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The Black Muslims is a religious organization that believes in the faith of Islam. Its members are predominantly black, and it is officially known as the American Muslim Mission. It was formerly known as the Nation of Islam, and after 1975 the World Community of Al-Islam was its name in the West.
The members of the Black Muslims refer to themselves as Balalians. The leaders advocate economic cooperation and self-sufficiency. They also obey a strict Islamic behavior concerning matters such as diet, dress, and interpersonal relations. In 1972, Malcolm X headed the New York City Mosque, and challenged Elijah Muhammad (supreme leader of the Nation of Islam). Malcolm X's assassination is believed to be affiliated with this competition.
The Nation of Islam was the dominant black nationalist movement during the Civil Rights period and was begun in the black neighborhoods of Detroit during the Depression. The creator and first prophet of the organization was W. D. Fard, recruiting 8,000 blacks in his career. He established the Fruit of Islam, the Muslim Girls Training Class, and a University of Islam. Later, due to a mysterious disappearance, his chief lieutenant Elijah Muhammad succeeded him. His strict leadership caused an immense decrease in the number of members, and by the end of World War II, there were roughly only about 1000 members. He then turned his attention to the members of the lower class, such as criminals, young dilinquents, and convicts, and by 1960 the nation's membership was between 65,000 and 100,000 members nationwide. Money that members donated to the organization was used to construct Islamic schools, temples, and businesses. Much of the Black Muslims' success was attributed to Muhammad's recruit, Malcolm X, who became a very charismatic and persuasive spokesman.
The Black Muslims formerly believed the white person to be "The Devil" -- that the white man deprived them of justice, equality, and civil rights. They also advocated the establishment of a seperate Afro-American homeland in the United States instead of joining "the white man's world." "You cannot integrate the Negroes and the whites without bloodshed," Malcolm X once said.
Wallace D. Muhammad admitted nonblack members after he succeeded his father, and downplayed black nationalism. In the 1970s, a dissident faction led by Louis Farrakhan assumed the original name Nation of Islam and reasserted the principles of black separatism.
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