), Mecca-born founder of the Nation of Islam (sometimes called Black Muslim) movement in the United States. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/legal-and-political-magazines/fard-w-d-c-1877-1934-religious-and-political-leader, "Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader Others have suggested that he was a Druze or a Shiite."[51]. The Nation of Islam refutes all statements that Muhammad and Dodd were the same person. Elijah Muhammad, who took the position of leader of the Nation of Islam after Fard's disappearance, railed agaist the media claims that Ford was Fard. [45] According to the FBI story, Fard was a "Muslim from Turkey who had come to the United States in the early 1900s. He stated that he was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a Black African father and a Russian Jewish mother, from the Caucasus. He was drawn to return to the United States in order to liberate the African-Americans from their half-slave and half-free condition. Islam in the African AmericanExperience. The organizations humble origins in the Hastings Street Temple of Detroits Paradise Valley are little known, as is the story of the enigmatic Wallace D. Fard. And those who follow the Apostle would see the Light. Fard appears in the novel Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, in which Fard's Detroit Temple No. Both of these tenets are contrary to the creed of orthodox or Sunni Islam. The FBI were confident that Wallace Dodd Ford was, in fact, Wallace Fard Muhammad. This new movement, known as the Temple People, identifies the prophet, Mr. W. D. Fard, with the God, Allah. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. If he indeed became Fard that would tie in with his advocacy of Islam. [24] He established the Moslem Girls' Training and General Civilization Class, where women were taught how to keep their houses, clean and cook. He arrived in Detroits Paradise Valley on July 4, 1930, in order to achieve this goal. What seems most remarkable is that Fard seems to have utterly disappeared from the governments (especially the FBIs) radar after leaving Detroit in 1933. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Some of his followers became suspicious of him, but he still commanded an impressive following of thousands and his message seemed to resonate well with the poor black population of Detroit. In 1959, the FBI issued a smear story to a Chicago newspaper, claiming Fard was a Turk and a fascist sympathizer who had acted as a Nazi spy during World War II. [32][33], Dodd left his family in 1916 and moved to Los Angeles, using the name Wallie Dodd Ford. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. Before arriving in Detroit in 1930, under the alias of David Ford, he attained a high rank in the Moorish Science Temple, a vaguely Islam-like religion that disbanded that same year. [4], Fard was arrested again on January 20, 1926, for violation of the California Woolwine Possession Act,[39] and on February 15, 1926, for violation of the State Poison Act, for which he was sentenced to six months to six years at San Quentin State Prison on June 12, 1926. Wallace Fard Muhammad was the founder of the Nation of Islam. The culprits vary depending on who's talking. [55] Authors have also cited E. U. Essien-Udom for this proposition as well. On their marriage record, Ford gave his race as Spanish, his birthplace as Oregon, and his age as 26. Contemporary American Religion. The entire movement was placed under a Minister of Islam. He gained a reputation as a healer when his customers, after having adhered to the pork-free diet that Fard espoused, began noticing improvements in their health. His parents were Zared Fard (a New Zealander whose parents were from an area of East India that eventually became Pakistan) and Beatrice (of New Zealands minority British population). Fard offered blacks a credo of moral and cultural superiority to their white oppressors. [19], In the early stage of his ministry, Fard "used the Bible as his textbook, since it was the only religious book with which the majority of his hearers were familiar. Both during and after his life, some charged that Fard was a con man who used mystery and charisma to swindle poor blacks by selling them new Muslim names and stirring up racial animosity[15] by copying selected elements of other Muslim religious sects and ideologies that would fit his racial supremacist narrative. [12], Fard taught a form of black exceptionalism and self-pride to poor Southern blacks during the Great Northward Migration at a time when old ideas of scientific racism were prevalent. Tracing Ford's link to Portland, the FBI determined he had married an 18-year-old Native American girl in 1914 called Pearl Allen. Obviously, there are some major differences of opinion here. Fard through a vent. During our colored and Negro days, he was Black. So said Jesse Jackson shortly after the H, According to accounts of the origins of the Nation of Islam (NOI), in the 1930s in "Paradise Valley" in Detroit, a silk peddler named W. D. Fard bega, The expansion of Islam historically embraces two phenomena. His concepts attracted hundreds of followers to the Allah Temple of Islam (ATI), as he called his group. [64][65] Fard wrote the following for his followers: "[T]he LESSONS that OUR SAVIOUR (ALLAH) gave us to Study and Learn is the Fulfillment of the Prophecies of All the Former Prophets concerning the Beginning of the Devils, and the Ending of the Civilization, and of our Enslavement by the Devils, and Present Time of our Delivery from the Devils by OUR SAVIOUR (ALLAH). WebWallace Muhammad - Disappearance Disappearance In June 1934, Fard left Detroit for Chicago and disappeared without a trace. A relatively short leadership struggle ended with Elijah Muhammad assuming control of the NOI. