THE TEMPLE OF ISLAM

For the years of Elijah Mohammed's leadership, from the early 1930's until 1975, the organization that he led known as the 'Nation of Islam' (NOI) was largely viewed by the American public as racialist and nationalist in its outlook and emphasis. Elijah Mohammed, himself, stressed to his followers the importance of self-respect, self-determination, and lawful, decent conduct.

'Muslim' identity as he understood it and a 'do for self' appeal was at the core of his teachings, prodding those within the group to adhere to Islam as 'Freedom, Justice, and Equality' and to accept responsibility for community self-sufficiency.

Thousands joined him and thus began the documented story of Islam in America for African-Americans that includes the stories of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali and now millions of indigenous African-American Muslims and their religious and cultural lives. Upon Elijah Mohammed's passing in 1975, his son Wallace D. Mohammed was chosen by his father's followers to lead the NOI.

A NEW ORIENTATION

Wallace D. Mohammed or Imam W. Deen Mohammed, as he came to be known, methodically and skillfully moved the group away from its racialist and nationalist identification to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and Muhammed the Prophet. It was an embrace of Islam in its proper practice and as observed by over a billion Muslim persons worldwide.

He taught, encouraged, and strengthened the once called "Black Muslims" in their new Islamic identity, and further emphasized to them an embrace of a new consciousness and activity as full and participating Muslim-American citizens re-naming the group the World Community of al-Islam in the West and then finally, the American Society of Muslims. At his death he was leader of the largest organized group of Muslims in the Western hemisphere.

“I have to acknowledge the man who has done more than any other person to help me get the correct picture of Muslims and Imam W. Deen Mohammed to the public of America and the world, my son…Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed.”

— Imam W. Deen Mohammed

SUCCESSION

As an adolescent, Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed embraced the teachings of Islam under Imam W. Deen Mohammed's leadership. In the mid 1980's he qualified and was recognized as an imam or religious leader, and was asked to lead mosques in Florida, Texas, and Maryland. By 1990 at 25 years old he had become the National Representative of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, representing him and the Muslim-American community to national media organizations, on college campuses, and at domestic and international gatherings with noted religious and social organizations and leaders.

In 1996 Mohammed played a central role in facilitating the historic meeting between Pope John Paul II and Imam W. Deen Mohammed at the Vatican. In 2001, speaking at the community’s National Convention Imam W. Deen Mohammed said of him: "I must acknowledge the man who has done more than any other person to help me get the correct image of Muslims and Imam W. Deen Mohammed to the public of America and the world, Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed."

In 2003 Imam W. Deen Mohammed separated his Ministry from the American Society of Muslims, and in 2008 he passed away having formally named no successor. As early as 2010 there were signs that the major mosques in his following and their leaders in every city in America had begun to drift away from the traditional emphasis taught by him for lack of a central public message. From 2013 Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed had been incarcerated following a mail fraud conviction and 108-month federal prison sentence.

While in prison in 2016, sensing the trouble in the Muslim following to which he belonged, and with the dramatic world rise of an unprecedented extremism associated with Islam, he wrote the book Democracy, Civic Virtue, and Islam: The Muslim-American Jihad Against Extremism to a world-wide distribution and international acclaim. The book expertly countered the narratives and condemned the actions of so-called Muslim extremists as blatantly un-Islamic.

Inspired by the impact of the book and its clear message, a group of persons representing many U.S. cities began to coalesce around Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed, visiting with him and encouraging his voice of leadership. This group recognized that he represented the continuation of the leadership tradition that began with Elijah Mohammed and W. Deen Mohammed and they began to publicly promote and support him as the next leader of the Muslim-American community in spite of his incarceration.

Mohammed wrote a second book in 2019, On Nature and Nations: The Muslim-American Message for Humanity in the Day of Religion. Both of Mohammed’s books are now available on the shelves of public libraries, and are required reading in a number of college and universities in the U.S. and abroad.

With his release from prison on May 7, 2020, Imam Mohammed and his supporters have begun the process of launching several initiatives that will reintroduce a unique tradition of Muslim-American leadership and public engagement.