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. 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. Evanzz detailed the experience of several other authors who also based their accounts of Fard's life on the FBI file. He gave the exact birth of the white race; the name of their God who made them and how; and the end of their time, the judgment, how it will begin and end. Via e-mail, I asked Claude Andrew Clegg III, author of another Elijah Muhammad biography, An Original Man, to give me his take on the controversy. In 1933, Fard disappeared and a power struggle within the NOI emerged. To further muddy the waters, C.E. ", Read more about this topic: Wallace Muhammad. })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. It's possible him and Ford are the same guy. He returned to Chicago, was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace through his preaching, and again returned to 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. The Nation of Islam refutes all statements that Muhammad and Dodd were the same person. [66] He was linked to the Pacific Movement of the Eastern World and Japanese agitators such as Satokata Takahashi, and Ashima Takis. From interviews with approximately 200 families who followed Fard, Beynon concluded: "Although the prophet lived in Detroit from July 4, 1930 until June 30, 1934, virtually nothing is known about him, save that he 'came from the East' and that he 'called' the Negroes of North America to enter the Nation of Islam. Hijrah Magazine (MarchApril 1985). [22], Fard named his community the "Nation of Islam". The whole thing smells like an intelligence agency operation to me. He earned his living at various times as a restaurateur, gambler, bootlegger and traveling salesman. 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 Consequently, Fard and another leader, Ugan Ali, were arrested and questioned. No further birth, marriage, or death records appear to exist for individuals matching Dodd or Muhammad. I have no idea who Fard was but I doubt he was black, which is ironic. 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). Fard, they say, was born in 1877, which would make him 53 in 1930. He claimed he was influenced by the group. Wallace Fard, also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad or Master Fard Muhammad[3] (/frd/; reportedly born February 26, c.1877[4][7] disappeared c.1934), was the founder of the Nation of Islam. "[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. 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. [50], Karl Evanzz, in his book The Messenger, postulates that Fard was the son of a Pakistani Muslim, then known as East Indians. 22 Feb. 2023 . If in this way they obeyed Allah, he would take them back to the Paradise from which they had been stolen the Holy City of Mecca. 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. [55] Authors have also cited E. U. Essien-Udom for this proposition as well. Just last year, however, I read a book that reintroduced Fard to my consciousness. Personally I don't know enough about the context to form an opinion on whether he was murdered, but it wouldn't shock me if he was. He taught a unique form of religion which was based on Islam to members of the city's African-American population. Fard, most scholars have relied on his teachings as passed down, and perhaps modified, by Elijah Muhammad. Harris was later declared mentally unbalanced, pleaded guilty and was imprisoned, while Fard and Ali were released. Reyes | Finn exhibit brings together more than 150 Detroit artists, Taurus Burns embraces his zebra stripes in Created Equal, Four queer, Black women explore the aftermath of heartbreak in Detroit art show. In his 1965 book Message to the Blackman in America, which is a compilation of articles written by Elijah Muhammad for newspapers throughout the early part of his Ministry, he summarized what Fard taught him as follows: "He began teaching us the knowledge of ourselves, of God and the devil, of the measurement of the earth, of other planets, and of the civilization of some of the planets other than earth. The Noble Drew Ali, the prophet of the Moorish-Americans, proclaimed that these people were 'descendants of Morrocans [Moroccans]'. Otherwise he would chastise us with a severe chastisement until we did submit. He stated that he was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a Black African father and a Russian Jewish mother, from the Caucasus. . From here on, his teachings became increasingly venomous. Officials said he came to the United States from Asia.". There is some evidence that Fard lived at least until the 1960s; his alleged lover stated that he had returned to New Zealand. Fard, 2017, by A.K. Thats not to say that anyone so amorphous is not capable of producing very absolute effects on history. Fard immigrated to the United States sometime before 1930. "Shinka" never actually existed, but there is a district called Shinkay in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. "[48][dubious discuss] An FBI memorandum dated August 1963 states that the FBI had not been able to verify his birthdate or birthplace, and "he was last heard from in 1934. Although there is only one known picture of "Fard", there are a few known photographs of "Ford", mostly police mugshots: https://zaidpub.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/walaace-fard.jpg. ." Black Nationalism: A Search for Identity in America. Beynon described the substance of Fard's teaching as follows: "The black men in North America are not Negroes, but members of the lost tribe of Shabazz, stolen by traders from the Holy City of Mecca 379 years ago. Interestingly she had found a letter among his personal belongings addressed to one "Fred Dodd" of Portland. It's the late 1950s and the civil rights movement is beginning to emerge. In 2007, the Nation of Islam had an estimated membership of 20,00050,000. 44 records found for Wallace Rd, Oswego, KS 67356. Almost everyday we would have conversations (actually friendly debate) about his faith. Omissions? Updates? To this day, nobody knows. This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. He taught us the truth of how we were made 'slaves' and how we are kept in slavery by the 'slave-masters children. