Warith Deen Mohammed | |
|---|---|
 Warith Deen Mohammed in 1977 | |
| Leader of theNation of Islam | |
| In office February 26, 1975 – 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Elijah Muhammad |
| Succeeded by | Louis Farrakhan |
| Leader of theAmerican Society of Muslims | |
| In office 1976 – August 31, 2003 | |
| Director ofThe Mosque Cares | |
| In office 2003 – September 9, 2008 | |
| Succeeded by | Wallace D. Mohammed II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wallace D. Muhammad October 30, 1933 (1933-10-30) Hamtramck, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 2008(2008-09-09) (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Glenwood Cemetery,Thornton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 8 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives |
|
| Alma mater | Muhammad University of Islam |
| Occupation | Imam, religious reformer, Muslim scholar, businessman |
Warith Deen Mohammed (bornWallace D. Muhammad;[a] October 30, 1933 – September 9, 2008) was anAfrican American Muslim leader,theologian,philosopher,Muslim revivalist, andIslamic thinker.
He was a son ofElijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam from 1933 to 1975.[4][5] In 1975, upon Elijah Muhammad's death, he became the Nation of Islam's national leader (Supreme Minister).[6][7]
In 1976, he disbanded the originalNation of Islam (NOI) and transformed it into an ostensibly orthodox and mainstream Islamic movement.[8] He rejected the previous deification ofWallace Fard Muhammad, acceptedwhites as fellow-worshippers, forged closer ties with mainstreamMuslim communities, and introduced theFive Pillars of Islam into his group'stheology.[3][9] This organization was called theBilalians (1975),World Community of Al-Islam in the West (1976–77),American Muslim Mission (1978–85),[10] and finally theAmerican Society of Muslims.
Splinter groups which resisted these changes were formed after Elijah Muhammad's death, particularly underLouis Farrakhan, who would revive the name Nation of Islam for his organization, Final Call, in 1978. Farrakhan's NOI and the previous Final Call claim that they are direct continuations of the pre-1975 NOI.[3][11]j
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Mohammed was born Wallace D. Muhammad on Yemans Street inHamtramck, Michigan in 1933.[12][13] In 1992, he changed his legal name to Warith Deen Muhammad, which translates to 'Inheritor of the Religion of Muhammad'.[14][better source needed] His parents wereClara andElijah Muhammad, both highly active in theNation of Islam (NOI), the organization that preached a form ofBlack nationalism and its own version of Islam.[15] From 1934 until he died in 1975, Elijah Muhammad led the Nation under the title, "the Messenger of Allah."[16]
Named to honorWallace Fard Muhammad (Fard), the founder of the Nation of Islam, Mohammed grew up in Chicago as one of seven siblings.[17] His elementary education came from theMuhammad University of Islam (MUI) school system (later known as the Clara Muhammad Schools, or Muhammad Schools).[18][19] He briefly studied Arabic as a youth under Jamal Shakir Diab, aPalestinian who was later hired by his father to teach at the MUI in Chicago.[20][21][22]
Mohammed became a minister under his father in late 1958 and served inPhiladelphia during the late 1950s and early 1960s.[23][24] While serving in Philadelphia, W.D. Mohammed commenced an extensive study ofAhmadiyya doctrines under Philadelphia-based Ahmadi missionary Muhammad Abdullah.[25][26]
On October 29, 1961, Mohammed was arrested for failure to report toElgin State Hospital. The following day, on his 28th birthday, Mohammed was transferred toFederal Correctional Institution, Sandstone to begin a term for having refused induction into theUnited States military.[27] He could have performed community service, but his father pressed him to accept the jail time.[5] He spent most of that time studying theQuran, the mainIslamic holy book, and the Bible.[28][29]
