Muhammad Speaks

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Editions of Muhammad Speaks

Muhammad Speaks was the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam (NOI)from 1961 to 1975. It was one of the largest news papers publishedby an African American organization. Their weekly circulation was at times over 800,000 units. The newspaper was internationalist and didactic and tried to transform the black race through "self-knowledge". A number of different topics were dealt with. This included Africa , politics , art and NOI activities. Until 1959 the magazine was published in New York City and from 1961 in Chicago . Muhammad Speaks was published monthly until July 1962, and from 1963 on a weekly basis. Imam WD Mohammed , the son and successor of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad , renamed the newspaper Bilalian News in 1975. The name referred to Bilāl ibn Rabāh , an East African companion of the Prophet Mohammed who served as his first muezzin . In 1981 the paper was renamed again, the Muslim Journal . However, this newspaper no longer exerted as much influence on American society and US politics as Muhammad Speaks had before.

Background to the creation: Nation of Islam and Civil Rights Movement

The Nation of Islam, founded in Detroit in 1930, was initially quite unknown outside of Chicago and New York. In the mid-1940s, Malcolm X , who was marked by a difficult childhood, turned to the Nation of Islam after serving several years in prison for burglary. After most of his family converted to NOI, he too joined the movement. When an incident broke out in New York in 1959 between a police officer and a black spectator of a scuffle, Malcolm X played a pivotal role. After the policeman hit the African American with a baton, he was not taken to the hospital, but directly to the prison. In half an hour, Malcolm X and 50 other NOI supporters had positioned themselves outside the New York borough, forcing the man to receive medical help.

Through this event, the NOI suddenly became known to the general public. Media attention rose with the five-part television documentary " The Hate That Hate Produced " by US presenter Mike Wallace and a book about the Nation of Islam, Black Muslims in America by C. Eric Lincoln . In the television documentary, controversial theses of the NOI, such as the claim that whites are "blue-eyed devils" were taken up. The documentation caused sharp criticism of the NOI, including from the Afro-American community. Officials of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall , criticized Nation of Islam, calling it a "hate group" and thugs. In addition, the New York Times and Reader's Digest reported on the Nation of Islam. Most of that attention was negative because the documentary was fixated on the word "hate". The strong media interest generated by the documentary prompted NOI to publish its first national newspaper.

It is disputed when and by whom the newspaper was founded. Malcolm X claimed that he founded the newspaper in New York in 1959 and named it Muhammad Speaks . The Muslim Journal also considers Malcolm X to be the founder. According to other reports, however, he had only one sheet named 1960 Mr. Muhammad Speaks founded, while it actually was Elijah Muhammad, who in 1961 after a meeting with Malcolm X , Muhammad Speaks brought into being.

Development and functions of the newspaper

According to Maureen Smith, the first edition of Muhammad Speaks , devoted to freedom, justice and equality for black men, was printed in October 1961. With the help of non-Muslim editor Dan Burley , artist Eugene Majied, and South Asian American columnist Abdul Basit Naeem, it became a newspaper popular among African Americans. The newspaper's circulation grew at a rate comparable to the dissatisfaction of African Americans in the United States during the civil rights movement's struggle for freedom . Over time, however, differences arose between Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, which had to do with the fact that the goals of both were very different. Malcolm X wanted to be more politically active, while Elijah Muhammad preferred a far more conservative, religious separatism. From 1962 onwards, there was less and less coverage of Malcolm X in Muhammad Speaks, which was published at the time by Elijah Muhammad's son Herbert Muhammad.

According to Dawn-Marie Gibson, the newspaper should serve four purposes, namely:

  1. serve as a corrective to the negative portrayal of the Nation Of Islam in the national media,
  2. Promote Elijah Muhammad and his teachings,
  3. connect the members of the NOI scattered across the United States and
  4. Contribute to the overarching goal of economic self-sufficiency for the Nation of Islam .

According to Monica Reed and Edward E. Curtis IV, the newspaper had the following two primary functions:

  1. On the one hand, it was the official medium through which the NOI presented itself to the world. As such, Muhammad Speaks contained the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, a column on prayer and other religious matters, hundreds of personal testimonies from NOI members, photos of member activities, a column for Muslim women, reports on the movement's schools, and other information on the NOI.
  2. Second, the newspaper also published articles by many non-Muslims, making it a trusted source of news among African Americans on topics such as the Vietnam War and the persistence of social inequality and racism under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 .

