Editing Nation of Islam (section)

== Beliefs ==
{{Main|Beliefs and theology of the Nation of Islam}}

=== Theology ===

{{Quote box
| quote = God is a man and we just cannot make Him other than a man, lest we make Him an inferior one; for man's intelligence has no equal in other than man. His wisdom is infinite; capable of accomplishing anything that His brain can conceive.
| source=Elijah Muhammad, ''Message to the Black Man'', 1965{{sfn|Barnett|2006|pp=877–878}}
| width = 25em
| align = right
}}

The [[Sociology of religion|sociologist of religion]] [[David V. Barrett]] noted that the Nation's [[theology]] is "very distinct" and "extremely detailed".{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=252}} The Nation provides conflicting statements about its theology; although it professes commitment to the [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] idea of a single God, its discourse refers to multiple gods,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=170–171}} meaning that it can be interpreted as [[Polytheism|polytheistic]].{{sfn|Fishman|Soage|2013|p=62}}

In the NOI's view, each [[Allah]] (God) is not an incorporeal spiritual entity but a flesh-and-blood person.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=41}} These Allahs are anthropomorphic,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=171}} taking the form of black men,{{sfnm|1a1=Barnett|1y=2006|1p=876|2a1=Soumahoro|2y=2007|2p=40}} which was the shape that the first Allah consciously adopted.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=144}} In Nation teaching, the Allahs are not immortal,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=145, 171|2a1=Tsoukalas|2y=2004|2p=455|3a1=Fishman|3a2=Soage|3y=2013|3p=62}} instead typically living for around 200 to 300 years.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=24}} They have varying abilities and degrees of power,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=171}} with each taking over following the death of their predecessor,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=173}} after which they rule for a cycle in history.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=145}} The Nation regards its founder, Fard Muhammad, as the latest of these Allahs,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=146}} or "God in person".{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=171|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=41}} He is deemed the first to have attained the same powers as that of the earliest Allah, namely the ability to return the universe to its primordial darkness and then recreate it.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=146}} The Nation teaches that although this founder disappeared in 1934, he had secretly moved to [[Mecca]] and would live for another 409 years.{{sfn|Fishman|Soage|2013|p=62}}

Reflecting a belief in the inner divinity of humanity that is common among black-oriented new religions,{{sfn|Palmer|2010|p=32}} the Nation also promotes the idea that "God is man and man is God, that God has a presence inside human individuals."{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=876}} Accordingly, the NOI teaches that the black race, in its natural state, is divine,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=134}} a "nation of Gods",{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=171}} with Elijah Muhammad espousing the view that  "all Muslims are Allahs".{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=172}} According to the NOI, "knowledge of self" is key for black people to realize their inner divinity.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=174}} The NOI thus maintains that by following its teachings, its adherents can recognize their inner godliness.{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=877}} Elijah Muhammad for instance stated that humans could develop parapsychological powers and that he personally had [[Telepathy|telepathic]] abilities.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=23}}

The Nation of Islam's theology is "completely divorced" from mainstream Islam.{{sfn|Fishman|Soage|2013|p=64}} The two differ in regard to the fundamental ontological divide between humanity and God,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=134}} as well as God's nature, which for mainstream Muslims is deemed eternal and non-anthropomorphic.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=171}} Also conflicting with mainstream Islam is the NOI's claim that there is no afterlife;{{sfnm|1a1=Keener|1a2=Usry|1y=2005|1p=175|2a1=Fishman|2a2=Soage|2y=2013|2p=64|3a1=Curtis IV|3y=2016|3p=17}} Elijah Muhammad wrote that "when you are dead, you are DEAD".{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=233|2a1=Keener|2a2=Usry|2y=2005|2p=175}} Notions of [[Heaven]], the Nation claims, are a lie used by white Christians to keep black people docile.{{sfn|Finley|2022|pp=40-41}} Instead Elijah Muhammad taught that there is no spiritual realm beyond the material universe.{{sfnm|1a1=Allen|1y=1996|1p=9|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2p=13}}

