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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1981)
Portland Obaarvar, November 19,1981 Page 3 Muslim Mission preaches brotherhood G rassrool News, N . IF .— " T h e white man who is so guilty o f white supremacy can’t hide his g u ilt by trying to accuse the Honorable E li jah Muham m ad o f teaching Black supremacy and hatel A ll M r. M u hammad is doing is trying to uplift the Black man's m entality and the Black m an's social and economic condition in this country.” "Th e guilty, two-faced white man can't decide what he wants. O u r slave foreparents would have been put to death for advocating so- called 'integration* with the white man. Now when M r. M uham m ad speaks o f separation, the white man calls us hate teachers and fascists!” The above are excerpts from the doctrine of the Nation of Islam in the '60s. It angered, shocked, amused and gave pride to those who heard it. W e ll, this o rg an izatio n has evolved with time and with events like the excommunication o f M a l colm X and (he death o f its leader, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. After the death o f Muhammad the organization underwent a change in name, calling its e lf first " T h e W orld C om m unity o f Islam in the W e s t," and now operating under " T h e American Muslim M ission." The organization has denationalized its principles and now practices the traditional Islamic religion. The membership has fallen since its beginnings but those who remain are still dedicated, holding fast to their beliefs and taking a stand in the com m unity. The P o rtlan d branch is under Imam Mike! Shabazz who gave the present status o f (he American Muslim Mission. " W e are under the n ational leadership o f Im am W a rith Deen M uh am m ad . When we were the Nation o f Islam we were a social reform movement. Now as the American Muslim M is sion we are a religious movement and still a social reform movement but we’re more in touch with the Is lamic world. Before, there was a lot o f psychological conditioning going on that wasn't really Islam. This is what we call our developm ental stage. We no longer follow a nation alist or racist doctrine but a religious one o f belief in one G od and that Boycott South Africa {Continuedfrom page I column 6) ulaiion, South Africa generages 33 per cent o f Africa's Gross National Product. C rockett said he agreed w ith Cuba's l-idel Castro who said in a recent speech that the Reagan A d ministration is " fa c is t.” Crockett said, " I was in C uba to attend a conference where Castro spoke. The media in the U .S. only said Castro called Reagan a facist. But the media didn't tell us why the world feels that w a y .. . . ” Crockett, who is a member o f the House Foreign A ffa irs Com m ittee and the Sub-Committee on A frica, quoted Castro as saying: "Th e U.S. and South Africa have common po litical ideals and common economic interests. The American system isn't facist but Reagan i s .. . . " Crockett also noted that the new conservative climate in Washington "has allowed all U.S. firms to decline to testify to our Sub-Com m ittec on A frica on business ties with South A fr ic a .” Crockett, who visited southern A f rica and Angola last summer with a congressional delegation, said "A m ericans are being lied to and misinformed about what the U.S. is really doing in other countries and in the field o f human rights.” " O n ly the w hile m in o rity in South A fric a is b en efittin g from U.S. investments," said Alfred Nzo, Secretary General for the A frican National Congress, the banned lib eration movement. "Th e Blacks are cheap labor. They still earn far less than whiles and they have no unem ployment compensation or in ju ry insurance. I f a Black is hurt on the job and cannot work, he or she is re moved and replaced by another Black who is eager to get out o f the Black Bantu areas where there is no work. Jobs are only available in the white areas.” Read the Observer every week. Subscribe today! ( all 283 2486 "Childhood it all mirth.** John Kahla "S cience is organized k n o w ledg e." H e rb e r, Spencer the prophet Muhammad is the mes senger o f that G od.” As the nation o f Islam there was no voting. " W e have been encour aged by our national leader to get involved in the voting process be cause we are citizens o f the United States. B efore, we d id n 't want to have anything to do with anything. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad knew he had to take us away to grow up. His main purpose was to take us in to the fu ll teachings o f Islam.” A m ong the most w ell-kn o w n M uslim s was M alco lm X who reached this religious point before the o rg an iza tio n as a whole did. " M a lc o lm was a thin ker and he made the H a jj to M ecca. He couldn't come back and just sit and be still. He knew what we were do ing and what we should have been doing were two different things." Malcolm X was suspended from the Nation but later quit. It was the pre sent national Im am who put M a l colm back up to his honorable sta tus in the organization. At one time the membership was restricted to those o f A fro -A m e r ican descent. "T h e re is no suprem acy o f one group over the o th er. You can't exclude people based on skin color from the religion. When the Im am came into leadership he began step by step to break down a lot o f the old myths. The organiza tion was ready for the change.” Islam has a small but honest fo l lowing behind bars. Imam Sabazz gave his reasons why brothers who are in prison are so attracted to Is lam. "M a n y brothers have said for the first time in their lives they have been slowed down enough to hear som ething that they believed re formed them. When they go in they have much time on their hands and Islam is very much in tune w ith human nature.” St. Vincent feeds needy St. V incent de P au l President Dick Cheek announced the selection o f Eileen Ivancie (M rs. Frank Ivan cie) as the honorary chairperson for this year’ s Christmas Food Basket Drive. Because o f adverse economic conditions, St. Vincent de Paul ex pects to feed 3,500 needy families, about 11,000 people, who otherwise would not be able to a ffo rd a Christmas dinner. Ten thousand bags w ill be dis trib u te d in local neighborhoods right a fter Th an ksg ivin g . St. V in cent de Paul asks you to donate canned goods and non-perishable food items. Place them in the bags and place the bags on your fro n t porch for Boy Scouts, G irl Scouts and high school students to collect on Saturday, Decem ber 5 and 12. . . . you may send your do nation to St. Vincent de Paul, 2390 S .E . Po w ell S t., P o rtla n d , O R 97202. oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo Save mbney on your insurance. Auto e Life e Fire Commercial .Truck Monthly Payments Rita H. Jenkins S eel Repreeentanve 3714 N. Williams Portland. Oregon 97227 18031 2«9 2 'aimers New WorM Lite Insurance Co Merce» telani WA 8 8888 8 8 8 88 888 88 888 oo oo oo oo oo 00 oo oo oo ke°8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 W IM A M MIKEL SHABAZZ In the '60s the Black community saw the M uslim 's brothers on the corner selling papers, clean as gold. "W e 're still sharp but we no longer have »ha, military discipline because a lot ol that was forced. There was a (Photo by Richard J. Brown) lot o f overburdening going on. They were selling hundreds o f papers a week and neglecting their families. It was just part o f the cocoon exist ence that we were in that the Imam broke us out o f." 3 L ocations T o S erve You: 5949 N.E. Union Ave. 283-9542 3120 N.E. Union Ave. 281-2628 2320 S.E. 82nd Ave. 774-9651