He became convinced that the Nation of Islam had to change. In 1963, he was released from prison and resumed studies under Muhammad Abdullah.[30] Close also toMalcolm X, who the NOI had expelled, he found that by this time his viewpoints deviated significantly from those of his father, whom he no longer believed to be a prophet.[31] Because of this conclusion, he was excommunicated five different times; by 1974, he returned permanently to the NOI.[32]
Upon his father's death on February 25, 1975, Mohammed was unanimously chosen as the leader of the Nation of Islam and introduced to the NOI membership at the annualSaviours' Day convention on February 26, 1975.[2][33][34] Among the first changes Mohammed instituted, he dropped the title Supreme Minister and took the titlesMujaddid, Chief Imam, or simply Imam, in 1976.[35][36][37] The same year, he unveiled a new flag for the NOI community.[38][39][40]
These were just two of the many reforms which Mohammed introduced.[3] Among others, he eliminated the NOI dress code, disbanded the military branch of the NOI, clarified the concept of the devil, and introduced an eclectic, esoteric interpretation of Islam he labeled,The Divine Mind/Body-Christ.[41] According to WD's former Special Aide Dr.Na'im Akbar, WD'sTeachings are not restricted to WD's followers but "will provide for the social community a series of readings which will cultivate and grow them more effectively as social human beings... based on the most renowned religious teachings of a teacher in the West."[42] Similarly, via his various written works,Muhammad Speaks newspaper, and public speeches, he gradually introduced and explained Islam's Five Pillars.[5][34][43] He stated that Fard was not divine and that his father was not a prophet.[44] All of the over 400 temples were converted into traditional Islamicmosques. He also renamed the community several times before finally settling on theAmerican Society of Muslims to reflect the new thinking.[45][46] Mohammed was frank about his intentions to evolve the movement. On November 19, 1978, he spoke on the "Evolution of the Nation of Islam" at theAmerican Academy of Religion inNew Orleans.[47]
Mohammed's changes reached deep into the philosophy of the movement which his father had led for so long. He rejected literal interpretations of divine scriptures, his father's theology, andBlack-separatist views, and based on his intensive independent study,history, andtheology, he accepted whites as fellow worshipers.[48][49] However, he also encouragedAfrican Americans (Bilalians) to separate themselves from their pasts, in 1976 calling upon them to change their surnames which were oftengiven to their ancestors by slave masters.[50][51] He forged closer ties with mainstream Muslim communities, includingLatino Muslims.[52] He also decentralized power. On September 10, 1978, in an address inAtlanta he resigned as Chief Imam and appointed a six-member council to lead the Community.[53][54]
Mohammed felt quite keenly about his role in reform. In an interview which was published in theMuhammad Speaks newspaper and conducted by his brotherJabir Herbert Muhammad, Mohammed described his role as the successor to their father as that of aMujeddid,[55] one who would watch over the new Islam or community.[56][57] In 1979 he used the title Mujeddid (Mujaddid) on his byline in his weekly articles for theBilalian News (the new title ofMuhammad Speaks).[58][59]
Warith Deen Mohammed received encouragement from the international Muslim community, yet the changes which he made within the Nation of Islam were not universally accepted.[60] Several dissident groups resisted, most notably those who followed Louis Farrakhan in breaking ranks with Mohammed.[61] These groups revived the name 'Nation of Islam' between 1977 and 1979.[44][62] At the outset of the 1991 Gulf War, Warith Deen Mohammed became the only American Imam to issue a public endorsement of the US military bombing of Iraq. Two consecutiveMuslim Journal issues featured the endorsement on its front page.[63] The endorsement came on the eve of theAmiriyah shelter bombing.
