THE EVOLUTION OF REVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT
From the beginning man have always resisted being enslaved or in forced servitude by others. Slavery has never had a more devastating effect on any race of people than it had on the African American community. That is to say that slavery for African Americans was instituted with a more diabolical purpose than on others, as it was meant to reduce the human being to a level below that of what God created us for, thus producing a perpetual beast of burden. The Institution of Slavery sought to replace our worship to God with the servitude of mortal man. Being brought to America we had no one to speak for us, or inquire about what happen to us, not even those of the land from whence we were taken. In fact all we had was our original human spirit, for this they could not break. Everything else that constituted us as a people in terms of cultural and ethnic identity was erased from us so we had no knowledge of the customs and traditions of our Mother Land.
Perhaps the best definition we can identify as an example of the human spirit is during the first outbreak of the war between England and the colonies that had formed a bond of unity between themselves for the purpose of liberating themselves from The Crown. An African that had been a slave on a plantation in the colonies still identified with the urge to be free in those colonial soldiers. It is reported that this man named Crispus Attucks had already escaped to freedom, and worked on the docks in Boston, Massachusetts. When British soldiers came to put down the unrest among the colonists under their rule, it was Crispus Attucks who lead the first charge for the freedom of America against the tyranny of the British, and thus it was Attucks who became the first to die for the freedom on our nation.
Down through the annals of history, the struggle for freedom has taken on many forms some have been violent, some in slaves running away from their slave masters, while a very few were able to purchase their freedom over time. Some of the most notable leaders who lead revolts against slavery were Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia considered the first uprising among slaves. The Stono Rebellion of 1739 lead by a man whose only name we know was Jemmy gathered at the Stono River in Florida and began march to freedom burning structures and killing every white person in their pathway on their way to St. Augustine, Florida where under Spanish rule there was no slavery. We also know of Sojourner Truth who was an abolitionist and a women’s rights advocate, Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad, Mary McLeod Bethune and many others whose quest for freedom wasn’t for them as individuals, but for all the oppressed.
Today that same spirit that God created in the human being is still alive and well and the struggle continues. Since slavery as our ancestors knew it during those days doesn’t exist anymore, we find that control of the minds of the people is still prevalent and much more sophisticated. In today’s world we witness the destruction of the institutions that support family and community life, our political system is ran by those who sell themselves to the highest bidder. Our educational system is designed to make the students wards of the state, and the religious institutions especially in the African American community are so spiritual that the community for the most part cannot see the need for business development on the level that would make our community equal with others in terms of economic freedom and political influence.
We recognize the fact that the same evil mentality that oversaw the Institution of Slavery in those days, still operates today in a more subtle fashion through media, music, fads, fashions and celebrity watch, It reduces the minds of the masses to shallow and non thinkers concerned with only the next big thing. If we are to be truly free, not only as a people, it is imperative that we become self sufficient providing for the needs of self and community. We must identify those services that we spend our resources on and begin to provide them for self like others do. We must operate our own educational facilities so as to be the ones who shape and mold the thinking of our future generations. As stated above, our economic and educational development will give rise to more political influence and we as a people will be able to claim our own position along with others and not only get the respect that we deserve, but be among the decision makers in the direction of human society.
The human spirit is given to us by Allah, and even if all else is taken from us, that spirit still remains. It has struggled for freedom using the various means available and appropriate for the times. We now live in the time known in scripture as The Battle In The Sky, the sky meaning the highest part of our human makeup, or the minds for men. We have to think on a higher level to understand that its not about race, never has been. its about control materially and politically and race is just one of the tools in the arsenal used for that purpose. We must work to unite humanity as one. Even though we all come from various traditions, customs, and ethnic backgrounds, the one element that connec
ts us all is the human spirit.
REDEFINING AL ISLAM FOR THE WORLD
(THE ROLE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSLIM)
We Are A New People – God Has Created Us Again
For us in America we (African Americans) are a new people. Before slavery and our being brought to the North and our presence now here on this Earth, there were no people such as we are, on this planet. We are definitely a new social group on this planet. God has created us again. The children were empty of their life and put in slavery; and God has restored the Human life to the Human vessel again and we are another people, a new people on this planet.
You who study psychology and the development of society you will definitely agree with me. Because I’m not only speaking with respect for my knowledge, I’m speaking with respect for science. The science of human life and nature of society.
We are a new people. We are definitely a new people on this planet earth. We didn’t exist before. So, we are new thinkers. We don’t think like Africans, we don’t think like White people – we think like us. We don’t think like Arabs, we don’t think like Asians – we think like us.
Now, why should the Islamic world be deprived of Islam being expressed through a new and innocent vessel? IWDM (raa)
THE NEED FOR A NEW SCHOLARSHIP:
As we see in the news and in the public discourse today, there is much confusion and mis- information regarding the truth about the religion of Al Islam.When ever there is a question that needs clarification about the Deen (Faith), those who seek to interview Muslims will usually ask immigrants who have moved here from foreign countries perceived to be Muslim countries, and they assume that they know more about the religion than others.
While these are highly educated Muslims, and their knowledge and insights regarding Al Islam is vast, there still is something missing in their explanation of our faith, and that is the ability for them to move the religion to the next level of understanding so that its application is relevant to the life of the Muslim in today’s environment.
That is to say that the understanding of Quranic text must be in an evolutionary state in order to understand and apply Al Islam without changing the words in Allah’s Revelation.
Also, many of our immigrant brothers and sisters, although they recognize Prophet Mohammed (sws) as the Prophet that he really is, they follow the teachings of the various schools of thought, and the scholars as opposed to what Prophet Mohammed has brought, and this have lead to much confusion, and innovations in the religion such as sects like sunni and shi’a and this have led to much tribalism and bloodletting, so hence, the need for a new scholarship.
After the passing of the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, the leader of the Nation of Islam, his son Wallace D. Mohammed stepped into the role of leadership, and the very first task he undertook was to bring the estimated millions of followers of his father the Honorable Elijah Mohammed from black nationalism influenced by Islam, to the full life of what it means to live the life of a true Muslim.
He brought the community to the practice of reading the Holy Quran on a regular basis, and following the example of Prophet Mohammed. We also put the pillars of the faith is full effect. We went from a nationalistic form of thinking, to accepting all of humanity as members of Allah’s human family.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed not only taught our community the religion proper, but he taught scripture symbolism and interpretation of both Bible and Quran, as well as the workings of government and society at all levels, and how to apply our evolved understanding to the society so as to be able to Remake The World.
Lastly, while we as students of Imam Mohammed continue to recognize and teach the coming generations about the different schools of thought, and the impact of the scholars, we also see our own responsibility to not only expand on and bring more clarity to the contributions of the early scholars, but the need to produce our own original writings and publications to add to the great wisdom that’s already established.
Additionally, we must emphasis the fact that its time for the various religions to see themselves as more than mere titles and labels, but indeed the real purpose that we were created for, and that is to serve God through our service to humanity. To do this we must begin to address each other as persons, as opposed to religious labels. The purpose of religion is to unite humanity, not to perpetuate division. We must see religion in its universal context as obedience to God.
Thank you for your generous support.
Imam Yahya Shabazz