Chpt. distinguishes between beliefs of NOI and traditional Islam

She calls NOI beliefs “Farrakhanism”  even though Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of NOI, has retracted some earlier teachings and comments re:  Black racial superiority and anti-Semitism

She presents a compassionate view of the rise of NOI, Malcolm X stressing that it is understandable that NOI’s doctrine would appeal to African Americans living in pre-Civil Rights U.S. (segregation, overt prejudice)

NOI has cultivated self-respect, self-discipline, education, hard-work, chastity, abstinence from drugs and alcohol – what’s wrong with that??

Where the teachings deviate from traditional Islam, she says it says in the Qur’an that it is not our place to condemn others, it’s God’s place if he so chooses.

 
So, stresses tolerance and acceptance of NOI’s positive accomplishments (like turning around criminals, lower rates of recidivism among its jail house converts, reclaiming neighborhoods from drug dealers and gansters)

Expresses the hope that Farrakhan will continue to move in a moderate direction (i.e., community oriented) AND that other Muslims will ACCEPT him and his followers into the Muslim American fold

That they can all work together to create a Muslim Americorps to solve the problems of poverty, poor education, racial divisiveness, etc.
 

 
Conversion in Prison

Estimates that in 1985 there were 300,000-350,000 Muslims in American prisons

This amounted to 8% of the US Muslim population

80% of these were African American

1991 study by the American Muslim Council estimated that 35,000 prisoners convert to Islam each year

In fact, 80-85% of American Muslim conversions occur in prison, according to Jan Muhammad Diwan, who distributes prayer rugs, Qur’ans, skull caps and holds seminars for Muslims in prisons

Why?  What attracts people in prison to Islam?
 

Many initially converted to NOI, eventually convert to Sunni practices, say the Shahada