In 1964, author and playwright Richard Durham became the newspaper's new editor. Under his leadership, which lasted until 1969, Muhammad Speaks saw considerable growth. Elijah Muhammad bought a new printing machine that allowed the staff to produce the newspaper entirely on site. The machine could produce 50,000 copies per hour. In 1969 this machine produced 400,000 copies per week. Under Durham's direction, the newspaper also began to delve into black history and international news from Africa. Black activists and Afro-American intellectuals read the newspaper to find out what was happening in the Congo and ponder comic strips on the heroes of African-Islamic history. Members of the Fruit of Islam , which served as the NOI's militia, considered it a religious ritual and sacred duty to sell the newspaper on the street. For this they dressed very nicely in a suit and tie and were especially polite to potential buyers in order to gain new members for the NOI. Each member was given a quota of copies to sell. Members who exceeded their assigned quota were regularly featured in the newspaper.

In 1969, John Woodford, the former editor of Ebony magazine, took over the editing of Muhammad Speaks . He put more photographs and articles on art and music in the newspaper. In 1972 he was followed by Leon Forrest, a novelist and professor until 1972 Askia Muhammad took over as the editor. Under his leadership, the newspaper again focused more on the news from the NOI, which was experiencing spectacular economic expansion at the time. Muhammad Speaks reported an increase in the newspaper's circulation to 800,000.

Positions on sports

The Nation Of Islam was a religious organization and social movement . Some of their teachings dealt with issues related to a range of sporting activities, and initially the NOI rejected the "evils" of professional sports and professional games. Nonetheless, a change in the NOI's position on sport can be seen on the pages of Muhammad Speaks , as the organization's leadership recognized the political benefit that an association with a prominent Muslim athlete such as Muhammad Ali could bring to their movement.

In the beginning, Muhammad Speaks painted a very negative image of sport. Black athletes have been admonished to choose not to pursue a professional career in sports. However, over time, Elijah Muhammad and his newspaper changed their positions on sports and professional athletes. The decisive moment here was when Cassius Clay wrested the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in February 1964 . Clay had attended Nation of Islam meetings before. A few days after his victory, he announced his conversion to Islam and the change of his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali , a name given to him by Elijah Muhammad. With the success of Muhammad Ali, the Nation of Islam, without giving up its previous position, began to quietly ignore the "evil" aspects of Ali's profession and to see professional sport as a way in which its message could be conveyed to a wider audience Ali’s subsequent career has been documented in great detail on the pages of Muhammad Speaks . Almost every issue of "Muhammad Speaks" from 1965 on was in part about Muhammad Ali. A page with stories and pictures of him appeared regularly under the heading “News from the Camp of the Champ”.

However, in his column in Muhammad Speaks , Elijah Muhammad still denounced the evils of the sport and linked the practice of Christianity to the sport's growing popularity and the damage the Games caused. So he wrote in October 1962:

“Hundreds of millions of dollars change hands for a few, for the loss of millions. These already suffer from the lack of good training. With their last few pennies, they help those who have already been helped. In doing so, they are helping the gambling "scientists" to make even more profit, who have created a game of chance where the poor fools only have a one in nine hundred chance of winning. So the world of sport causes tremendous evil. "

- Elijah Muhammad

In April 1969 there was a break in the relationship with Muhammad Ali, which was also visible on the pages of Muhammad Speaks . For example, Elijah Muhammad claimed that Muhammad Ali's main interest was money and that he preferred "sport and games" to Islam . Allah condemns the sport as foolish, according to Elijah Muhammad. As a result, he was removed from the circle of the brotherhood of the NOI for one year under the leadership and teachings of Elijah Muhammad and should be addressed by his real name, Cassius Clay, rather than his Muslim name. The danger with sports and games, which for Elijah Muhammd also included bowling and gambling , lies in the fact that they distract black people from the impending calamity and separate them from their money, which is better spent on buying land to grow crops could.

