Moorish Science Temple of America

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(Redirected from Noble Drew Ali) Jump to: navigation, search The Moorish Science Temple of America is a religious organi ation founded in !"!# b$ Noble Drew Ali% &ts main tenet was that African Americans were descended from the 'oors and thus were originall$ &slamic%

Contents
(hide) ! Noble Drew Ali*s beginnings + ,istor$ +%! -arl$ histor$ +%+ .chism and the death of Drew Ali +%# The !"#/*s +%0 12& surveillance # 1actions 0 The 3rophet*s teachings 4 The 3rophet*s practices 5 Notes 6 References 7 -8ternal lin9s

[edit] Noble Dre Ali!s be"innin"s

:wi9i:&mage:Nobledrew%;pg :wi9i:&mage:Nobledrew%;pg :wi9i:&mage:Nobledrew%;pg :wi9i:&mage:Nobledrew%;pgNoble Drew Ali Timoth$ Drew was born on Januar$ 7 !775 in North <arolina, =.A%(!) The acco#nts of Timothy Dre !s ancestry $ario#sly describe his bein" the son of t o former sla$es ho as adopted by a tribe of Cherokee Nati$e Americans,[%] to his bein" the son of a Moroccan M#slim father and a Cherokee mother%(#) ,e is recorded, perhaps apocr$phall$, as sa$ing, >?hen & was born, it turned blac9 dar9 in the da$time% The people put their hoes down and came out of the fields%@(citation needed) ,is mother apparentl$ died while Drew was a $oung bo$, and left him to an abusive aunt%(0) According to the 'oorish .cience account, at the age of !5 he befriended a band of Roma (Ag$psiesA) with whom he traveled the world,(4) although other accounts state he shipped out on a merchant seaman, became a railwa$ e8pressman,(5) or ;oined a circus and became a stage magician%(6) .ome researchers wonder whether Drew actuall$ left the .tates at all%(7) &t as s#pposedly d#rin" these tra$els that he met the hi"h priest of an '"yptian c#lt of ma"ic( &n one $ersion of Dre !s bio"raphy, the leader sa him as a reincarnation of the fo#nder of the c#lt, while in others he considered him a reincarnation of Jesus% Accordin" to the bio"raphy, the c#lt trained him in mysticism and besto ed #pon him a lost $ersion of the life of )es#s%(") This te8t came to be 9nown as the ,ol$ Boran of the 'oorish .cience Temple of America (note that this te8t is never spelled Qur'an)% &t is also 9nown, somewhat more informall$, as the <ircle .even Boran due to its cover, which features a red A6A surrounded b$ a blue circle% Drew was anointed the Noble Drew Ali, the 3rophet, and launched into his career as founder of the 'oorish .cience Temple%

[edit] *istory
[edit] 'arly history
&n !"!# Drew Ali formed the <anaanite Temple in Newar9, New Jerse$%(!/) 1orced to flee town for his views on race,(!!) Drew Ali and his followers settled in 3hiladelphia, ?ashington D%<%, and Detroit% ,e settled in <hicago in !"+4, ostensibl$ because the 'idwest was Acloser to &slamA,(!+) and the following $ear he officiall$ registered Temple No% "%

[edit] Schism and the death of Dre Ali

&n the late !"+/*s it was estimated that the 'oorish Temple had !4,/// members in !6 temples,(!#) despite scrutin$, and possibl$ harassment, b$ the <hicago police% Follo in" a conflict o$er f#nds the b#siness mana"er of the Chica"o Temple, Cla#de +reen ,ey, splintered off, declarin" himself +rand Sheik and takin" a n#mber of members ith him % -n March ./ +reen0,ey as stabbed to death at the 1nity mos2#e, 3456 &ndiana A$en#e, Chica"o([.5] Altho#"h o#t of to n at the time,[./] Dre as arrested as an insti"ator alon" ith other members of the comm#nity( Alle"edly beaten by police, Dre as released on bond pendin" an indictment( Shortly after his release, Dre Ali died at his home in Chica"o on )#ly %6, .7%7([.4] Although the e8act circumstances of his death are un9nown, speculation was that it was due to in;uries received at the hands of the police or from being beaten b$ other members of the 'oorish communit$,(!6) or even pneumonia%(!7) ,owever, one 'oor told the Chicago Defender that AThe 3rophet was not illC his wor9 was done and he laid his head upon the lap of one of his followers and passed outA%(!") At the 1nity Conference later that year, the "o$ernors declared C( 8irkman ,ey as the s#ccessor to Dre Ali, namin" him +rand Sheik( *o e$er, )ohn +i$ens 'l, Dre !s cha#ffe#r, declared that he as Dre reincarnated, leadin" to a di$ision ithin the temples %(+/)

