Late, Imam WDM
The Late Imam Wd Mohammed
His emphasis on the Revival of Religion included the Muslim world which in 1975 was dormant, mired in global polemical issues and not living up to the historical excellence of the traditions of Prophet Mohammed (ppbuh). As such, Imam Mohammed refused to align the new community of Muslims in America with any foreign government but said, “We only support the good they do”. He rejected the language of Orientalists, such as the term orthodox Islam, and avoided sectarian labels of Sunni and Shia preferring to define his followers as seeking to demonstrate the uswaah (character) of the Holy Prophet Mohammed, (ppbuh). As a special guest of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) in Tehran 1997, he worked to erase distinctions between those called Sunni and Shia and reminded them that those descriptions did not exist during the life of Mohammed, the Prophet (ppbuh).
The distinction of being the first Muslim to offer the Invocation in the United States Senate in 1992 was punctuated by the accolades offered by the three Senators that sponsored him and the 500 guest reception which followed.
Imam Mohammed was particularly sensitive to the relationship between Muslim African Americans and the larger African American community stating, “African American Muslims are not to separate from African American Christians. We cannot separate ourselves from the Christian leaders who got us as far as we have gotten before we [re]connected with The Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammed (prayers and peace be upon him).” “They are our brothers and sisters in humanity, in our life as people descended from African parents and as people oppressed in these United States.”
From the beginning of his leadership, Imam W. Deen Mohammed championed the cause of women, as did his father. He dismantled the male and female classes the FOI and the MGT-GCC without bloodshed or conflict. Muslim Girls Training became Muslim Women’s Development Class which encouraged women to pursue their G-d-given talents in the home and the society. CERWIS (Committee to Enhance the Role of Women in Society) was established to address the larger social issues that hindered the elevation of women in society. He supported the equality of male and female with the Qur’an and brought women into leadership positions while continually stressing the importance of moral behavior and family life. To Imam Mohammed education was the number one priority of the Muslim community. He renamed the University of Islam schools, Clara Muhammad Elementary and Secondary Schools in honor of the dedication and sacrifices of his mother. The schools have been lauded by government and civic leaders as a contribution to educational excellence.
In July, 1977, he held up the American flag told his supporters to vote and established New World Patriotism Day; parades were held throughout Chicago and other major cities. He advised his supporters to claim their share of life in America.
On August 23, 1984, for the first time in American history, Imam W. Deen Mohammed took a delegation of 10,000 Muslims to the Nation’s capital for the first ever Muslim Political Convention. Centered around the Washington Monument on the National Mall he addressed the theme “Building Political Responsibility. He later spoke to an audience addressing “The Earth – Our Home” promoting responsibility to the earth and the environment.
In the early 1980’s Imam W. Deen Mohammed introduced the concept of New Africa and said “There are two things I will never give up, Al-Islam and my African American identity”. He envisioned model communities that reflect the best of African, Muslim and African American identities and continued to stress economic development, do-for-self ownership and collective economics to provide economic stability. Imam Mohammed believed that with The Qur’an, skin color – Black – was no longer an organizing principle for African Americans, that the Nation of Islam’s focus on Blackness had sufficiently served its purpose. He said that Muslim African Americans were a new people born out of Revelation (The Qur’an) and he introduced the community to the Muslim African Ancestor, Bilal ibn Rabah, who provides dignity and direction. Bilal who was a slave to the Arabs, was liberated by Al-Islam and became the first Treasurer and Muezzin to the first Muslim community. Bilal called Believers to prayer five times a day. Imam W. Deen Mohammed coined the term Bilalian in his honor to replace Black which did not have the depth of dignity required for a new people. Bilalian was used only for a short period because some in the Muslim world and in America suggested he was developing a “cult”; to avoid that designation, he stopped using the term. Imam W. Deen Mohammed said, just as Bilal stood on top of the Ka’ba and called the faithful to prayer, “It is the prophetic destiny [of Muslim African Americans] to call all of humanity back from the seeds of destruction to the straight path of the true worship of G-d”.