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). He disappeared in 1934 after several arrests in Detroit and Elijah Muhammad took over as leader of the Nation of Islam. Legends soon sprang up about this mysterious personality. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. But I don't get that instant feeling of recognition and "wow, these guys are obviously the same person! ." [23] Following the rapid increase in membership, he instituted a formal organizational structure. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. At his suggestion, he came back to teach the residents, along with guests. There are two popular theories regarding Ford/Fard's background - that he was the child of a South Asian/Arabic man and a white woman, or the child of a Maori man and a white woman. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. [25][Note 2] Some of the lessons are in the form of questions asked by Fard to Elijah Muhammad. In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. The past History shows that the ALMIGHTY ALLAH sends Prophets and Apostles for the people's Guide and Example, and through them HIS Mystery was Revealed. Fard appeared as a peddler "from the East," selling silks and other sundries and dispensing advice about health and spiritual development to his customers. His color is listed as White. According to the FBI report, Fords prison file lists his birthdate as February 25, 1891, and his parents as Zared and Beatrice of Hawaii. The FBI officially claims this: Fard got into hot water when in May 1933, one of his followers performed a ritual murder as a sacrifice to God. Black Nationalism: A Search for Identity in America. From here on, his teachings became increasingly venomous. The later official view of the Nation of Islam was that he was in Mecca. The men of the organization were drilled by captains and referred to as the Fruit of Islam. r d / (born February 26, 1877) was a co-founder of the Nation of Islam. Also, in many ways, the Nation of Islams depiction of him as God could only work and be credible to potential members if his origins remained obscure and his disappearance permanent.. I remember researching the noi's history and finding out about what you have written. The marriage did not last even a year; Ford accused his wife of being an alcoholic and a bad spender. Message to the Black Man in America. WebParking is abundant-plenty of room for an RV, toys, and multiple vehicles. He taught us that the slave-masters had taught us to eat the wrong food and that this is the cause of our sickness and short span of life. Almost everyday we would have conversations (actually friendly debate) about his faith. The FBI is keeping close tabs on them and, realizing they have nothing on its founder, open an investigation into the man known as Wallace Fard Muhammad, considered by the Nation of Islam's followers to be an actual incarnation of God. Karriem was found to be legally insane and was committed. April 15, 2022. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and had an obscure background and used several aliases. The book Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. The Black Muslims in America. In that year, he established in Detroit the Temple of Islm as well as the University of Islm, which was the temples school, and the Fruit of Islm, a corps of male guards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Fard_Muhammad. The NOI consider Fard to have been a light-skinned black man. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. What would he have thought of it? Fards demise as the leader of the temple was brought upon him when, on Thanksgiving Day in 1932, one of his followers, Robert Harris, renamed Robert Karriem, committed a human sacrifice in order to bring himself closer to Allah. I guess so, because if you compare their features (ears, nose, chin, mouth, eyes and eyebrows), they're very similar. Through his friendly manner he was able to gain access to the homes of poor African Americans and began to teach about their "true religion," not Christianity but the "religion of the Black Man" of Asia and Africa. Ford/Fard lied about his background so many times that it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. And that He was able to force the whole world into submission to his will. Fard, they say, was born in 1877, which would make him 53 in 1930. He agreed to leave Detroit forever in order to receive immunity, and boarded a train bound for Chicago on Dec. 7. Thats not to say that anyone so amorphous is not capable of producing very absolute effects on history. [24], According to Beynon, Fard's followers grew to approximately eight thousand. Contemporary American Religion. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. [citation needed] Harris attended meetings of the Detroit chapter of the Nation of Islam, then also called the Order of Islam, and Allah Temple of Islam, where he was given the name of Robert Karriem. He measured and weighed the earth and its water; the history of the moon; the history of the two nations, black and white, that dominate the earth. Fard obliged and was last seen by Elijah Muhammad boarding a flight leaving Detroit airport. But perhaps most notably, he was the man who founded the Nation of Islam, a political and religious organization that brought Malcolm X, one of the 20th centurys most important Americans, into the spotlight. On the 1920 U.S. Census, Ford gave his race as White, his birthplace as New Zealand, and his age as 26. [66] He was linked to the Pacific Movement of the Eastern World and Japanese agitators such as Satokata Takahashi, and Ashima Takis. They claim Wallace Dodd Ford was not Wallace Fard Muhammad. On the other hand, in a speech made on April 1, 2001, titled The Greatness of Master Fard Muhammad, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reiterated Fards origins in the Holy City of Mecca, and referred to him as the Mahdi, a man absolutely guided by God in the Islam faith. Fard preached that blacks (who were not to be called Negroes) must prepare for an inevitable race war and that Christianity was the religion of slaveowners. var rcel = document.createElement("script"); Ugh, I've been going back and forth for the past ten minutes trying to decide if I think the pictures in link 1 and link 2 are of the same person. There is no doubt Fard had many enemies - even within his own organization. Did Shakespeare actually author the work attributed to his name? At some point, he established a rudimentary church and read from the Bible, drawing in a mainly black Christian audience. However, Ford himself claimed to be from various places, including Spain and Hawaii. In contrast to Fards story, Karl Evanzz, noted NOI authority and author of The Messenger: The Rise and Fall of Elijah Muhammad, has argued that Fard was born Wali Dodd Fard in New Zealand in 1893. [20], With regard to Elijah Muhammad, Beynon's article stated: "From among the larger group of Muslims there has sprung recently an even more militant branch than the Nation of Islam itself. "[62], Fard's lessons actually state that the "traders" referenced by Beynon, came to Africa, not Mecca.[63]. ", Fard used the name "W. F. Muhammad" on several lessons written in 1933 and 1934. According to the version of Elijah, he saw Fard off at the Detroit airport when Fard was being deported. The 2 smear campaigns that were released also have me wondering what the agency hoped to accomplish. "Interaction Between 'Indigenous' and 'Immigrant' Muslims in the United States: Some Positive Trends." Sources: Immigration record of Khanialam Khan https://familysearch.org, FBI report on Wallace Fard Muhammad https://vault.fbi.gov, Mugshots of Wallace Fard Muhammad and Wallie Dodd Ford https://www.findagrave.com, Marriage record of Fred Dodd and Pearl Allen https://www.ancestry.com, Prison file of Wallie Dodd Ford https://www.ancestry.com, Draft registration card of Wallie Dodd Ford https://familysearch.org, Wallie D. Ford on the 1920 U.S. Census https://familysearch.org, Birth record of Fords son, Wallace Max Ford https://familysearch.org, Marriage record of Wallie Dodd Ford and Carmen Trevino https://familysearch.org, William D. Fard on the 1930 U.S. Census https://familysearch.org, Nation of Islam article refuting claims of Dodd and Muhammad being the same person https://www.noi.org. Here in America they were living other than themselves. Using both the Bible and the Qur'an, he began with meetings in houses until he had enough members to rent a storefront, which he called Temple of Islam No. Fard encouraged his followers not to drink alcohol or eat pork, which is standard practice for Muslims. He had met Muhammad in prison where the two men plotted a confidence game in which followers were charged a fee to become Muslims. Although I'm inclined to believe the official story that he simply fled the country after coming under heat from the police. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and made a living as a street merchant. He founded the religious movement in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1930, and was its leader until 1934, his disappearance. Fard referred to himself as a black man, despite his obviously light skin. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. Corrections? A son born to Allen during their marriage, Donald Campagna, is believed to be the result of an extramarital affair. ." Attendance at the house meetings grew until the listeners were divided into groups and taught in shifts. MSN Weather tracks it all, from precipitation predictions to severe weather warnings, air quality updates, and even wildfire alerts. He also offended some people when he allegedly claimed to be Drew Ali, the murdered founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America (another Islamic black nationalist group). Since Mr. Fard has been deified, the Temple People raise to the rank of prophet the former Minister of Islam, Elijah Mohammed, now a resident of Chicago. WebMaster Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. Fred gave his age as 23 and his birthplace as Europe. When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. The FBI maintained an open file on Fard Muhammad up until as late as 1960, according to documents published through the Freedom of Information Act. Four years later, in 1963, they issued another story to a Los Angeles-based newspaper that claimed Ford and Fard were, in fact, the same person. Fards First Temple of Islam included the Fruit of Islam, a military-like organization of black male converts, a Muslim Girls Training Corps Class and a University of Islam which, despite its name, was mainly focused on elementary and high-school level education. It's strange that he never attempted further contact with his followers, however. Members of the movement believe Fard to be the incarnation of Allh, and his birthday, February 26, is observed as Saviours Day. He advocated community members to establish and own their own businesses,[13] eat healthy, raise families, and refrain from drugs and alcohol. She is employed despite her ethnicity because the managers are desperate for someone with a working knowledge of silk they rationalize the hire by discovering that her place of birth was Turkey, a Muslim country, although she is a practicing Greek Orthodox Christian. Leader of the Nation of Islam Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. WebMap of Fawn Creek, KS, Kansas. 