=== Cosmogony and the Tribe of Shabazz ===
{{Main|Tribe of Shabazz}}

The Nation teaches that in the beginning there was nothing but darkness. Then, 76 trillion years ago, the first Allah willed himself into being, taking 6 million years to form into his desired appearance: that of a black man,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=144|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2pp=22-23}} in reference to the blackness from which he had emerged.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=144}} The first Allah then created the Sun and the planets,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=144|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=23}} as well as fellow black gods, who lived predominantly on the Earth but also on [[Mars]].{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=23}} Of these, the first Allah and 23 others formed a council of ruling imams: 12 greater and 12 lesser.{{sfnm|1a1=Allen|1y=1996|1p=10|2a1=Gardell|2y=1996|2p=144}} Each of these imams would take a turn being the ruling Allah for one cycle each.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=145}} 

[[File:NATIONOFISLAMSF1994photobyNancyWong.jpg|thumb|left|Young male members of the Nation of Islam in San Francisco, California in 1994]]

The NOI refers to these early individuals as "god-scientists".{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=24}} They are part of what it calls the "Original" or "Asiatic" race,{{sfnm|1a1=Allen|1y=1996|1p=10|2a1=Austin|2y=2003|2p=56|3a1=Soumahoro|3y=2007|3p=42}} a people who were divided into 13 tribes.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=25}} The Nation labels these people "black",{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=876}} describing them as having dark skin as well as smooth, straight hair, closely resembling dark-complexioned Arabians or South Asians rather than Sub-Saharan Africans.{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=57}} In portraying humanity as the creation of the first Allah, rather than a product of [[evolution]], the Nation endorses a unique form of [[creationism]] and believes [[dinosaurs]] to be a hoax created by white scientists.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=175–176}}

According to Nation teaching, one of the god-scientists was a renegade and, 66 trillion years ago, tried to destroy the Earth with explosives. The resulting explosion forced a chunk of the Earth's mass into orbit, where it became the moon.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=145|2a1=Fishman|2a2=Soage|2y=2013|2p=63|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=25}} One of the 13 tribes was trapped on the moon, where they died due to lack of water.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=25}} The Nation also maintains that 15,000 years ago, the god-scientists wrote down knowledge of the future in a text, the Mother Book, parts of which have passed down in the [[Torah]], [[Gospels]], and Quran.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=146}} 

Of the twelve tribes that remained on Earth, the most resilient was the Tribe of Shabazz;{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=25}} they settled in Egypt's [[Nile Valley]] and the area around Mecca in the Arabian peninsula.{{sfnm|1a1=Austin|1y=2003|1p=57|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=882|3a1=Soumahoro|3y=2007|3p=42|4a1=Fishman|4a2=Soage|4y=2013|4p=63|5a1=Finley|5y=2022|5p=25}} The Nation calls this region "East Asia",{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=25}} reflecting its belief that Asia and Africa were once a single continent.{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=882}} It was because they moved into the "jungles of East Asia" (i.e. Africa), Elijah Muhammad claimed, that members of this Original Asiatic Race developed [[Afro-textured hair]].{{sfnm|1a1=Curtis IV|1y=2016|1p=14|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=26}} The Nation teaches that the Original Race were Muslims by their intrinsic nature, but that many created heretical deviations such as [[Hinduism]];{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=58}} some of those who broke Islamic rules were exiled to North America, where they became the continent's native population.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=153}}

For the Nation, everyone not of West European genetic origin is a descendant of the Original Asiatic Race.{{sfnm|1a1=Austin|1y=2003|1p=57|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=878}} In contrast to understandings of race held by most Americans,{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=57}} for the Nation, "black" does not simply mean those of Sub-Saharan African genetic descent, but all [[people of color]], including Asians, North Africans, and Native Americans.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=7|2a1=Austin|2y=2003|2p=57}} Even some Eastern Europeans, such as [[Albanians]], are considered descendants of the Original Asiatic Race.{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=63}} Elijah Muhammad for instance referred to "black, brown, yellow [and] red" people as collectively constituting "black mankind", which he then juxtaposed against the "white race".{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=57}}

=== Myth of Yakub===
{{Main|Yakub (Nation of Islam)}}

[[File:Noi.PNG|thumb|Nation of Islam members at [[Speakers' Corner]] in Hyde Park, London, March 1999]]
The NOI promotes a story called the [[Yakub (Nation of Islam)|myth of Yakub]],{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=42}} which received its fullest exposition in Elijah Muhammad's 1965 book ''Message to the Blackman''.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=14}} In this narrative, Yakub was a black scientist; a child prodigy, by the age of 18 he had learned everything that Mecca's universities had to teach him.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=147|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2p=15}} He attracted a following but caused trouble, leading the Meccan authorities to exile him and his 59,999 followers to Pelan, the Mediterranean island of [[Patmos]].{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=147|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2p=15|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=30}}

