Consequently, Fard and another leader, Ugan Ali, were arrested and questioned. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. He also taught us to give up all evil doings and practices and do righteousness or be destroyed from the face of the earth. The effect of both these movements upon the future members of the Nation of Islam was largely indirect. He could very plausibly be Maori from New Zealand trying to pass as an Arab, or he could genuinely be Arabic. Artists who have made references within their music include Jay-Z ("I'm going to chase the Yacub back in the cave"[69]), Jay Electronica ("Lost tribe of Shabazz stylin' on the record", "The son of W.D., who hung around in the D, Who ran around in the three, The trap gods raised me, Face all on the Sphinx, Story all in the wall of the pyramids, Niggas know the Black God saved me"[69]), Brand Nubian ("This Asiatic black man is a dog spelled backwards, The maker, the owner, the cream of the planet earth, Father of civilization, God of the universe, Manifestin thought with my infinite styles, Making sure this travels twenty-three million miles, The other six I set the crucifix, Because the heart of the problem is this."[70]), and Ras Kass in the song "Riiiot" ("Now I got niggas claiming they saw God unfortunately, he wasn't in the person of Master Fard Muhammad").[71]. He declared that he would heal us and set us in heaven at once, if we would submit to Him. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. [41] Immigration records did not match any of his aliases. Contemporary American Religion. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. WebWallace Muhammad - Disappearance Disappearance In June 1934, Fard left Detroit for Chicago and disappeared without a trace. While there is plenty written about Ford, not much is known about Fard. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and had an obscure background and used several aliases. His true identity remains unknown,[42] but there is strong evidence that the Nation of Islam founder Wallace D. Fard was the same man as Wallace Dodd Ford, an inmate in San Quentin Prison. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, Beynon stated that Fard's position on human sacrifice "was never made clear. Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. Some people claim that he died from injuries inflicted by the police while he was in jail. Updates? 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. Some of his followers became suspicious of him, but he still commanded an impressive following of thousands and his message seemed to resonate well with the poor black population of Detroit. Today, the Nation of Islam teaches that he boarded the Mother Plane and is still alive. This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. On the 1930 U.S. Census, a man listed as William D. Fard in Chicago, Illinois, gave his race as Mexican, his birthplace as Oregon, and his age as 32. This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. Muhammad, Akbar. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. There is no consensus about Master Fard's identity. In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. Fard, facing possible charges, confessed that his teachings were dangerous and that he would use his influence to disband the ATI. Uncover property values, resident history, neighborhood safety score, and more! [60] Elijah Muhammad stated that he and Fard became inseparable between 1931 and 1934, where he felt "jailed almost" due to the amount of time that they spent together with Fard teaching him day and night.[60]. [31], From the FBI's response to the Freedom of Information Act request, Evanzz claimed that Fard, using the name Fred Dodd, married Pearl Allen in Multnomah County, Oregon, on May 9, 1914, with their first child, a son, born the next year. Learn how your comment data is processed. . In fact, some of the most mysterious individuals who have graced this Earth have left the most indelible marks upon our books and records. Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader Fard, which contains 40 questions answered by Elijah Muhammad, one of the lost found in the wilderness of North America February 20th, 1934."[25]. "[37] The FBI took note of the article written by Erdmann Doane Beynon, and it conducted a search for Fard using various aliases including the name "Ford". Fard as being Allah (God) and claims that Fard is the source of all of his teachings, it is suggested that an exhaustive effort be made to fully identify and locate W. D. Fard and/or members of his family. A fully equipped kitchen is available with all of the cooking essentials including a Keurig coffee maker w/coffee and hot cocoa. Jeffrey Eugenides novel Middlesex, which could justly be called a Detroit epic, includes a fascinating chapter in which the matriarch of the Stephanides family, Desdemona, takes a job as a silk worker at the Nation of Islams headquarters on Hastings Street. There is some evidence that Fard lived at least until the 1960s; his alleged lover stated that he had returned to New Zealand. He disappeared in 1934 after several arrests in Detroit and Elijah Muhammad took over as leader of the Nation of Islam. April 15, 2022. Turner, Richard Brent. You have not yet seen me in my royal robes.' Was he alive to see his organization rapidly grow during the civil rights movement of the 1960s? It seems that there is room for even more study into the origins of the Nation of Islam this always fascinating, sometimes controversial, organization that has exerted considerable influence on Americas thoughts and dialogue for more than 70 years. Contemporary American Religion. Much of what is known about him is shrouded in mystery, and it is difficult to separate fact from mythological stories. [52] One theory postulated is that Fard was of Afghan heritage. During our colored and Negro days, he was Black. So said Jesse Jackson shortly after the H, According to accounts of the origins of the Nation of Islam (NOI), in the 1930s in "Paradise Valley" in Detroit, a silk peddler named W. D. Fard bega, The expansion of Islam historically embraces two phenomena. Fard, they say, was born in 1877, which would make him 53 in 1930. Fard, a man who the FBI alleged used 58 aliases during his lifetime, visited Detroit. [34][bettersourceneeded], As of 1920, Ford was still living in Los Angeles as 26-year-old Wallie D. Ford, with his 25-year-old wife, Hazel E. Ford. All written records and documents that he or other people filled out on his behalf list him as white or caucasian. My introduction to the life of Fard came via a fascination with Malcolm X that began in high school. On the draft card, "Ford" is written in parentheses in a different hand. He declared that we were without the knowledge of self or anyone else. But I am not the same person who taught Elijah Muhammad and I am not God. They also have a similar receding