The following year, in recognition of his military endorsement, theUnited States Congress andPentagon honored WD Mohammed for his "loyal and unswerving religious leadership in support of our Nation during the difficult times during theGulf War." Mohammed described the invitation "I am like floating in the air. I never dreamed that we would receive such an invitation."[64] When questioned about hisGulf War endorsement and call for Muslims to fight Muslims generated conflicts in his community, he replied, "Yes, it is a conflict. It is a conflict of emotions and a conflict of conscience for many. But for me it is no conflict of conscience when I know that I am on the right side. Once I know that I am on the right side, I have no conflict of conscience at all. I did not rush into any decision. I thought it out very carefully…So I thank America many times. I thank you again. I thank the military. I thank the Army. I thank all of you. I told my sons I would be proud if my sons were in the military."[65]
In 1995, Mohammed released a statement in which he expressed his concern about Farrakhan's motivations and the racial divisiveness of his ministry.[56][60] Yet over the next twenty years, the pair would embrace publicly.[66] Warith Deen Mohammed declared, "I will never denounce him as long as he says he wants to be a Muslim."[67] They also declared reconciliation at the annual NOISaviours' Day convention on February 25, 2000, and NOIMillion Family March on October 16, 2000. Still, on August 10, 2007, Mohammed repeated his frustration with the separatist stance of the current Nation of Islam, stating that its leaders had, "for the last 10 years or more,...just been selling wolf tickets to [threatening, without substance] the white race and having fun while they collect money and have fancy lifestyles."[68] He predicted a quiet evolution in the NOI towards unity with the mainstreamAmerican Muslim community.[citation needed]
Mohammed was intent on strengthening bonds between his movement and the widerAmerican Muslim faith community as well as with followers ofIslam abroad. It was his goal to alignAmerican Muslims withSunni Islam.[17] In 1976, he took a delegation toGuyana on an officialstate visit to meet with Prime MinisterForbes Burnham, and the then President of GuyanaArthur Chung, during which he forged ties with theAhmadiyya Muslim Community in the region.[69][70]
InGeneva, Switzerland in 1985, he met with Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Al-Sharif, Secretary General of theWorld Islamic Call Society ofLibya and Dr. Abdul Hakim Tabibi, anAfghanmujahid, to discuss areas of future cooperation with the World Islamic Call Society and the Muslim Community of America.[71] He hostedGrand Mufti Abdullah Mukhtar, the leader of an estimated 60 million Muslims atMasjid Bilal, during his first visit to the United States in 1994.[72]
In 1999, he was elected to serve on theIslamic Society of North America'sshura board.[73] That same year, duringRamadan, he pledged to work with the Grand Mufti of Syria, ShaikhAhmed Kuftaro an-Naqshbandi for the advancement of Al-Islam during a meeting with Kuftaro and ShaikhNazim al-Haqqani.[74][75] He was the special invited guest and keynote speaker at the "Inaugural Conference on the Growth and Development of Islam in America", held atHarvard University on March 3–4, 2000.[76]
Just as Mohammed sought to be racially inclusive, he also focused on cooperation between multiple faiths. On May 23, 1976, he conducted a massive interfaith Spiritual Life Jubilee with thePeoples Temple in Los Angeles, California[77] and headlined withJim Jones on the subject, "A New Heaven and a New Earth".[78] In 1977, he participated in a Muslim-Christian dialogue inFort Worth, Texas with Dr. Jack Evans, then President ofSouthwestern Christian College inTerrell, Texas.[79] In February 1978, he gave a historic address before more than 1,000Jews and Muslims at theWashington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C., then under the leadership ofRabbi Joshua O. Haberman.[80]
This was a focus that would persist throughout his career. In 1993, he spoke at the Interfaith Roundtable National Conference of Christians, Jews and Muslims in Detroit, Michigan.[71] "If we look at the broad definition for Muslim, we have to say that even though a Christian may be worshipping Jesus the Christ Prophet more than he is worshipping Allah, he or she may be Muslim in their spirit. They may still be Muslim, though the orientation has now dominated their Muslim urge. The person carrying a heavy cross may be a Muslim inwardly. So it is for a Jew, or Communist, or a Buddhist, or a Hindu."[81]
In March 1995, he gave the keynote address at the Muslim-Jewish Convocation inGlencoe, Illinois.[82] From October 1–6, 1996 he met withPope John Paul II and CardinalFrancis Arinze at theHoly See in Rome.[83] On August 17, 1997, he was presented the Luminosa Award for Unity from theFocolare Movement.[84] On September 9, 1997, he addressed theBaltimore Jewish Council speaking on themes of worldwide justice and fairness.[85]
