Warith Deen Muhammad

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The Honorable, al-Imam Warith Deen Muhammad (born Wallace D. Muhammad on October 30, 1933) is an influential American Muslim leader. He is the son of Clara and Elijah Muhammad.

[edit] Biography

Elijah Muhammad, also referred to as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, was the leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, an organization which preaches Black nationalism. Elijah Muhammad died on February 26, 1975.

After his father's death, Warith Deen Muhammad was accepted by followers of the Nation of Islam as their leader. He brought about many reforms, which brought the followers of the Nation of Islam closer to mainstream Islam. He renamed his organization a number of times. He is now the leader of a new project called The Mosque Cares, and most of his followers make up a portion of the worldwide Muslim community and have accepted Islam proper. He also changed the spelling of his last name from the Nation of Islam’s preferred “Muhammad” to the more accepted “Mohammed.”

He rejected the literal meaning of his father's theology and Black-separatist views. For example, the Nation of Islam taught that Black people were God's original people. With his new understanding, based on his life long study of the Qu'ran and the life example of Prophet Mohammed of Arabia, he accepted whites as fellow worshippers and attempted to forge closer ties with mainstream Muslim communities, including Latino Muslims. There are an estimated 5 to 8 million Muslims in the United States of America.

A number of dissident groups resisted the changes in the Nation of Islam. Among these was Louis Farrakhan who announced a revival of the Nation of Islam name for his group in 1981.

W.D. Mohammed gave the first invocation in the U.S. Senate ever by a Muslim. In 1993, he gave an Islamic prayer during the first Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service of President Clinton, and again in 1997 at the second Interfaith Prayer Service.

Marking 70 years since the Nation of Islam was founded in America, in 2000 Imam Warith Deen Mohammed and Minister Louis Farrakhan publicly embraced and declared unity and reconciliation at the annual Savior’s Day convention.

In comments to the audience, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed said,

"Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, it is not difficult for Minister Farrakhan and Wallace D. Mohammed to embrace each other. That’s easy for us. When I first met him in the early ’50s, I liked him on first sight, and I became his friend and his brother. And I have not stopped being his friend and his brother. Maybe he has not understood, but I have always been his friend and his brother. For me, this is too big a cause for our personal problems and differences. Allah-u Akbar (God is great). FCN, February 25, 2000

Currently, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed is working on fostering positive interfaith dialogue through nationwide lecturing and involvement in the Focolare Movement. His message is no longer exclusively focused on the African American community; it is now inclusive of every race. His lectures are focused on both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences. He also is placing a great interest on the establishment of Muslim-owned businesses, schools, and communities in America.