On Pelan, the NOI claims, Yakub engaged in a selective breeding program to create the white race. This entailed breeding new children, with those who were too dark killed at birth and their bodies fed to wild animals or incinerated. Over two centuries, Yakub's experiments created a blonde, light-skinned people, the white race.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=148|2a1=Tsoukalas|2y=2004|2pp=453–454|3a1=Curtis IV|3y=2016|3p=15|4a1=Finley|4y=2022|4pp=30-31}} As a group of people distinct from the Original Asiatic Race, the white race are degenerate,{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=40}} sub-human,{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=41}} and bereft of divinity,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=59, 148}} being intrinsically prone to lying, violence, and brutality.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=148|2a1=Tsoukalas|2y=2004|2p=454|3a1=Curtis IV|3y=2016|3p=22|4a1=Finley|4y=2022|4p=43}} Elijah Muhammad repeatedly referred to whites as "the devil".{{sfnm|1a1=Taylor|1y=2005|1p=61|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2p=16}} The Nation maintains that most white people are unaware of their true origins, but that such knowledge is held by senior white [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]].{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=148–149|2a1=Knight|2y=2000|2p=165}} These ideas have been labelled both [[racism|racist]]{{sfnm|1a1=Lincoln|1y=1961|1p=4|2a1=Gardell|2y=1996|2pp=269, 348|3a1=Gabriel|3y=2003|3p=154|4a1=Gibson|4y=2012|4p=71}} and [[Scientific racism|racialist]].{{sfn|Wojcik|2003|p=280}}

According to the Nation's teachings, Yakub's newly created white race sowed discord among black people, and thus were exiled to live in the caves of "West Asia", meaning Europe.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=151|2a1=Berg|2y=2005|2p=692|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=32}} In this narrative, it was in Europe that the white race engaged in [[bestiality]] and degenerated, resulting in the emergence of apes and monkeys.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=152}} To help the whites develop, the ruling Allah sent prophets to them, the first of whom was [[Moses in Islam|Musa]] ([[Moses]]), who taught the whites to cook and wear clothes.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=152|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=32}} According to the Nation, [[Jesus of Nazareth|Jesus]] was also a prophet sent to civilise the white race.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=235|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2p=16|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=32}} The group rejects the Christian belief that Jesus was a unique manifestation of God, that he was the [[Messiah]], was the product of a virgin birth, or was crucified and resurrected.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=129, 234}}

===White rule===

{{Quote box
| quote = God say you're the real devil. And you damn sure are. Ain't another devil nowhere else. Ain't no use you get mad with me, white people. You are the devil. The only hell-raiser on the earth. I'm not sayin' that you are responsible, 'cause you are made devil. But I'm not gonna make a mistake in thinkin' that you can be made better through love.
| source = Louis Farrakhan’s views on white people being the devil{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=148}}
| width = 25em
| align = right
}}

In the Nation's teachings, the ruling Allah permitted the white race to rule the Earth for 6000 years,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=59, 148|2a1=Tinaz|2y=1996|2p=197|3a1=Acevado|3a2=Ordner|3a3=Thompson|3y=2010|3p=139}} a period ending in 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=59, 16|2a1=Fishman|2a2=Soage|2y=2013|2p=63|3a1=Curtis IV|3y=2016|3p=16}} It claims that the ruling Allahs allowed this so that black people would discover humanity's inner potential for evil and learn how to defeat it, thus enabling them to realize their inner divine capacity and become gods.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=150}}