2 as its headquarters. "Shinka" never actually existed, but there is a district called Shinkay in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. Practically none of them had been in the North prior to the collapse of the Marcus Garvey movement. Despite a lack of fame, Mr. Fards legacy lives on to this day whether most of us know it or not. This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. Two sons of Elijah Muhammad have variously identified him either as an Ahmadiyyah missionary from Pakistan, a position supported by Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, or as an Arab of "Turko-Persian" origins, a view offered by Akbar Muhammad. Muhammad, Elijah. Hazel claimed he briefly returned to LA and lived with her before returning to New Zealand, from where she says he came. Farrakhan, a high-ranking member of NOI at the time of Elijah Muhammads death, became disillusioned with the new direction and quit the NOI in 1978. Ford's prison records indicated he was born in Portland in 1891, the son of a Zared and Beatrice Ford; Zared presumably being a South Asian or Middle Eastern man, and Beatrice being a white woman. "In an attempt to determine the origins of W.D. 5 (54) This cursory bit of knowledge was enough to satisfy my curiosity for many years, during which my contact with the Nation of Islam was limited to regularly buying bean pies from neatly dressed men standing on Livernois who were also peddling the groups newspaper, The Final Call. Was he alive to see his organization rapidly grow during the civil rights movement of the 1960s? A 1920 birth record for a boy named Wallace Max Ford born in Los Angeles lists his father as Wallace Ford, who was born in New Zealand, and his mother as Hazel Barton. But as a prerequisite for black liberation, he stressed the importance of attaining "knowledge of self." var rcds = document.getElementById("rcjsload_b42b6d"); He had been gone for 23_ years at this point and although important to the NOI, he would be hardly remembered anyone else! The original people must regain their religion, which is Islam, their language, which is Arabic, and their culture, which is astronomy and higher mathematics, especially calculus. In 1924, Ford married Carmen Trevino in Santa Ana, California. Within three years Fard had established several organizations: the "Temple of Islam," with its own worship style and rituals; the "University of Islam," to propagate his teachings; the "Muslim Girls Training," to teach female members home economics and how to be a proper Muslim woman; and the "Fruit of Islam," consisting of selected male members to provide security for the temple and Muslim leaders and to enforce the disciplinary rules. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Black Muslims According to the version of Elijah, he saw Fard off at the Detroit airport when Fard was being deported. Fard worked the streets as silk peddler, but his real sales pitches were religious beliefs and dietary restrictions. But none can be verified and he is almost certainly long dead now. [11] In 2020, it attracted an estimated 14,000 participants. And that she is number one to be destroyed. But the Nation of Islam themselves reject the FBI's findings. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme. Officially, the NOI believes Fard departed Earth via supernatural means. "[45] After the story was published, Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X subsequently charged black media outlets, which reprinted the accusation in large numbers, with running the story without requesting a response from the Nation of Islam. A handwritten lesson written by Fard states: "Twelve Leaders of Islam from all over the Planet have conferred in the Root of Civilization concerning the Lost-Found Nation of Islam must return to their original Land. However, Minister Malcolm X and other leaders of the Nation of Islam have emphatically denied any past connection whatsoever of Elijah Muhammad, Master Wallace Fard Muhammad, or their movement with Nobel Drew Ali's Moorish American Science Temple."[57]. Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. Hijrah Magazine (MarchApril 1985). So they sent a Messenger to them of their own. We must give up the slave names of our slave-masters and accept the name of Allah (God) or one of His divine attributes. WebWallace D. Fard aka Wallace Fard Muhammad / f . . I have no idea who Fard was but I doubt he was black, which is ironic. Whatever the case, Fard was a master at remaking himself and was apparently a very charismatic man. He claimed he was influenced by the group. Garvey taught the Negroes that their homeland was Ethiopia. WebIn late 1933 or in 1934 Fardmysteriously disappeared from public record. 22 Feb. 2023
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