[edit] The .736!s

&n the .736!s the comm#nity as f#rther split hen Wallace Fard M#hammad, kno n ithin the ch#rch as Da$id Ford0'l, also claimed to be the reincarnation of Dre Ali% When his claims ere re9ected he broke a ay from the Moorish Science Temple and mo$ed to Detroit to form his "ro#p, hich o#ld e$ent#ally become the Nation of &slam( Despite the turmoil and defections the church grew% &t is estimated that church membership in the !"#/*s reached #/,///, with ma;or congregations in 3hiladelphia, Detroit, and <hicago,(+!) a communit$ large enough to support two publications: the Moorish Guide National and Moorish Science Monitor%

[edit] F,& s#r$eillance

D#rin" World War &&, the Science Temple :specifically the 8irkman ,ey faction; "ot the attention of the F,&, ho falsely s#spected the Moors of collaboratin" ith )apan% The 12& was alarmed b$ doctrines and prophecies that the world order would one da$ invert and put the Asiatics of the world bac9 in charge, as the Temple taught was the original order of things% The 12& created a file on the organi ation which grew to #,!!6 pages, but produced no evidence of an$ connection or even much s$mpath$ between the -mpire of Japan and the temple% &t is estimated that in the !"4/*s the communit$ had !/,/// members in !4 temples%(++)

[edit] Factions
: wi9i:& mage: The ne#trality of this section is disp#ted( 3lease see the discussion on the tal9 page% This section has been tagged since December +//6%

=nbal anced Dscale s%svg : wi9i:& mage: =nbal anced Dscale s%svg ,ro C( 8irkman0,ey [.], the <rophet=s translator, became the head of what would eventuall$ be the largest group, and which currentl$ claims the name A'oorish .cience Temple of America, &ncA% This came about over him splitting awa$ from the Erand 2od$ in !"#0, in disagreement with the head - 'eal$ -l over the usage of a selfFproclaimed title A.upreme Erand Advisor and 'oderatorA which did not e8ist within the group% <urrentl$, this faction of the 'oorish .cience Temple of America has been particularl$ successful in the prisons% Another faction developed into the soFcalled Reincarnated Temples, led b$ the 3rophetGs former chauffeur, 2ro% John Eivens -l, who thereafter called himself ANoble Drew Ali, ReincarnatedA% Eivens -l, and the brothers Richardson DingleF-l and Timoth$ Dingle -l who succeeded him, taught that the 3rophethood of Noble Drew Ali remained intact and passed on to them at the death of each before them, similar to the succession of authorit$ from father to son or grandson in .hia &smaGili &slam% 1rom the wor9 of the Dingle -l brothers came the splits of the Temple No% !#, and the creation of a faction headed in 2altimore, 'D, called the Noble Hrder of 'oorish .ufis (+) in 2altimore% 1ounded b$ the former Erand 'ufti .ultan Rafi .harif 2e$ on Jul$ 6, !"46, this group later led to the founding of the 'oorish Hrthodo8 <hurch and the 'oorish Ieague% The Hrder of the Resurrection with its .econd ,eaven Hrder of four degrees was coF written b$ .hei9 Rafi .harif 2e$ and .hei9 Timoth$ Dingle -l% The smallest faction contin#ed their faithf#lness to the ori"inal teachin"s of Noble Dre Ali and his s#ccessor hom he appointed ,ro( '( Mealy 'l as the +rand Sheik>S#preme +rand Sheik % This faction is still in e8istence, but with probabl$ the fewest adherents out of the threeC this group claims true lineage to the 3rophet, and has various followings b$ a few separate factions formerl$ held together b$ 'eal$ -l*s stepFgrandson D% 2aile$ -l (e8 Erand Eovernor, now e8pelled for embe lement), succeeded b$ .hei9s in <hicago that he appointed prior to his official termination as Erand Eovernor and .hei9C that particular grand bod$ has a few temples throughout the countr$ and are continuing the wor9s of Noble Drew Ali%

