Muhammad Speaks
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Speaks now known as Muslim Journal was one of the most widely-read newspapers ever produced by an African American
organization. Nation of Islam
leader Elijah Muhammad
began the publication on May 1960. 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
), at select newsstands in major cities and in the temples of the Nation of Islam. In his The Autobiography of Malcolm X
, 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. It is also believed that Jabir Herbert Muhammad
had a hand in starting the paper also.
In addition to NOI-based ventures, Elijah Muhammad had used the nation's African-American press
to publicize the organization and his views. In the 1950s his regular column in the Pittsburgh Courier
, at the time the nation's largest black-owned newspaper, generated more letters to the editor than any other feature in the newspaper.
Following the death of Elijah Muhammad, his son and successor Warith Deen Muhammad
renamed the newspaper Bilalian News in 1975. The title was a reference Bilal ibn Rabah, the first known black African follower of the prophet Muhammad. It was renamed once more in 1981, becoming World Muslim News and finally naming it the Muslim Journal, which is still in circulation today.
In 1979 Minister Louis Farrakhan
founded The Final Call
, a newspaper
published in Chicago
,and serves as the official communications organ of the Nation of Islam
. The original newspaper of The Nation of Islam was called The Final Call to Islam and was published by Nation of Islam Leader Messenger Elijah Muhammad in the 1930s. The Final Call Newspaper is currently the only National Black Newspapers in America.
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 by Minister Levi Karim, and one of the same name published by Minister Wasim Muhammad in Camden, New Jersey. The Muhammad Speaks in Detroit is published by followers of Elijah Muhammad who assert that they hold on to the traditional practices of Elijah Muhammad.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
organization. Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
leader Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
began the publication on May 1960. 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
Fruit of Islam
The Fruit of Islam , or "Fruit" for short, is the male-only paramilitary wing of the Nation of Islam . The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue or white uniforms and caps and have units at all NOI temples. Louis Farrakhan, as head of the Nation of Islam, is commander-in-chief of the Fruit of Islam,...
), 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
The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1965, the result of a collaboration between Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. Haley coauthored the autobiography based on a series of in-depth interviews he conducted between 1963 and Malcolm X's 1965 assassination...
, 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. It is also believed that Jabir Herbert Muhammad
Jabir Herbert Muhammad
Jabir Herbert Muhammad was an American businessman and co founder of Top Rank, Inc. also longtime manager of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali....
had a hand in starting the paper also.
In addition to NOI-based ventures, Elijah Muhammad had used the nation's African-American press
African American newspapers
African American newspapers are those newspapers in the United States that seek readers primarily of African American descent. These newspapers came into existence in 1827 when Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American periodical called Freedom's Journal...
to publicize the organization and his views. In the 1950s his regular column in the Pittsburgh Courier
Pittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Courier was an American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was published from 1907 to 1965. Once the country's most widely circulated Black newspaper, the legacy and influence of the Pittsburgh Courier is unparalleled.A pillar of the Black Press, it rose...
, at the time the nation's largest black-owned newspaper, generated more letters to the editor than any other feature in the newspaper.
Following the death of Elijah Muhammad, his son and successor Warith Deen Muhammad
Warith Deen Muhammad
Warith Deen Mohammed also known as W. Deen Mohammed or Imam W. Deen Muhammad, was a progressive African American Muslim leader, theologian, philosopher, Muslim revivalist and Islamic thinker who disbanded the original Nation of Islam in 1976 and transformed it into an orthodox mainstream Islamic...
renamed the newspaper Bilalian News in 1975. The title was a reference Bilal ibn Rabah, the first known black African follower of the prophet Muhammad. It was renamed once more in 1981, becoming World Muslim News and finally naming it the Muslim Journal, which is still in circulation today.
In 1979 Minister Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
founded The Final Call
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.-History:...
, a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
,and serves as the official communications organ of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
. The original newspaper of The Nation of Islam was called The Final Call to Islam and was published by Nation of Islam Leader Messenger Elijah Muhammad in the 1930s. The Final Call Newspaper is currently the only National Black Newspapers in America.
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 by Minister Levi Karim, and one of the same name published by Minister Wasim Muhammad in Camden, New Jersey. The Muhammad Speaks in Detroit is published by followers of Elijah Muhammad who assert that they hold on to the traditional practices of Elijah Muhammad.
External links
- http://www.finalcall.com
- http://www.muhammadspeaks.com
- http://www.muslimjournal.net