hairline that poofs out along the side. What seems most remarkable is that Fard seems to have utterly disappeared from the governments (especially the FBIs) radar after leaving Detroit in 1933. He lived In Los Angeles. Elijah Muhammad, who took the position of leader of the Nation of Islam after Fard's disappearance, railed agaist the media claims that Ford was Fard. Hijrah Magazine (MarchApril 1985). In 1981, Pakistani scholar Zafar Ishaq Ansari researched Fard's life and claimed that Fard was identical with Muhammad Abdullah, a Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. "In an attempt to determine the origins of W.D. The later official view of the Nation of Islam was that he was in Mecca. WebWallace Fard Muhammad established the Nation of Islam in Detroit. The men of the organization were drilled by captains and referred to as the Fruit of Islam. WebMaster Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. The marriage did not last even a year; Ford accused his wife of being an alcoholic and a bad spender. According to Bontemps and Conroy, Fard claimed that he was the reincarnation of Noble Drew Ali. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. [47] The paper published the story in an article titled "Black Muslim Founder Exposed As White. One of the few survivors who heard his first addresses states that he himself said: 'My name is W. D. Fard and I came from the Holy City of Mecca. But as a prerequisite for black liberation, he stressed the importance of attaining "knowledge of self." [24] He established the University of Islam, where school-age children were taught, rather than in the public schools. If he indeed became Fard that would tie in with his advocacy of Islam. It says that Wallace Fard "is awaiting an immigration hearing. Contemporary American Religion. To this day, nobody knows. He had met Muhammad in prison where the two men plotted a confidence game in which followers were charged a fee to become Muslims. The FBI officially claims this: Fard got into hot water when in May 1933, one of his followers performed a ritual murder as a sacrifice to God. Wallace Dodd Ford's race is the subject of some debate. [35], A marriage certificate dated June 5, 1924, was issued to Wallie Dodd Ford and Carmen Trevino (or Trevio) in Santa Ana, California. 1768, as located in "California, County Marriages, 18501952", index and images, FamilySearch (, FBI File SAC (100-26356) at 451473, SAC Chicago (100-33683), FBI File Director FBI (105-63642) at 248, SAC Chicago (100-33683), FBI File Director, FBI (25-330971) at 258, SAC Chicago (100-35635), Muhammad, Elijah (1964), Historic 1964 Buzz Anderson Interview, The Final Call, Muhammad, Jabril (1993) This is The One The Most Honored Elijah Muhammad We Need Not Look For Another, Vol. The NOI teaches that Wallace Fard Muhammad was an avatar of Allah, who came to America to educate on this forgotten history. A Fred Dodd married Pearl Allen in Portland, Oregon in 1914. 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. 1962. But none can be verified and he is almost certainly long dead now. He founded the religious movement in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1930, and was its leader until 1934, his disappearance. "The people who actually met him, and the scholars who have studied him, have suggested that he was variously an African American, an Arab from Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco or Saudi Arabia a Turk, an Afghan, an Indo-Pakistani a Greek" Morrow writes. Ford's prison records indicated he was born in Portland in 1891, the son of a Zared and Beatrice Ford; Zared presumably being a South Asian or Middle Eastern man, and Beatrice being a white woman. Leader of the Nation of Islam Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. How did the founder of a group that recruited men like Malcolm X and Muhammed Ali slip under the radar so easily? He founded the religious movement in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1930, and was its leader until 1934, his disappearance. After another brush with the law in April 1934, Fard left Detroit for good. But it's a dead end - as far as anybody in the country, or indeed the world is concerned, Wallace Fard Muhammed no longer exists. [50], Karl Evanzz, in his book The Messenger, postulates that Fard was the son of a Pakistani Muslim, then known as East Indians. But perhaps most notably, he was the man who founded the Nation of Islam, a political and religious organization that brought Malcolm X, one of the 20th centurys most important Americans, into the spotlight. It's the late 1950s and the civil rights movement is beginning to emerge. "[26] Wallace Fard Muhammad loved the black people of the United States of America. In 1933, Fard disappeared and a power struggle within the NOI emerged. What would he have thought of it? When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. Harris was later declared mentally unbalanced, pleaded guilty and was imprisoned, while Fard and Ali were released. Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. From then onwards, he is untraceable. With growing prestige over a constantly increasing group, [Fard] became bolder in his denunciation of white people and began to attack the teachings of the Bible in such a way as to shock his hearers and bring them to an emotional crisis. 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.). All Rights Reserved. Ugh, I've been going back and forth for the past ten minutes trying to decide if I think the pictures in link 1 and link 2 are of the same person. 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. Either way, most people who have investigated his life have come to the conclusion that he was probably mixed race and may have emigrated from New Zealand or the Middle East. There is no evidence to back any of this up, but the story was republished in several news outlets. 44 records found for Wallace Rd, Oswego, KS 67356. He stated that he was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a Black African father and a Russian Jewish mother, from the Caucasus. There were rumors about his whereabouts until the 1990s, when some believed he was still alive and living somewhere in California. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. [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. Mythological stories separate fact from mythological stories he established the University of Islam was... Editing your bibliography or works cited list Muhammed Ali slip under the radar so easily alleged stated. Not the same person who taught Elijah Muhammad took over as leader of the cooking essentials including a Keurig maker! Police while he was in jail confidence game in which followers were charged a fee to become Muslims other filled... Black people of the earth which followers were charged a fee to become Muslims provide... 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