Women's movement within Muhammad Speaks

Elijah Muhammad's gender ideology was largely shaped by the belief that African American women need the protection and control of black men. In his publication "Message to the Blackman in America" he stated: "There is no nation on earth that has less respect for its wives and so little control over them as we so-called negroes here in America." Elijah Muhammad viewed the protection and control of women as a prerequisite for the restoration of black men as providers and patriarchs in their family and social circles.

The written testimonies and oral histories of female members of the Nation Of Islam indicate that many women have joined the organization independently of men. Former NOI member Frances I noted in an issue of the MS newspaper:

"Islam was first introduced to me through Muhammad Speaks ... When I first heard of Islam, I knew my long search had ended ... I was at home. When I speak of home, I do not mean a house, but an environment where we are united as one, where a woman is given her proper place to fulfill her role as a wife and mother "

“I was first introduced to Islam through Muhammad Speaks ... When I first heard about Islam, I knew that my long search had ended ... I was home. When I speak of home, I do not mean a house, but an environment in which we are united as a unit, in which a woman is given her due place so that she can fulfill her role as wife and mother. "

- Frances X, former member of the NOI

However, other columnists such as Tynetta Deanar also tried to comment positively on the ideology of the NOI. In her column "The Woman in Islam" she affirmed the gender ideology of the NOI. Deanar's comments highlight the fact that the nation's women generally did not interpret mandates on traditional gender roles to mean that they were limited to the domestic sphere or that their interests were limited to home science and parenting. Her writings for the column show a more positive take on gender ideology, a reminder that the Conservatives, too, demanded male members of the nation to value, respect and honor women. In one of her 1962 posts titled Muslim Woman is Model Personality , she noted:

“Negro women are creative by nature, always on the lookout for the unusual ... be it in the domestic, social, intellectual, school or professional area. ... Woman is the fundamental secret to the success of any nation ... without her man would eat from rough pots, maybe even with his fingers, sit on stone benches and sleep on hard wooden floors. But the woman who is a creation of beauty and charm inspires the creation of a beautiful civilization ... "

- Tynetta Deanar 1962

literature

  • Berg, Herbert: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . New York Press 2009.
  • Berg, Herbert: “Elijah Muhammad and the Qur'an. The evolution of his Tafsir. " In: The Muslim World 89/1 (1999) pp. 42-55.
  • Dawn-Marie Gibson, “Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper”. In: Journal of American Studies 49/1 (2015) 1-18.
  • Precious Rasheeda Muhammad: Muhammad Speaks. In Jocelyne Cesari (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Islam in The United States of America , Volume. 1, 2007, p. 438.
  • Monica C. Reed with Edward Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks” in Edward Curtis IV (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History . Facts on File, New York, 2010. Vol. II, pp. 402-403.
  • Maureen Smith: Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali . In: Chandler, JL Timothy, Magdalinski Tara (Eds.): With God on their Side. Sport in the service of religion . Psychology Press, 2002. pp. 177-196.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b Muhammad: Muhammad Speaks. 2007, Vol. I, p. 438.
  2. ^ Smith,: Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali . 2002, p. 179 .
  3. ^ Reed / Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks”. 2010, p. 403.
  4. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 40.
  5. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 40f.
  6. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 41.
  7. ^ Gibson: Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper. 2015, p. 4.
  8. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 41 .
  9. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 41.
  10. ^ Gibson: Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper. 2015, p. 5.
  11. ↑ a b c Smith: "Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali." 2002, p. 177.
  12. ↑ a b c Reed / Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks”. 2010, p. 402b.
  13. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 42.
  14. ^ Gibson: Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper . 2015, p. 5 .
  15. ^ Reed / Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks”. 2010, p. 403a.
  16. ^ Reed / Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks”. 2010, pp. 402b-403a.
  17. ^ Reed / Curtis IV: “Muhammad Speaks”. 2010, p. 403a.
  18. ^ Smith: Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali . 2002, p. 178.
  19. ^ Smith: Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali . 2002, p. 179.
  20. ^ Smith: Muhammad Speaks and Muhammad Ali . 2002, p. 188.
  21. ^ Berg: Elijah Muhammad and Islam . 2009, p. 48.
  22. ↑ Gibson, "Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper." 2015, p. 8.
  23. ↑ Gibson, "Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper." 2015, p. 2.
  24. ↑ Gibson, "Nation Women's Engagement and Resistance in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper." 2015, p. 7.