[edit] The <rophet!s teachin"s

The ,ol$ Boran of the 'oorish .cience Temple of America is held to be a collection of 9nowledge 9ept secret b$ the 'oslems of the -ast, now brought bac9 to light b$ the 3rophet% As such, Noble Drew Ali did not claim to be the author of the wor9, per se, although the final section of the Boran, <hapters 04F07, are in his proverbial hand% The 8oran is in three ma9or sections( Chapters %0.7 contain the lost history of )es#s as a child and yo#n" man, *is tra$els and teachin"s in <alestine, '"ypt, '#rope, and &ndia% The ministry of )ohn the ,aptist also fi"#res hea$ily in this section% The most probable so#rce for this material is the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ, altho#"h the man credited ith this ork, ?e$i *( Do lin", as in the case of Noble Dre Ali, did not claim a#thorship, b#t rather s#""ests that it is a re$ealed, pre0 e@istin" te@t( The second ma9or section of the 8oran, Chapters %6055, seems to be deri$ed from the Ancient '"yptian te@t #sed by the Aosicr#cians called Unto Thee I Grant, and consists lar"ely of disc#ssions of $ario#s aspects of the h#man condition% The third and final section, apparentl$ penned b$ Noble Drew Ali, himself, contains a collection of histories of Asiatic peoples and the founding of <hristianit$, as well as an overview of the mission and intent of the .cience Temple% &n addition to these three sections, <hapter ! serves as a sort of <reation stor$, a discussion of the fundamental nature of humans, how the$ came into being, and what their relationship to Eod is% This chapter is a slightl$ revised section from the introduction to Ievi ,% Dowling*s te8t rather than from the Aquarian Gospel% There is also

a Juic9 epilogue between <hapters !" and +/, summing up the events portra$ed in the first section as the stor$ of the lives of Jesus and John the 2aptist% A ma;or theme of the 'oorish .cience Temple is teaching or returning nationalit$ to members of the Asiatic Nation of North America% The Science Temple as an early proponent of the ,lack <o er mo$ement in America, and Marc#s +ar$ey is celebrated by the Moorish Science Temple as the Forer#nner of the <rophet( The temple*s doctrine was that of racial tolerance and eJualit$, and the structure of the religion theoreticall$ embraced all races% Dre Ali ta#"ht that Moors ere BAsiaticB, that there are only t o races on the planet, '#ropeans and Asiatics% The peoples of Asia, Africa, and the <acific, as ell as ?atin Americans, and indi"eno#s peoples of the Americas are all considered Asiatic, as ell as Moslems in Moorish Science Temple teachin"s% Dre ta#"ht that '#ropeans represent the B?o er SelfB :Satan;, and ere dri$en o#t of Mecca by the Asiatic Moslems % Dre said that the empo erment of the Moorish people co#ld only be fo#nd thro#"h an acceptance of &slam, altho#"h the Moorish Science Temple!s definition of &slam as $ery different from the con$entional one, and as more of a theosophistic combination of many reli"ions, incl#din" ,#ddhism and indi"eno#s reli"ions% The theolog$ of the church was lenient and inconsistent, if not nonFe8istent, although there were consistent themes of universal love and pride% Doctrine of the temple was unconventional, including stories about <hrist and Apollo battling, and the Eree9 Eods watching over his tomb before his resurrection, as well as the descendants of .ubF.aharan Africans should be referred to as A'oorsA or A'oorish AmericansA instead of Negroes, 2lac9s, or toda$, AfricanFAmericans%

[edit] The <rophet!s practices

Members of the Temple ear feCes, and a t#rban :incl#din" Dre , ho ore a Cherokee feather in his; and add the suffi8es 2e$ or -l to their names to signif$ their 'oorish heritage% The #shers of the Temple ore black feCCes, and the leader of a partic#lar temple as kno n as a +rand Sheik, or +o$ernor% Drew began to teach the 'oorish Americans how to become better citi ens, and ma9e more impassioned speeches, urging 'oors to re;ect the derogator$ labels such as 2lac9, colored, and NegroK and for Americans of all races to re;ect hate and embrace love% ,e believed that <hicago would become a second 'ecca, and the temple began selling remedies such as 'oorish Tea and issuing members of the church membership cards that authori ed them as 'oslems and declared that the$ were citi ens of the =nited .tates% Dre Ali as also kno n to ha$e had se$eral i$es,[%3] and accordin" to the Chicago Defender he co#ld marry and di$orce at ill%