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Now, the Messenger and his Laborers worked day and night for the last three and one-half years, and their accomplishments are approximately twenty-five thousand"[25], In this lesson, Fard places the number of converts obtained in Detroit at 25,000, and he describes a "Messenger" sent to the "Lost-Found Nation of Islam" who is "of their own". At the bottom of the card, he signed his name as "Wallie Dodd Ford". Did Shakespeare actually author the work attributed to his name? [47] The paper published the story in an article titled "Black Muslim Founder Exposed As White. A group calling themselves the Nation of Islam are preaching a radical black nationalist dogma that promotes pan-Africanism and outright racism. [45] According to the FBI story, Fard was a "Muslim from Turkey who had come to the United States in the early 1900s. I guess so, because if you compare their features (ears, nose, chin, mouth, eyes and eyebrows), they're very similar. After Elijah's death, Warith Deen appointed Abdullah imam of Mosque #77 in Oakland, California. Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. Obviously, there are some major differences of opinion here. He agreed to leave Detroit forever in order to receive immunity, and boarded a train bound for Chicago on Dec. 7. [18] He began by selling silks door to door, telling his listeners that the silks came from their ancestral homeland. J. Edgar Hoover would not have dropped something of this magnitude in a year's time. 5 (54) Corrections? Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. [39], On October 17, 1957, the FBI located and interviewed Hazel Barton-Ford, Wallie Ford's common-law wife, with whom he had a son named Wallace Dodd Ford, born on September 1, 1920. [45], A February 19, 1963, FBI memorandum states: "In connection with efforts to disrupt and curb growth of the NOI, extensive research has been conducted into various files maintained by this office. There is no consensus about Master Fard's identity. All Rights Reserved. Although I'm inclined to believe the official story that he simply fled the country after coming under heat from the police. On a 1917 draft registration card, a Wallie Dodd Ford gave his birthplace as Shinka, Afghanistan. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. After Fard Muhammad disappeared in 1934, the leadership of the NOI was assumed by Elijah Muhammad. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. Members of the movement believe Fard to be the incarnation of Allh, and his birthday, February 26, is observed as Saviours Day. He said that he loved us (the so-called Negroes), his lost and found, so well that he would eat rattlesnakes to free us if necessary, for he has power over all things. At some point, he established a rudimentary church and read from the Bible, drawing in a mainly black Christian audience. 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. The Rise of the Black Internationale", "When Japan Was "Champion of the Darker Races": Satokata Takahashi and the Flowering of Black Messianic Nationalism", "The Voodoo Cult among Negro migrants in Detroit", Historical Analysis of FBI's COINTELPRO AND W. Fard Muhammad, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wallace_Fard_Muhammad&oldid=1141937668, Members of the Moorish Science Temple of America, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles lacking reliable references from May 2022, Articles with disputed statements from July 2019, Articles with trivia sections from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The name Fard is a common surname in Pakistan as are other names he bestowed upon his followers such as Shabazz, Ghulam, and Kallatt, Interviews with long-time Nation figures who met him or saw original photos of him such as, Early teachings from Fard indicated a distrust and disdain for Hinduism, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:20. His fathers name is listed as Zaradodd Ford, his mothers name as Babbjie, and their birthplace as Madrid, Spain. But as a prerequisite for black liberation, he stressed the importance of attaining "knowledge of self." Essien-Udom, E. U. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. From then onwards, he is untraceable. A few of them had come under the influence of the Moorish-American cult which succeeded it. The later official view of the Nation of Islam was that he was in Mecca. Fard, a man who the FBI alleged used 58 aliases during his lifetime, visited Detroit. Modern Nation of Islam theology is based upon the belief that Fard's teaching of Elijah Muhammad was fulfillment of scripture regarding God's teaching of an Apostle, where Fard is described as "God in Person", the "Messiah", and the "Mahdi". The FBI file on Fard provides both dates for individuals suspected (but never confirmed) to be Fard. [41] Immigration records did not match any of his aliases. He taught a unique form of religion which was based on Islam to members of the city's African-American population. Farrakhan referred to the knowledge that Fard passed onto the NOI as actual facts. (The speech is at the Nations Web site at www.noi.org.). Encyclopedia.com. On the draft card, "Ford" is written in parentheses in a different hand. Encyclopedia.com. Learn how your comment data is processed. This new movement, known as the Temple People, identifies the prophet, Mr. W. D. Fard, with the God, Allah. [25] In 1933, he began signing his name "W. F. Muhammad", which stands for "Wallace Fard Muhammad". [40] Barton-Ford gave a description of Wallie Ford, and described him as a Caucasian New Zealander. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/legal-and-political-magazines/fard-w-d-c-1877-1934-religious-and-political-leader, African American Religions: Muslim Movements, Muhammad, Elijah Karriem (18971975), Religious and Political Leader. [26], On November 20, 1932, James J. Smith, a black man, was killed by Robert Harris, who was his roommate and a member of the Nation of Islam, on a makeshift altar in what was described as a human sacrifice. "[19], Beynon's interviewees told him that reports of Fard's message spread throughout the black community. On their marriage record, Ford gave his race as Spanish, his birthplace as Oregon, and his age as 26. Most sources in the Nation of Islam claim that he hailed from The Holy City Mecca in Saudi Arabia, 1920 Federal U.S. Census, Los Angeles City, Enumeration District 206, Sheet 10B, California State Board of Health, County of Orange, Certificate of Marriage, Local Registered No. Following his disappearance, Elijah Muhammad succeeded him as the chief of the Nation of Islam. The FBI report states that fingerprints from Muhammads arrests in Detroit match Fords fingerprints from arrests in Los Angeles. Ford/Fard lied about his background so many times that it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. 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