By: Brother Khalid

Brother Khalid — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:26:36 +0000

I too was and still am insulted by the publishing of Farakhan’s words in the centerfold which was reserved for our beloved leader and companion.
I was further disgusted and utterly appalled when an Imam’s response to Farakhan was challenged by Ayesha K. Mustapha and D. Shahid Abdul Kareem.
The hypocrisy was evident when they said …”perhaps someone would have felt that ‘if the Muslim Journal had not blocked him (Farakhan), he would have gotten a response from the Imams.’ Let the full picture be shown!” end quote. The problem is this.. if you truly wanted the “full” picture Ayesha and D. Shaheed, why did you CHALLENGE and criticise Imam Michael Saahir when he did beautifully, and respectfully respond to Farakhan with a most scholarly admonishment and correction??? You could have voiced your opinion without trying to accuse the Imam of “self righteousness” “being judgemental” “turning others away from faith” “Standing at the top of the barrel and slaming the cover shut on others after we have made it out”
Why did you respond to him in such a nasty tone but he couldn’t respond to Farakhan?? Why did you interfere with the “full” picture?
And your comment about our community not having to be “spoon fed” everything. Why would you think that you have to “spoon feed” us your zibalah about self righteousness?? We did not need you to “spoon feed us your response about being accepting. Surely we all didn’t need YOU to spoon feed us a khutbah. You lost your objectivity and the article you published speaks volumes of your bias and double standards. I’m appalled and have not purchased a Muslim journal since

By: Imam Marshall Musa Muslim Abuwi

Imam Marshall Musa Muslim Abuwi — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:09:46 +0000

