pride in Africa’s past stimulated by Marcus Garvey (1867 - 1949). Black is beautiful.
Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Society supported return to Africa. Had its own ranks and uniforms = black pride.
Garvey also founded African Orthodox Church
Rastafarian’s cite Garvey’s ‘Look to Africa for the coming of a Black king, he shall be the redeemer’
In Detroit in the 1930’s, Robert Poole (Elijah Muhammad; 1897 - 1975) met W. A Fard.
Believed Fard was Allah calling him to lead the Black nation back to its authentic faith, Islam
Taught Black superiority; white’s created by a mad black chemist, 6,000 years ago.
Used a lot of imagers of stars/moon - see Elijah's hat 
- Also taught that Fathers must work and look after families.
- Afro-Americans should become self-sufficient, not dependent on white hand-outs.
- Only a Black nation will enable Blacks to live as dignified, fulfilled, human beings.
- Nation of Islam has uniform (bow-tie) and a security force, the Fruit of Islam.
- Malcolm X (1925 - 1965) deputy and spokesman.
X (adopted to denote loss of identity)
Went on hajj, realized that Islam teaches racial equality, not hatred
Denounced leadership and religion of Elijah Muhammad; was assassinated.
Elijah Muhammad appointed his seventh son, W. W.
D Muhammad, as heir. He denounced his father’s religion (but not his social teaching) and established American Muslim Mission (mosques, Imams sent to Islamic Universities to study
Develops Afro-American identity and stresses self-sufficiency but within American society, as a separate Nation.
©2000 Clinton Bennett