[edit] Notes
!% +% #% 0% 4% 5% 6% 7% "% !/% !!% !+% !#% !0% !4% D ?ilson, p% !4C Eome , p% +/#C 3aghdiwalaC gale Eroup% D ?ilson, p, !4% D Eome and 3aghdiwala give both versions% D ?ilson, or Eome , p% +/4% D 3aghdiwala% D 2oth ?ilson% D ?ilson, p% #/, who reproduces a !"+6 fl$er for a AEreat 'oorish DramaA in which Drew Ali Awill be bound with several $ards of rope as Jesus was bound at the Temple of Jerusalem % % % and will escape in a few secondsA% D Eome , p% +/5% Turner, p% "+% D 3aghdiwalaC ?ilson% D 3aghdiwala, p% +#% D 3aghdiwala% D ?ilson, p% +"% D Chicago Tribune% D Chicago Tribune% D Eale%

!5% !6% !7% !"% +/% +!% ++% +#%

D Chicago Defender, Jul$ +6, !"+"% D 'c<loud, p% !7C ?ilson, p% #4% D .copino% D Luoted b$ 3aghdiwala, p% +0% D 'c<loud, p% !7% D 3aghdiwala, p% +5% D 'c<loud, p% !6% D Chicago Tribune and Chicago Defender%

[edit] Aeferences

Chicago Defender (!"+") ADrew Ali, *3rophet* of 'oorish <ult, Dies .uddenl$A, Jul$ +6, !"+", page !% Chicago Tribune (!"+") A<ult ,ead Too9 Too 'uch 3ower, ?itnesses .a$A, 'a$ !0, !"+"% Eale Eroup, ATimoth$ DrewA (!""") Religious Leaders of A erica, +nd ed%, !"""% Reproduced in 2iograph$ Resource <enter% 1armington ,ills, 'ich%: Thomson Eale% +//6%(#) Eome , 'ichael A% (+//4) !lac" Crescent# The $%perience and Legac& of African Musli s in the A ericas, <ambridge =niversit$ 3ress, &.2NF!/: /4+!70/"4#% 'c<loud, Aminah (!""0) African A erican 'sla , Routledge% 3adhdiwala, Tasneem (+//6) AThe Aging of the 'oorsA, Chicago Reader, November !4, +//6, Mol #6 No 7, online version here% .copino Jr%, A% J% (+//!) A'oorish .cience Temple of AmericaA, in (rgani)ing !lac" A erica# An $nc&clopedia of African A erican Associations, Nina ';ag9i;, ed%, Earland 3ublishing, p% #05% Turner, Richard 2rent (+//#) 'sla in the African*A erican $%perience, =niversit$ of &ndiana 3ress, &.2NF!/: /+4#+!5#/#% ?ilson, 3eter Iamborn (!""#) Sacred Drift# $ssa&s on the Margins of 'sla , <it$ Iights 2oo9s, &.2NF!/: /76+75+644%

[edit] '@ternal links

Asiatic 'issionar$ b$ Rashid -l The <ircle .even Boran 12& .urveillance Documents of the 'oorish .cience Temple <hris Nambelis, A1lorida AfricanFAmerican Eroup &nspired b$ alFLaeda &deolog$,A +a esto,n -oundation Terroris -ocus. Molume #, &ssue +6, Jul$ !!, +//5% 1ran9 Iewis -l 2e$ O Iawrence Ross -l factional website ,istor$ of the 'oorish .cience Temple, Noble Hrder of 'oorish .ufis, and &slam in America The &mmortal 2irth 2oo9, 'oorish .cience Temple The 'asons and the 'oors The 'oorish ,ol$ Boran and other documents online 'oorish .cience in the news ?orld ?ar 0 Report, .ept% +!, +//4 The 'oorish .cience Reading Room run b$ members of the 'oorish Hrthodo8 <hurch 'oorish .cience Temple The Divine and National 'ovement of North America &nc%, P!# (wesbite of the Newar9 Temple) The 'oorish .cience Temple of America, &nc% Noble Drew Ali featured in an article on A&ndigenous &slamA

=niversit$ of The 'oorish .cience Temple of America Retrieved from Ahttp:::en%wi9ipedia%org:wi9i:'oorishD.cienceDTempleDofDAmericaA <ategories: African American Q American &slamic organi ations Q Religious organi ations established in !"!# ,idden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Q Articles with unsourced statements since Januar$ +//7 Q N3HM disputes from December +//6

Noble Drew Ali (!775 F !"+") F 1ind A Erave 'emorial: .even .eals 3ublications