The NOI claims that over 6000 years ago the whites began to dominate the world,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=152}} using treacherous tactics that the Nation calls "tricknology".{{sfn|Potorti|2017|p=69}} As part of this, the whites enslaved the Tribe of Shabazz, shipping many of them to the Americas through the Atlantic slave trade.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=16}} The NOI claims that most enslaved blacks forgot their true names, their Arabic language, and their Muslim identity, instead embracing Christianity,{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=16}} which the Nation labels "white man's religion".{{sfnm|1a1=Tinaz|1y=2006|1p=160|2a1=Acevado|2a2=Ordner|2a3=Thompson|2y=2010|2p=140|3a1=Colley|3y=2014|3p=400}} The group deems Christianity a tool of white supremacy used to subjugate black people,{{sfnm|1a1=Barnett|1y=2006|1p=882|2a1=Soumahoro|2y=2007|2p=46|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3pp=34, 44}} and expresses the belief that the oppressed (African Americans) and the oppressors (European Americans) cannot share the same god.{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=39}} The Nation claims that in their enslaved state, black people have lost their morality by engaging in sinful behaviour such as fornication and drinking alcohol,{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=16}} something encouraged by the whites.{{sfn|Potorti|2017|p=69}} In making this argument, the NOI equates the United States with the city of [[Babylon]] as presented in the Bible.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=60|2a1=Soumahoro|2y=2007|2p=41}}

The Nation thus understands the modern subjugation of African Americans as part of an ancient white conspiracy.{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=41}} The group interprets many of the problems facing African Americans in this light; Farrakhan for instance claimed that the white establishment encouraged a black gang culture to provide an excuse for the police killing of black youths,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=286–287}} that they flooded black-majority areas with drugs,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=301}} and that they created [[AIDS]] to exterminate black people.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=325–327}} The Nation is also openly critical of U.S. aggression towards countries with non-white and Muslim majorities,{{sfn|Izadi|Hosseini|Mohammadi|Anjomeruz|2020|p=151}} and in keeping with its ethos has adopted an [[Anti-Zionism|anti-Zionist]] position regarding Israel.{{sfn|Izadi|Hosseini|Mohammadi|Anjomeruz|2020|pp=141, 148}}

=== Eschatology and the Mother Plane ===

The NOI is [[Millenarianism|millenarian]],{{sfnm|1a1=Allen|1y=1996|1p=8|2a1=Wojcik|2y=2003|2p=280|3a1=Barnett|3y=2006|3p=874}} believing that humanity is living in [[Eschatology|end times]].{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=160}} It propounds a distinct [[eschatology]] drawing on the [[Book of Revelation]].{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=41}} Central to its view of the apocalypse is a large spaceship, known as the Wheel, the Mother Plane, or the Mother Ship,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=158|2a1=Taylor|2y=2005|2p=63|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=68}} and which members usually refer to using female pronouns.{{sfnm|1a1=Curtis IV|1y=2016|1p=20|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=68}} Elijah Muhammad described this as "a small human planet",{{sfn|Tsoukalas|2004|p=456}} claiming that it is half a mile in diameter.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=158|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=68}} The Nation teaches that this vessel is [[Merkabah mysticism|the Merkabah]] that appears in the [[Book of Ezekiel]] (1:4–28).{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=158|2a1=Barrett|2y=2001|2p=253|3a1=Tsoukalas|3y=2004|3p=456|4a1=Taylor|4y=2005|4p=57}} It teaches that Allah and many of his scientists live in a magnificent city on the Mother Plane, from which they monitor humanity;{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=131, 159}} Farrakhan has claimed that Elijah Muhammad never died but is resident aboard this ship.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=133}} The Nation teaches that there are also smaller vessels, "baby planes", docked inside the Mother Ship and that these travel to visit Earth.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=131}}

The Nation teaches that a period of deteriorating racial tensions will culminate in the apocalypse.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=163}} NOI members have repeatedly claimed that this apocalypse is imminent; Farrakhan for instance predicted that the [[Gulf War]] of 1990 would spark it,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=162}} while [[Tynetta Muhammad]] predicted it would occur in 2001.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=179}} According to Nation teaching, the apocalypse will come when the Mother Plane appears above the Earth and transports the righteous to live aboard it.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=164}} It will then use the baby planes to bury bombs beneath the Earth's surface, which on detonation will wipe out the old, white-dominated order.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=159, 164|2a1=Curtis IV|2y=2016|2pp=19–20}} The Earth's atmosphere will then burn for 390 years and spend another 610 cooling down.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=164}}