Dear Brother Muhammad Siddeeq,
I, and The Booker T. Washington Family, offer our sincerest expressions of sympathy and condolences for your losses, to you and to your family.
I loved Imam W. Deen Mohammed, and so did my mother, the grand-daughter of the Honorable Booker T. Washington. He was my personal friend, my brother, my leader and my teacher. And he was my life-saver – literally. But when a brother imam called me and informed me that Imam W. Deen Mohammed had passed; like millions of other believers in Al-Islam, I recited the traditional words: “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiuun.” Surely we are Allah’s and surely we will return to Him.”
Each one of us creatures of Almighty Allah has a time, and surely we must all return to our Creator.
Imam Mohammed forged a new Islamic Community out of old Lost-Found Nation of Islam, a psuedo-Islamic social reform movement. It is incorrect, though, to say that The old “Nation of Islam, under the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, was not based upon the religion of Al-Islam. I know this because my first imam was the “immigrant Muslim” from India who trained The Honorable Elijah Mohammed (Muhammad) in the religion of Al-Islam. That teacher of both me, the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, and Imam W. D. Mohammed (and thousands of others) was none other than Professor Mohammed Abdullah aka Master Wallace D. Fard Mohammed (”Prophet Fard”). I can testify that what “Master Fard Mohammed” gave me, in the person (identity) of Professor Mohammed Abdullah, was the true teaching of Al-Islam; not the lessons that he gave the Honorable Elijah Mohammed to make us learn in the Temples of Islam.
In 1975, the old “Nation of Islam in the Wilderness of North America” was imploding due to massive corruption, from Mosque Number Two Central Point, all the way to the East and West Coasts. I know this because I witnessed it with my own eyes on the West Coast. Imam W. D. Mohammed’s ascension to the leadership in February 1975 literally saved our “community”.
When the Honorable Master Elijah Mohammed generously distributed his book, Our Savious Has Arrived, at the “Last Sermon”, the Savior’s Day convention in Chicago on February 26, 1974, he may not have known it; nor did we know it, but the door was being opened by Almighhty Allah, for our Muslim Community of “Lost-Founds” to be saved by The Honorable Imam W. D. Moahmmed.
Now he has done his work and he has returned to his, and our, Creator.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught us tht we are now part of the world-wide Ummat of Al-Islam. There is only one Ummat of Al-Islam. It is global and it is universal. Whenever I travel throughout the globe, I never feel like I am part of a separate “community” of “so-called Negro” Muslims residing in America. I feel, and I am treated as, one of the over one billion Muslims world-wide, that belong to one Islamic community.
I do not believe that The Muslim Journal needs to be the only newspaper to address the concerns that indigenous Muslims of African descent in America have. Many newspapers are being published online now, as are The Muslim Journal and the Final Call, and The Chicago Tribune and New York Times, for example. I do not know who owns The Muslim Journal, but under the laws of the United States, their editor and publisher may print or withhold whatever articles they chose. I do not know what the copyright laws pertaining to the repprinting or republication of religious and scholarly works of public fiqures, such as Imam W. D. Mohammed are, but hopefully, the editor of a different publication will continue to republish Imam Mohammed’s writings. These writings must be made available for scholars to study.
If patrons of the Muslim Journal are unhappy with its editorial direction, they certainly can, and should, “vote with our feet” if our feedback to the editor and publisher does not result in changes with which we are pleased.
In terms of Imam Mohammed’s “community”, I believe that he dissolved that when he, in effect, dissolved The American Society of Muslims. Today, I am encouraged by the fact that many of us still continue to have a feeling, and to some extent, a structure of “community life” – however, I am personally advocating that the American Society of Muslim Descendants of Slaves become organized to continue to build “New Africa” and to implement the vision of our late leader, teacher and guide, Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
When my great-granfather, the Honorable Dr. Booker T. Washington died on November 14, 1915 (the victim of an assassination, I believe)- his “community” died with him, but his legacy lived on, and still lives in me and in many others who have pursued his vision. New organizations have come and gone that bear, or bore, Dr. Booker T. WAshington’s name. But his spirit and his work live on, even though his philosophy of race relations has been much maligned over the past century. No matter what the editor and publisher of The Muslim Journal chose to do, or not to do, to publish or not to publish – the great work of The Honorable Dr. Imam W. Deen Mohammed must be carried on. “We can’t stop now!”
I believe the “followers” of Imam W. D. Moahmmed should send funds for the support of Imam Mohammed’s widow. At least while she needs such support. The issue concerning the injustices done to her by some members of Imam Mohammed’s family and staff is in the court of Allah; and Allah will see that she is given what Imam Mohammed desired for her to have of his estate.
Most importantly, I believe that all who have become close, as brothers and sisters, as the result of our association with Imam W. Deen Moahmmed, should still hold on to that closeness. But I do sincerely believe that we need a national business organization (my great-grnadfather helped establish the National (Negro) Business League). I belueve that organization should publish its own national weekly newspaper, based upon an editorial publicy that the national business organization decides. And I believe that the organization shoud hire the editors and journalists available to run the paper.
Thank you all for any comments to my expressions.
Imam Marshall Musa Muslim Abuwi, M. A. M.Ed.
Email responses to: Musaabuwi@yahoo.com

By: Sonya Ahmad

Sonya Ahmad — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:22:15 +0000

As Salaamu Alaikum,
Bro. Siddeeq,I thank you for having the courage and persistence in keeping us informed of these very difficult matters.I received a called from a very upset sister in Calif.,who just rec’d the Muslim Journal you are speaking about with Min. Farrakhan.She is cancelling her subscription;in addition to this article, she attended the Ramadan session when Ayesha was very blatant and rude to a brother that tried to address the mistreatment of Khadijah,not allowing him to speak ,etc.;and also becoming aware of her not allowing anyone to express thru the Journal support for Imam Mohammeds’ honor and respect and acknowledgement of his wife – Khadijah.I’m more so disappointed than shocked at this behavior.There are Imams and believers that would like an investigation done to know what were the circumstances surrounding Imam Mohammeds’ death.How can we support this request ? Online petition, letter writing ?

Comments on: What message is sent when headlining Minister Farrakhan in the Muslim Journal and publishing his words in the centerfold where Imam W.D. Mohammed’s articles appeared?

By: Brother Khalid

By: Imam Marshall Musa Muslim Abuwi

By: Sonya Ahmad