Curtis, Malcom X, Turner
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Noble Drew Ali's Moorish Science Temple was a pivotal moment for Black Americans that introduced a shift toward Islam in an unconventional manner. While traditional Islamic teachings were quite cemented, Ali proposed Islam to Black Americans as a “unique heritage of Asiatic peoples,” which is how he chose to define himself, removed from the racial classifications of “blackness” and being a “Negro” that were imposed by the West. He authored a book called The Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple, which, similar to the movement itself, bore little resemblance to the traditional Qu'ran. Rather than being based on past religions, Ali drew from esotericist groups revolving around spirituality. While he incorporated Islamic symbols, his version of Islam was more purposed at putting confidence behind Black Americans, “attempting to recast black identity strictly in terms of nation and creed.”
The racialization faced by Black Americans is a large part of the reason many of them found solace in being part of the MST — a place where they were no longer simply products of social categorization. This was further inflated by restrictive policies such as those implemented by Senator Albert Johnson and Vice President Coolidge — lobbying for racial homogeny and “Nordic supremacy” as many of these laws prioritized immigration from North European countries while restricting all else. As we have discussed in class, not only did they restrict immigration, but those who already lived in America were unable to achieve citizenship. Collectively, this resulted in some significant racial segregation. Again, the MST offered these Black Americans to create an identity beyond the labels attributed to them by white Americans.
While Ali did reject those labels and attempt to transcend race, I think there were some contradictions within his messages and actions. While he supposedly dismissed “biological blackness” and chose to identify himself and his followers as Asiatic, he denounced interracial relationships in favour of “racial purity.” This was very interesting to me as on page 46, there is much conversation about Ali filtering out racial identity and instead categorizing by cultural and national identity, and even criticized the legislation for its “continuing commitment to more old=fashined biological notions of group identity and racial purity.” Later on, when speaking about interracial relationships, Ali's implicit argument was that racial purity was necessary for black redemption, saying, “We, as a clean and pure nation descended from the inhabitants of Africa, do not desire to amalgamate or marry into the families of the pale skin nations of Europe.” The contradiction here is essentially that Ali's thought included universalism; however, it simultaneously promoted separatism to maintain their identity.
One final point on Ali's MST I wanted to touch on was whether they appropriated Islamic culture. While the reading makes mention multiple times of Ali's thoughts appropriating Islam, I do not believe that they do. As defined by Brittanica, cultural appropriation “takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way,” and while I do think that it may have been removed, I do not believe that the Black Americans were a “majority group” by any means and it was without will ill towards them.
Moving on to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, his story is much more well-known. His transition to Islam began in prison, and in reading his autobiography, it is very interesting to see him give up pork and smoking in hopes of it allowing him to subvert authorities, but later being encouraged by his brother to adopt the lifestyle of a Muslim — the “natural religion for the black man.” Similar to the MST, the NOI teachings denounced the white man, with the NOI promoting the concept that “the white man is the devil,” which happened to resonate with Malcolm quite a bit as he explored the concept of white supremacy and allowed himself to understand the oppression being imposed. In the same way that the Moors were able to find pride in their newfound identity, Malcolm X found his empowerment in the morals and values of the Nation of Islam.
After writing to Elijah Muhammad initially, I found it interesting that his response was so particular to the case of Malcolm — an imprisoned black man. He said, “The black prisoner symbolized white society's crime of keeping black men oppressed and deprived and ignorant, and unable to get decent jobs, turning them into criminals.” While his family lighted the initial spark within Malcolm, this played a particular role in showing him that despite being imprisoned, it was the system's fault, not his own.
Finally, Turner touches on this theme of resisting racial oppression by exploring the impact of Ahmadiyya Islam among “bebop jazz musicians.” The Ahmadiyya sect, in particular, stood out to many with a strong message of racial equality, and this transcended the confines of race. One of the first stories mentioned in the story is of a missionary in America who was imprisoned, and during his time there, he converted 20 men from all over the world — from Jamaica to Germany. The application of this religion was also different for each person. A powerful example of this is Yusef Lateef, who converted due to his values and then used this empowerment to discourage the use of drugs within the Jazz community — using religion as a way to shape his surroundings and even his passions.