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''Muhammad Speaks'' was one of the most widely read
newspapers
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...
ever produced by an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
organization. It was the official newspaper of the
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930.
A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
from 1960 to 1975, founded by a group of
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 – February 25, 1975) was an African American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah, who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his de ...
's ministers, including
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Is ...
.
[Washington, C. Eric (1994), ''The Black Muslims in America'', Third Edition, William B. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: history Publishing Company), pp. 127–129.] After Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, it was renamed several times after
Warith Deen Mohammed
Warith Deen Mohammed (born Wallace D. Muhammad; October 30, 1933 – September 9, 2008), also known as W. Deen Mohammed, Imam W. Deen Muhammad and Imam Warith Deen, was an African-American Muslim leader, theologian, philosopher, Muslim revi ...
moved the Nation of Islam into mainstream Sunni Islam, culminating in ''The Muslim Journal''.
A number of rival journals were also published, including ''
The Final Call
''The Final Call'' () is a newspaper published in Chicago. It was founded in 1979 by Minister Louis Farrakhan and serves as the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. The magazine acts as the group's tool to spread their agenda, goals and ...
'' under Louis Farrakhan, claiming to continue the message of the original.
Origins
Nation of Islam leader
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 – February 25, 1975) was an African American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah, who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his de ...
began the publication in May 1960.
[Edward E. Curtis, ''Islam in Black America: identity, liberation, and difference in African-American Islamic thought'', SUNY Press, 2003, p. 74.] Its first issue bore the title ''Some of this Earth to Call Our Own or Else''. A weekly publication, it was distributed nationwide by the N.O.I. and covered current events around the world as well as relevant news in African-American communities, especially items concerning the Nation of Islam itself.
The paper was sold door-to-door and on street corners by Nation of Islam members (
Fruit of Islam
The Fruit of Islam (FOI) is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue, brown or white uniforms and caps and have units at all N ...
), at select newsstands in major cities and in the temples of the Nation of Islam. In his ''
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
''The Autobiography of Malcolm X'' was published in 1965, the result of a collaboration between civil and human rights activist Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. Haley coauthored the autobiography based on a series of in-depth interviews he ...
'', activist Malcolm X claimed to have founded the newspaper, but this has not been independently confirmed. According to the current Nation of Islam, Malcolm X helped create ''Mr. Muhammad Speaks'', a different newspaper distributed locally in New York City.
Notably, ''Mr. Muhammad Speaks'' and ''Muhammad Speaks'' have nearly identical layout, content and journalistic approach, suggesting that ''Mr. Muhammad Speaks'' provided the foundation for ''Muhammad Speaks''.
It is also believed that
Jabir Herbert Muhammad had a hand in starting the paper.
In addition to FOI-based ventures,
Askia Muhammad
Askia Muhammad (March, 1945 – February 17, 2022) born Charles K. Moreland at Yazoo, Mississippi was an American poet, journalist, radio producer, commentator, and photojournalist. He was awarded multiple times by the National Association of Blac ...
had used the nation's
African-American press
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
to publicize the organization and his views. In the 1950s his regular column in the ''
Pittsburgh Courier
The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States.
It was acqu ...
'', at the time the nation's largest black-owned newspaper, generated more letters to the editor than any other feature in the newspaper.
Renamings
Following the death of Elijah Muhammad, his son and successor
Warith Deen Muhammad
Warith Deen Mohammed (born Wallace D. Muhammad; October 30, 1933 – September 9, 2008), also known as W. Deen Mohammed, Imam W. Deen Muhammad and Imam Warith Deen, was an African-American Muslim leader, theologian, philosopher, Muslim revival ...
renamed the newspaper ''Bilalian News'' in 1976. The title was a reference to
Bilal ibn Rabah, the first known black African follower of the prophet Muhammad. The renaming was part of Warith Deen's project to realign the Nation of Islam with mainstream Sunni Islam.
The newspaper was renamed once more in 1981, becoming ''World Muslim News'', and was finally given the name ''Muslim Journal'', which is still in circulation today.
Competing titles
In 1979, Minister
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader, black supremacist, anti-white and antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and former singer who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI). Prior to joining the NOI, h ...
founded ''
The Final Call
''The Final Call'' () is a newspaper published in Chicago. It was founded in 1979 by Minister Louis Farrakhan and serves as the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. The magazine acts as the group's tool to spread their agenda, goals and ...
'', a
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
published in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, that serves as the official communications organ of the current
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930.
A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
, which had been re-founded in reaction to Warith Deen's reforms. The title derives from the original newspaper of The Nation of Islam, called ''The Final Call to Islam'', published by Elijah Muhummad in the 1940s.
There are a number of publications that hold claims to continuing in the tradition of the original paper, such as "Muhammad Speaks Newspaper"
published out of
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, by Minister Levi Karim, and one of the same name published by Minister Wasim Muhammad in
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
. The ''Muhammad Speaks'' in Detroit and Camden is published by followers of Elijah Muhammad who assert that they hold on to the traditional practices of Elijah Muhammad.
See also
*
Richard Durham
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
– creator of the radio series ''
Destination Freedom
''Destination Freedom'' was a weekly radio program produced by WMAQ in Chicago from 1948 to 1950 that presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans such as George Washington Carver, Satchel Paige, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tu ...
'', who also edited ''Muhammad Speaks''
References
External links
*
*
{{Portal bar, Civil Rights Movement, Journalism, 1960s, 1970s
Nation of Islam
Defunct African-American newspapers