The ‘Nation of Islam’ is Not Islam

There is a great deal of confusion about the group known as the Nation of Islam, currently led by Louis Farrakhan. Although the group’s name implies that it is part of the Islamic religion, its beliefs diverge so greatly from Islam that most Muslims consider it to be a different religion.

Don’t let the name fool you. I could start a group and call it “The Christian Church of Jesus” but unless my beliefs matched those of Christianity, the name wouldn’t mean anything. It’s the same with the Nation of Islam.

Below are some links to articles by Muslims about the Nation of Islam, including point-by-point comparison of NOI beliefs and Islamic beliefs to show that the two are mutually contradictory. I hope this will help clarify the issue, God willing.

The Nation of Islam should be understood as an independent religious tradition that has adopted Islamic elements rather than as an Islamic sect.

‘Nation of Islam’ or Nation of Kufr?, from Nida’ul Islam

Abusing the Word Islam: The Nation of Islam, from Muslim Students Association, University of Southern California

Comparison Between Islam and Farrakhanism, by the Institute of Islamic Information and Education

Farrakhanism, a collection of articles

Farrakhanism and the Nation of Islam, a collection of articles

How Louis Farrakhan Has ‘Duped’ the Muslim World, from TROID Publications

Islam is Not Nation of Islam, a collection of articles

Regarding the ‘Nation of Islam’, by Moiz Amjad

The ‘Nation of Islam’ Exposed, by A. Idris Palmer

The Nation of Islam: Fact or Fraud?, from The Islamic Garden

The Problem with the ‘Nation of Islam’, by Michael Young

see also:

Nation of Islam is Not Islamic, by Scott Allen Miller

Once we stop confusing the Nation of Islam and its beliefs with orthodox Islam, we can look at it as an independent religious tradition. Viewed that way, it provides a new perspective on the African-American experience. Here are some articles that trace the history of the NOI and how various black nationalist movements have adopted Islamic elements to enrich their culture.

A Brief Look at the Roots and Development of The Nation of Islam, by Bradley Price Roderick

Black Gods of the Inner City, Prince-A-Cuba

Early Black Nationalist Movements, by Norman H. Coombs, Ph.D.

East of the Sun (West of the Moon): Islam, the Ahmadis, and African America, Moustafa Bayoumi

Islam in the Mix: Lessons of the Five Percent, thoughts on an NOI offshoot group by Ted Swedenburg

Islam, a traditional and growing spiritual point, by African American Registry

Religious Movements Homepage: Nation of Islam, from the University of Virginia

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