TheAssociated Press described the teachings of theNation of Islam (NOI) as having been black supremacist until 1975, whenW. Deen Mohammed succeededElijah Muhammad (his father) as its leader.[4] Elijah Muhammad's black-supremacist doctrine acted as a counter to the supremacist paradigm established and controlled by white supremacy.[5][6] The SPLC described the group as having a "theology of innate black superiority over whites – a belief system vehemently and consistently rejected by mainstream Muslims".[7]
Several fringe groups have been described as either holding or promoting black supremacist beliefs. A source described by historianDavid Mark Chalmers as being "the most extensive source on right-wing extremism" is theSouthern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an American nonprofit organization that monitorshate groups andextremists in the United States.[8][9] Authors of the SPLC's quarterlyIntelligence Reports have described the following groups as holding black supremacist views:
TheNation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded byWallace Fard Muhammad in the United States in 1930. They have been described by the SPLC as having "a theology of innate black superiority over whites".[12] SPLC cites the NOI leaders' "deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric" as reasons for the organization being categorized as a hate group.[12]
TheNation of Yahweh is a religious group based in the United States described as black supremacist by the SPLC. It is an offshoot of theBlack Hebrew Israelite line of thought. It was founded by AmericanYahweh ben Yahweh (born Hulon Mitchell Jr.), whose name means "God the Son of God" inHebrew. The Nation of Yahweh grew rapidly throughout the 1980s and at its height had headquarters in Miami, Florida, and temples in 22 states,[13] ben Yahweh was imprisoned for 11 years for his links to nearly two dozen murders, and later released on restrictive parole.[14]
TheUnited Nuwaubian Nation of Moors was founded by the AmericanDwight York, who has been described by the SPLC as advocating the belief that black people are superior towhite people. The SPLC reported that York's teachings included the belief that "whites are 'devils', devoid of both heart and soul, their color the result ofleprosy and genetic inferiority".[15] The SPLC described the Nuwaubianism belief system as "mix[ing] black supremacist ideas with worship of theEgyptians and theirpyramids, a belief inUFOs and variousconspiracy theories related to theIlluminati and theBilderbergers".[16]
A doctrine of black supremacy is as dangerous as a doctrine ofwhite supremacy. God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men or brown men or yellow men. God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of a society where every man will respect the dignity and worth of personality.
