01/20/1997
IWDM Study Library
Interview Like it is

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Narrator: Will have as its prime focus, Warith Deen Mohammed, leader of the Muslim community of America. An organization that gained national attention. Warith Deen Mohammed heads the religious organization that in its history has had an important role in the black experience in this nation.
Expanding on the teachings of a man named Fard. Warith's father, Elijah Muhammad, began to develop an organization back in 1931. It would become known as the Nation of Islam, practicing a form of the Muslim religion. It became known as the Black Muslims. Elijah diagnosed that blacks had been so badly mutilated by slavery and oppression, that only radical action could restore cohesion and self-respect.
Elijah Muhammad: The so-called American negro has to be completely reeducated.
Narrator: Especially history. In order to carry out this radical program, Elijah singled out one of his lieutenants and groomed him to be his national spokesman. The man, Malcolm X, who himself had been a convicted criminal. Malcolm developed into a powerfully compelling speaker and organizer who drew tens of thousands of blacks into the Nation of Islam.
Malcolm X: We are trapped. We know no way out, so we get our wine bottle. We get our whiskey bottle or we stick a needle in our arms or smoke pot. Trying to find an escape from the hell that the white man has given us for 400 years, here in America. This is a false escape. The honorable Elijah Muhammad is offering a real escape. Not only a real estate, but a real escape, right here on this Earth.
Narrator: Malcolm in turn recruited Louis Farrakhan into the Nation and developed Farrakhan to become minister of one of the Nation's mosques in Boston. For a while the Nation of Islam was the talk of Urban America. They asked the United States government for some land to set up their own independent entity and when they got no response, they set up their own enterprises in the Harlems of America. These businesses served as employment for organization members, thereby providing self-esteem and pride.
Members of the Black Muslims as they were called, could be easily spotted because of their bearing and demeanor, but the prosperity of the Nation of Islam did not long endure. Serious internal problems arose. Malcolm X was ousted and subsequently assassinated. Elijah named Farrakhan as Malcolm's replacement. 10 years later Elijah died and at a mass rally in Chicago, tributes were paid to their late leader and his successor, Wallace Mohammed, Elijah's son.
Louis Farrakhan: It is not a day for Muslim's and sympathizers of the honorable Elijah Mohammed to have our heads hung low. For the messenger of Allah has taught us well. He taught us of life and he taught us of death and he taught us that those who believe, and all the doers of good, there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. He taught us to submit to the will of the Almighty G-d Allah and that is what makes us a Muslim and we enter into peace.
His life was the will of G-d. His mission was the will of G-d, his passing is the will of G-d. His son is the will of G-d and we are the will of G-d this afternoon. All praise is due to Allah for the honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Rev. Jesse Jackson: The black nation's heart is heavy today. We are suspended because of the loss of our prophet the messenger. There's a difference between prophets and politicians
Politicians take all they can, prophets give all they got.
Muhammad Ali: I make my pledge here today, and that pledge is that I will be faithful and loyal and honorable to the honorable Wallace Mohammed. I'm sure that everyone here today, who feels the same will be happy to stand up right now and let the world know that. Thank you.
Narrator: Wallace would institute major changes in the organization, they would practice a more orthodox form of Islam. Much of their anti-white rhetoric disappeared. In fact, whites could now join. Wallace demoted Farrakhan and Farrakhan eventually left to head up his own group, named and patterned after Wallace's father, Elijah. Wallace become known as Warith Mohammed and changed the organization's name again. This time to The Muslim Community in America.
Their April 13th 1986 convention at New York's Javits Convention Center, had over 13,000 people in attendance despite the vastly different style in leadership. Soon after that convention Like it is! interviewed Warith Mohammed about the past and the present. You'll soon hear that interview in a moment.
Interviewer: A press release that describes our guest as a distinguished Islamic leader and author, Warith Deen Mohammed. Soo happy to have you here. It's been a while since you've been on live TV.
IWDM: Yes, it has been a while, it's been several years in fact.
Interviewer: Before we go forward with today, let's just go back a little bit. In years gone by you were named--you were known as Wallace and now we here Warith. Can you explain how that all came about?
IWDM: In religious circles, for Muslims, they like for a leader if not the membership to have Islamic names. Wallace was my given name. Wallace D Mohammed. Now I'm called Warith Deen Mohammed which means 'one who has been blessed to come into the faith,' Deen means faith. I like the name and I-- It was suggested to me by an Imam who was an immigrant Muslim. An old man, a very religious man.
Interviewer: When you inherited the leadership, the organization was then known as the Nation of Islam. Did you want that model of leadership? Was that something that you thought out?
Warith: No, it was just kind of put on me when I was a very young boy. As far back as I can remember I was told that I was a special child and I was born during the time my father was converted. The year that he was converted. No, not that year, the second year of his conversion was when I was born. He was just enthusiastically pushing for his work and pushing his program.
They thought that by me being born at that time, and my mother too was very devoted woman. A very zealous person in religion. They thought that--
Interviewer: Where is your mother from?
IWDM: My mother is from Georgia, my father too. My mother is from Cordele, Georgia and my father is from Sandersville, Georgia.

IWDM: There was a kind of regiment membership. The Laws-- we call it- the laws of Islam or the laws of the temple, had to be obeyed. Anyone, family member, didn't matter, if you caused any problem for that order, for that strict control that was needed you were excommunicated, so I never left. I was excommunicated about three times
Interviewer: What for?
