Wilford Darden (director of Jesus is Alpha & Omega Ministry, 9121 Stella Link #C, Houston, TX 77025) as they discuss the bizarre teachings of this 20th Century religion founded by a white man named Wallace Fard during the 1930s in Detroit, Michigan. Fard had been released from San Quentin Prison after serving 3 years on a drug trafficking charge & came to Detroit as a door to door salesman but soon claimed to be the "Supreme Ruler of the Universe." He passed himself off to Black Americans as a mystic and a prophet from the Middle East & soon had a following of 8000 strong which began the "Nation of Islam." An unemployed Georgia migrant worker, Elijah Poole, was renamed "Elijah Muhammad" by Fard. Then, in 1934, Fard himself mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again, & Elijah Muhammad became his successor for the next 41 years. He taught that even though Fard was believed to be Allah in human form, when Fard died, Allah did not die. God then manifested Himself in Elijah Muhammad who was revealed to be the "Messiah" of the Jews, the "Jesus" of the Christians, & the "Mahdi" of Muslims. In 1975 Elijah Muhammad died & his son, Wallace Muhammad, took over, only to disband the Nation of Islam seeking to return to more traditional Islam. Shortly thereafter, Louis Farrakhan broke away from Wallace Muhammad & reorganized the Nation of Islam, assuming absolute control of its leadership. Farrakhan has said, "I am Messiah, Elijah Muhammad was raised by Master Farad Muhammad to become the Messiah & he raised me to become the little Messiah."
This is part 1 of a 3 part series that has been done as a sequel to the original 2 part series that first aired on public access TV. |