Once the Earth has returned to a habitable state, the ruling Allah will return the righteous to live on the planet, in a new black paradise.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1pp=59, 164|2a1=Tsoukalas|2y=2004|2p=456}} In his book ''The Supreme Wisdom'', Elijah Muhammad claimed that after the apocalypse, "Peace, joy and happiness will have no end."{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=22}} Those living in this perfect society will eat the finest food and wear clothes of silk interwoven with gold.{{sfnm|1a1=Tsoukalas|1y=2004|1p=456|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=69}} The NOI has taught that the white ruling elite are aware of this forthcoming apocalypse and that the U.S. exploration of space and the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] are futile attempts to protect themselves against the Mother Plane.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=159|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=71}}

=== Black nationalism and separatism ===

Ideologically, the NOI is black nationalist,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=182|2a1=Soumahoro|2y=2007|2p=40|3a1=Acevado|3a2=Ordner|3a3=Thompson|3y=2010|3pp=124, 147|4a1=McCutcheon|4y=2013|4p=61|5a1=Curtis IV|5y=2016|5p=6}} and has sometimes been perceived as a [[Black Power]] political organization.{{sfnm|1a1=Barrett|1y=2001|1p=252|2a1=Jeffries|2y=2019|2p=2}} Scholar of religion [[Mattias Gardell]] commented that the idea of black unity is "at the very core of the NOI ideology".{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=321}} It seeks to empower black people by giving them a positive self-identity,{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=874}} purging ideas of white superiority and black inferiority from its followers.{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=874}} In the Nation's view, black liberation requires a religious dimension.{{sfn|Soumahoro|2007|p=39}}
It regards African Americans, or black people more broadly, as the Chosen People,{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=875}} espousing a cosmology in which the black race is superior and the white race inferior.{{sfnm|1a1=Austin|1y=2003|1p=58|2a1=Acevado|2a2=Ordner|2a3=Thompson|2y=2010|2p=142|3a1=Boaz|3y=2018|3p=24}}

{{Quote box
| quote = We want our people in America whose parents or grandparents are descendants from slaves to be allowed to establish a separate state or territory of their own, either on this continent or elsewhere. We believe that our former slave masters are obligated to provide such land and that the area must be fertile and minerally rich.
| source=Elijah Muhammad, 1965{{sfn|McCutcheon|2013|p=69}}
| width = 25em
| align    = left
}}

The Nation is [[Black separatism|black separatist]],{{sfnm|1a1=Allen|1y=1996|1p=4|2a1=Gardell|2y=1996|2p=60|3a1=Soumahoro|3y=2007|3p=40}} rejecting the integration of the black and white races.{{sfnm|1a1=Acevado|1a2=Ordner|1a3=Thompson|1y=2010|1p=145|2a1=Haywood|2y=2017|2p=12}} This racial separatism was at odds with the mainstream civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.{{sfn|Acevado|Ordner|Thompson|2010|p=145}} The Nation was critical of African-American activists who promoted racial integration, such as [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]],{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=60}} regarding them as "Uncle Tom Negroes".{{sfn|McCutcheon|2013|p=65}} In contrast to King's calls for non-violent protest against segregation and racial violence, the Nation maintained that self-defence was a moral obligation for African Americans.{{sfnm|1a1=Acevado|1a2=Ordner|1a3=Thompson|1y=2010|1p=147|2a1=Finley|2y=2022|2p=43}}

The NOI called for the creation of a separate, sovereign African-American nation-state in the southern part of what is currently the United States,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=60|2a1=McCutcheon|2y=2013|2p=62}} with Elijah Muhammad stipulating that the U.S. should financially support this new country for 20 to 25 years.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=30}} This is presented as compensation for the unpaid labor of their enslaved ancestors.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=310}} Farrakhan has also suggested that the countries of Africa should set aside land on that continent for the African diaspora, characterising this as a reparation for the complicity of West African states in the [[Atlantic slave trade]].{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=309}} Gardell suggested that any nation-state formed under the Nation's leadership would be [[theocracy|theocratic]], authoritarian, and [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]].{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=322}}

Unlike the Garveyites and Rastafari who strongly emphasise links between the African diaspora and Africa itself, Elijah Muhammad and the NOI instead focused their attention on the African diaspora in the Americas,{{sfnm|1a1=Soumahoro|1y=2007|1p=42|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=882}} rejecting a specifically [[Pan-Africanism|Pan-African]] ideology.{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=66}} Elijah Muhammad stated that "where as the Black man in Africa is our brother, our central responsibility is with the Black man here in the wilderness of North America".{{sfnm|1a1=Austin|1y=2003|1p=65|2a1=Soumahoro|2y=2007|2p=42}} Rather than treating Africa as a homeland, the Nation's origin myths present Mecca as the original home of African Americans;{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=883}} Africa itself is often portrayed in Nation writings as the least desirable of the Original Asiatic lands.{{sfn|Austin|2003|p=65}}