IWDM: For theological differences, more than anything else, although I had other differences too. But mainly, I was put out for theological differences.
Interviewer: Well, now you know Malcolm X remains a major figure for black people or Bilalians today. 
IWDM: They had a lot at stake. What I represented was change. Change that would also affect policy, policy of Nation of Islam.
Interviewer: What did make you tell Malcolm what you did tell?
IWDM: I did not.
Interviewer: You didn't tell Malcolm?
IWDM: No that was his excuse to cover exactly what was going on.
Interviewer: No, but didn't you tell Malcolm what you had learned about your father?
IWDM: No.
Interviewer: You did not?
IWDM: No, I did not. In fact, it was Malcolm. I was in prison when most of that was going on when I returned from prison one day, Malcolm was at my father's home. He told me that, he said I came there and I saw one of the secretaries, no he said a couple of the secretaries outside with their baby. And he asked my father if he can let her in.
Interviewer: There is an interview where Malcolm says that he was told by your father had been engaged in and he said that had it been anybody but you telling me what you just told me, I would kill you. Now you say that what Malcolm said is not true?
IWDM: No, it's not true. He first disclosed to me what he saw. Then we began to discuss it openly. Because I suspected that things like that were there. I said, yes, "How we going deal with it? We began talking about how we were going to deal with it. I mentioned others that were around.
Before he was given the suspension. I was at the house, my fathers house the national home he said to me, Wallace you are charged with telling Malcolm things about me and my private affair. He said, did you do that?. I said, no. 
I said, "That's not true." He said, "You have been charged with that," and so I said, "May I know who charged me that?" He said, "That's not necessary." He said that Malcolm himself told him these things. I said, well hes wrong- I said, "I didn't tell him anything, then I began to explain to him is just what I explained to you," that he discovered the girls and the children, and from there he just went on and discussed the problem.
Interviewer: All right, but when Malcolm was assassinated and there is a quote
IWDM: I felt that at that time he would need someone by him. I felt that he would accept me back. Thats why I ask him to accept me back and he did. I felt that Malcolm death was a terrible blow to all of us and that that organization was very valuable. I knew that the great majority of its membership was sincere. Perhaps naive as to what the real life was in the whole world, but they were sincere, very sincere people. And had been successful in achieving a lot for our people, for the dignity of poor people. So, I had an investment there and I felt that if I came back that I would give my father support that was much needed and that I would be in position, by coming back I would be in position to do something about it. By staying out I wouldnt be in position to do anything about it. I knew my father was not a young man, he was an aging man and that with Malcolm out of the way someone had to be there. I did not see much in the other national leaders as hope for the future of the community.
Interviewer: Do you love Malcolm?
IWDM: Sure. My father loved him too.
Interviewer: Is that why you named the mosque in Harlem in his honor when you took over the leadership?
IWDM: Yes, I believe those sentiments is what actually caused me to want to put his name on something. In fact, I wish we can put his name on all of New York. Because he built New York and he really was the ingredient, the yeast that brought about the rise of the following all over the United States. He was an ambassador like apostle Paul for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Interviewer: One more question from the past before we move to present in the next segment. Why did you demote Farrakhan and bring him to Chicago and put him a subordinate position?
IWDM: Actually, it wasnt my decision. It was the decision of the staff. The staff thought that Farrakhan was not in the emotional state to continue in New York given the kinds of problems they were having that hadnt surfaced but was there. 
Interviewer: You've got to break that down.
IWDM: Yes, it was feared that Farrakhan at that time saw himself as the successor, and that Farrakhan was secretly building support for himself-
Interview: I see.
IWDM: -in New York. Many of the leaders didn't like it him for one reason or another. Maybe part of it was jealousy. But for some reason they felt that he also wasn't the kind of person that would look out after the interest of the membership. That the membership couldnt be trusted to him.
Interviewer: Your distancing yourself. What was your position?
IWDM: Well, my position was that the old programs had gone as far as it can go--
Interviewer: Would you say now that the Muslim community of America is an orthodox religion?
IWDM: Yes, it is. It's now just the same religion that you find in Arabia or everywhere else. Everywhere, it depends upon the region. In Egypt you find the Muslims there they are going to be slightly different. But those differences are so slight that you can't recognize any separation. The Muslims from Saudi Arabia are mainly of the Wahabi school. I told our following not to give ourselves to any particular school, but evolve into our own school.
Interviewer: You seem to not exert your authority. Is that deliberate, and why?
IWDM: It is deliberate because I believe the strongest society is the society where the people are in control.
Interviewer: -
IWDM:  it keeps the African American third world people from evolving. I think that what we have to do now is bring the people to accept responsibility for the future their societies.
Interviewer: Do you still identify black people in the United States as Bilalian people or-
IWDM: African-American.
Interviewer: Bilalian has been-
IWDM: Yes, Bilalian has religious significance for us. But I prefer the term African-American.
Interviewer: Where does African Nationalism fit into the Muslim community of America?
IWDM: Well, we don't have any. It doesn't, it doesn't. Only I would say research material and valuable history and by research material I mean material from which we can draw strength and necessary insights to help our situation.
Interviewer: But you're concerned about their liberation in Africa and its the homeland?
IWDM: Yes, we do. Exactly. We believe that Africa has a great future and Africa has a long way to go. And that African has to evolve like Garvey said, he hope Africa will find her place in constellation of stars.