On May 18–20, 1998, he attended the Conference on Religion and Peace which was sponsored by the Center for Christian, Jewish Understanding ofSacred Heart University in Auschwitz, Poland.[82] In June 1998 he addressed the Muslim Friends of the Focolare conference in Rome, Italy,[86] in October of the following year, along with a 92-member delegation, he spoke before a gathering of 100,000 people in theVatican.[87][88] Pope John Paul II and theDalai Lama were both in attendance.[89]
On October 29, 2001, Mohammed, MinisterLouis Farrakhan,PastorRobert H. Schuller, and members of theParliament of the World's Religions participated in an "Evening of Religious Solidarity" at theIslamic Foundation inVilla Park, Illinois.[90]
Throughout his ministry, Mohammed remained politically active, both domestically and internationally. His early meetings with prominent political figures included meetings with Egyptian PresidentAnwar Sadat in 1975,Sharjah rulerSheikSultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi in 1976, and United States PresidentJimmy Carter in 1977.[46][91][92]
He was the only American who was invited and the only American to attend the 10th Annual Islamic Conference of Ministers in May, 1979, inFes, Morocco.[93][94]
In April 1988, he participated as the representative of Muslim Americans in the "Political and Religious Leaders Campaign for Planetary Survivor" inOxford Town Hall. Later that year he was among 100 leaders in religion, government, business, law and philanthropy who gathered inWilliamsburg, Virginia during the Williamsburg Charter Foundations "First Liberty Summit".[95]
In 1995, he participated in theForbes Forum on Management inNaples, Florida.[96] In 1996, he participated in the "National Discussion on Race & Reconciliation" sponsored by theNational Press Club in Washington, D.C.[97] In late 1997, he attended theOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inTeheran, Iran,[98] and he participated inThe Religious Community and Moral Challenge of Poverty Round Table Discussion convened by former U. S. SenatorPaul Simon in 1998 inCarbondale, Illinois.[99]
In November 1999, he attended consecutive World Peace Conferences. The first conference,Jubilenium Interfaith Conference for World Peace, was an invitation-only event held inTiberias, Israel. The second was the7th World Assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, held inAmman, Jordan.[100]
He was a prominent political speaker. Mohammed gave the first invocation in theUnited States Senate ever by a Muslim in 1992.[101] That same year, he became the first Muslim to deliver an address on the floor of theGeorgiaState Legislature.[101] In 1993, he gave an Islamic prayer during the firstInaugural Interfaith Prayer Service of PresidentBill Clinton, and again in 1997 at the secondInterfaith Prayer Service.[102] In 1996, he was invited to Egypt by Egyptian PresidentHosni Mubarak to address the Supreme Council of Affairs inCairo on the theme "Islam and the Future of Dialogue between Civilizations".[86]
He sat on a number of councils and committees, both domestically and abroad. In 1986, he was selected to serve on the World Supreme Council of Masajid (mosques) as one of only three representatives of the United States.[94] Also in 1995 he was selected as a President of the World Conference ofReligions for Peace (WCRP) and addressed its governing board inCopenhagen, Denmark.[89][103] In January 1997, he was appointed to President Bill Clinton's Religious Advisory Council.[86] In 2000, he was named to the executive committee of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP).[104]
He made his opinions on political matters known. On July 4, 1976, he started the New World Patriotism Day celebrations which were conducted onIndependence Day in major cities across America.[40][46][105]
In 1984, Mohammed went against the mainstream African American political establishment and opposed ReverendJesse Jackson's run for the Democratic nomination for president.[106] In 1985, to protest the Chicagoprobate court handling of an American Muslim Mission case, he organized a "Walk for Justice" that drew 500,000 participants.[107]
On December 23, 1989, he spoke at theAnnual Conference of the Islamic Committee forPalestine on the plight of thePalestinians.[108] In 1990, Mohammed supported and endorsedNeil Hartigan forGovernor ofIllinois.[109] He gave his support to the peacemaking and humanitarian efforts of BishopSamuel Ruiz.[103]
On September 10, 1990, he participated in the international conference on the "Current Situation in the Gulf", where he made his opposition to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait a matter of public record.[110] He stated: "We consider President George Bush to be an honorable man. We commend his actions in ordering the surgical strikes on Iraqi military installations. These efforts to avoid excessive loss of human life are appreciated."[111]
On behalf of the Muslim American Community, he donated $85,000 toNelson Mandela to aid his efforts to endapartheid in South Africa during a personal meeting inOakland, California on June 30, 1990.[96] OnSeptember 11, 2001, he denounced the terrorist attacks as un-Islamic.[82]