=== Gender and sexuality issues ===

[[File:BLACK MUSLIM WOMEN DRESSED IN WHITE APPLAUD ELIJAH MUHAMMAD DURING THE DELIVERY OF HIS ANNUAL SAVIOR'S DAY MESSAGE IN... - NARA - 556245.jpg|thumb|right|Women members of the NOI at a Saviour's Day meeting in 1974. A women's outfit incorporating a headpiece and full-length garment covering the arms and legs was introduced in the 1930s, intended to preserve the wearer's modesty.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=35}}]]

The NOI's teachings on gender are conservative and patriarchal.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=330|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=879|3a1=Turman|3y=2015|3p=140}} It promotes strict gender roles,{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=8}} maintaining that the security of the black family is ensured when its members adhere to their gendered responsibilities.{{sfn|West|1996|p=42}} Emphasis is placed on the family unit,{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=879}} with the Nation being critical of the historically [[Matrifocal family|matrifocal]] focus of many African-American families, instead stressing the importance of a male family figurehead.{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=47}}

Seeking to restore black manhood,{{sfn|Haywood|2017|p=9}} the Nation expresses great concern regarding the emasculation of black men, attributing this attitude to the failure of black men to prevent the sexual assault of black women by white men over the centuries.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2002|p=171}} It expects men to be providers for their family.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=330|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=879}} Women are expected to act as caretakers of the household and the children,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=330|2a1=West|2y=1996|2p=42|3a1=Barnett|3y=2006|3p=879|4a1=Colley|4y=2014|4p=409}} and are cautioned against forming friendships with men.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=39}} Outsiders often perceive the Nation's women as being victims of male oppression and control.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=33}}

The group's leadership is overwhelmingly male,{{sfn|Barnett|2006|p=879}} although several women rose to senior positions during the 1990s;{{sfnm|1a1=Gibson|1y=2012|1p=104|2a1=Gibson|2y=2017|2p=42}} in 1998 the Nation appointed its first woman minister, Ava Muhammad, as head of Mosque Number 15 in Georgia.{{sfn|Gibson|2012|p=104}} Some Nation women still play an active role in their communities,{{sfn|West|1996|p=41}} sometimes challenging established gender norms in the organization.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|pp=39–40}}

The NOI strictly enforces heterosexual monogamy among its members and encourages sexual abstinence prior to marriage.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2016|p=18}} Members seeking to court another are expected to inform the captain of their local Fruit of Islam or Muslim Girls Training branch about their intentions.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=38}}
Men found to have beaten their wives are temporarily suspended from Nation membership.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=330}} Divorce is discouraged but not forbidden.{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=33}} Children are expected to study hard, avoid street culture, and respect their elders.{{sfn|Gardell|1996|p=61}}

Although Nation members are allowed to marry non-members,{{sfn|Gibson|2017|p=38}} the group stipulates that they should only marry other black people,{{sfn|Gardell|1996|pp=61, 335}} claiming that sex with white women emasculates black men.{{sfn|Curtis IV|2002|pp=171, 172}} Birth control methods are criticised as an attempt by the white establishment to lower the black birthrate,{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=335|2a1=Gibson|2y=2012|2p=103|3a1=Curtis IV|3y=2016|3p=16|4a1=Finley|4y=2022|4p=59}} although Farrakhan stated support for [[abortion]] in cases of rape, incest or where the woman's life is endangered.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=335|2a1=Gibson|2y=2012|2p=103}}
Same-sex relationships are condemned as immoral.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=1996|1p=336|2a1=Barnett|2y=2006|2p=879|3a1=Finley|3y=2022|3p=56}} Elijah Muhammad complained that schools, jails, and prisons were "breeding dens of homosexuals,"{{sfn|Finley|2022|p=56}} while Farrakhan banned gay men from his [[Million Man March]], bringing accusations of [[homophobia]].{{sfn|Gibson|2012|p=101}}