While he emphasized unity within the Muslim community, Warith Deen Mohammed also asked the American Muslim community to establish a new school offiqh, a code of conduct for the observance of rituals, morals and social legislation in Islam.[112] He toldIslamica magazine in 2008 that he felt that themadhhab—the schools of thought within fiqh—were geographically influenced and should be regionally developed, suggesting that "I think we are gradually getting a sense of madhabs in America, especially those like me. We are getting a sense of madhabs. And with the coming generation I think that we will be getting a much stronger sense of it. It is coming more and more."[113] However, his call for a new madhhab came under fire from mainstream Muslims globally who questioned his motivation for desiring such an unprecedented action.[114]
Mohammed was sensitive to the potential impact of the use of images and symbols in religions. In a 1975 article, he explored this topic and in 1976, he published his first article about the subject in theBilalian News (later theMuslim Journal). Titled "A Message of Concern", this article has run in every subsequent copy of the publication.[115][116] He also spoke about the subject. For instance, during a June 17, 1977Friday service, he taught his followers about "The meaning of colors in Scripture and the Natural Powers of Black and White", describing ancient scriptural symbolism and its effect on modern-day scriptural and religious interpretation. He also elaborated on how colors in scripture have triggeredracist influences in religious societies.[46] In 1977, he formed theCommittee for the Removal of All Images that Attempt to Portray the Divine (C.R.A.I.D.).[117][118][119]
Warith Deen Mohammed's first wife was Shirley Mohammed, with whom he had four children.[120] By 1994, according toThe Los Angeles Times, Mohammed had been married four times and had fathered eight children.[17] Mohammed married Khadija Siddeeq in 2004.[121] Mohammed's eldest child Laila Mohammed stated that Warith Deen practicedpolygamy.[122] However this polygamy assertion is disputed within the community.[123]
Beyond his public role in religion and politics, Mohammed was involved inreal estate, clothing imports, and skin care.[17] During his excommunications from the Nation of Islam in his 30s, he served as a laborer.[44]
Mohammed died in Chicago in early September 2008 of a likelyheart attack.[124] His body was found in his home by his assistant Rafa Muhammad on Tuesday September 9. In addition tocardiovascular disease, Mohammed suffered fromdiabetes.
According to theFinal Call newspaper, "TheJanazah prayer service was delayed for close to an hour so the huge crowd that had assembled could be organized and situated."[125] TheChicago Tribune wrote that 8,000 Muslims attended his funeral.[126] His funeral was held at theIslamic Foundation in Villa Park, Illinois. Imam W.D. Mohammed was buried at Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens (South) Glenwood, Cook County, Illinois.
On his 44th birthday (October 30, 1977), Mohammed received theKey to the City ofDetroit, Michigan from the then Mayor of DetroitColeman Young, along with a Proclamation declaring October 30, 1977 Wallace D. Muhammad Day in Detroit.[127]
ThenArkansas Governor Bill Clinton proclaimed March 26, 1983 "Economic Dignity Day" in the state of Arkansas. In doing so he stated the following:Whereas, through the leadership and efforts of Warith Deen Muhammad, the American Muslim Mission is on the path of economic progress and achieving growth through unity...(I) urge all citizens to engage in activities which promote economic progress.[128]
On July 4, 1983, Muhammad shared the Reviewing Stand for the 1984New World Patriotism Day Parade in Chicago with thenState Senator, Emarald Jones,State Representative, Howard Brooks, paradeGrand Marshal,Harold Washington the thenMayor of Chicago, and many other dignitaries. Mayor Harold Washington issued a proclamation declaring July 4, 1984 asNew World Patriotism Day Coalition Parade Day in Chicago.[129]
In 1988, KingHassan II of Morocco, invited Mohammed to participate in the traditional devotions during Ramadan, stating:Through you Imam W. Deen Mohammed all the people in America are represented.[130]
In 1992, PresidentHosni Mubarak of Egypt honored Warith Deen Mohammed with "The Gold Medal of Recognition" for his religious work in the United States.[131] He received the Focolare Movement "Luminosa Award for Unity" in 1997.[132] On May 17, 1999, he received a Certificate of Appreciation from theUnited States Department of State.[133] In 2002,Ebony Magazine selected him as one of its "100 Most Influential Black Americans".[134]
On December 9, 1994, he received the Cup of Compassion from theHartford Seminary inHartford, Connecticut.[96]
On April 6, 2002, Mohammed was made a member of theMartin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers atMorehouse College in Atlanta, and his portrait was hung in the International Chapel there.[104]
On Saturday, September 3, 2005, theCouncil on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) presented an award to W. Deen Mohammed in recognition of his outstanding leadership role in the American Muslim community atThe Mosque Cares sponsored Annual Islamic Convention.[135]
In eulogizing Mohammed onCNN blogs, the executive director of CAIR-Chicago, Ahmed Rehab, called him "America's Imam."[136]
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