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110-627: Allegedly formed in September 1968 by Samuel Christian , who later adopted the name Suleiman Bey under the Nation of Islam , the Black Mafia was heavily involved in a large part of drug trafficking in Philadelphia during the 1970s, with heroin being the most trafficked drug. Christian, a former Black Panther with an extensive arrest record, was an imposing man: 5'10' tall and described as

220-516: A "hot shot" administered to him by other Black Mafia members. The Strike Force concluded the overdose was arranged to "ensure his silence in a Black Mafia related assault case". The Black Mafia also carried out the Dubrow Furniture Store robbery. On January 4, 1971, eight Black Mafia members robbed DuBrow's on South Street in Philadelphia. They entered the store one by one posing as customers. Once all were inside, they pulled guns on

330-413: A "thick-necked, powerfully-built, 215-pound bully." Additional founding members included Ronald Harvey, Henry Dabney, Richard "Pork Chops" James, Donald "Donnie" Day, Clyde "Apples" Ross, Robert "Bop Daddy" Fairbanks, Craig "Heist" Jones, Walter Hudgins, Robert "Nudie" Mims amongst others. Many of the original members eventually became Nation of Islam members or converted to Islam , giving the organization

440-474: A black man named Allah , of whom Fard Muhammad is the most recent. It claims that the first Allah created the earliest humans, the Arabic -speaking, dark-skinned Tribe of Shabazz , whose members possessed inner divinity and from whom all people of color descend. It maintains that a scientist named Yakub then created the white race. The whites lacked inner divinity, and were intrinsically violent; they overthrew

550-485: A bust was community activist Charles Robinson, a member of a community group that became heavily dominated by Black Mafia members while taking government grants. Robinson, as informant, states that he feared for his family as Black Mafia influence grew. He likely also wisely feared the inevitable investigation into the use of the funds. Robinson was a brother-in-law to mafia member James Fox. Fox allegedly had been intimidating Robinson's family, specifically his mother. Evidence

660-727: A child prodigy, by the age of 18 he had learned everything that Mecca's universities had to teach him. 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 . 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 being killed at birth and their bodies being fed to wild animals or incinerated. Over two centuries, Yakub's experiments created

770-545: A council of ruling imams; 12 greater and 12 lesser. Each of these imams would take a turn being the ruling Allah for one cycle each. The NOI refers to these early individuals as "god-scientists". They are part of what it calls the "Original" or "Asiatic" race, a people who were divided into 13 tribes. The Nation labels these people "black", 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. In portraying humanity as

880-578: A cycle in history, taking over following the death of their predecessor. The Nation regards its founder, Fard Muhammad, as the latest of these Allahs, or "God in person". 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. The Nation teaches that although this founder disappeared in 1934, he had secretly moved to Mecca in Arabia and would live for another 409 years. The Nation promotes

990-465: A drug overdose. At the time of his death, James had a history of 32 arrests. Camden Police Department intelligence files state that James was sent to New York at the orders of Eugene "Bo" Baynes to fulfill a murder contract. While staying in New York, he had murdered a woman and a child and had wounded the man he was supposed to murder. The files state that James's subsequent overdose in jail was in fact,

1100-402: A flag based on that of Muslim-majority Turkey . The Nation has little in common with mainstream forms of Islam, regardless of whether they be Sunni , Shia , or Sufi . Mainstream Muslims generally see it as a movement that has "selectively adopted some Islamic beliefs and concepts", but which is not "truly Islamic". The scholars Jason Eric Fishman and Ana Belén Soage observed that although

1210-489: A group of blonde, light-skinned people, the white race. As a group of people distinct from the Original Asiatic Race, the white race are degenerate, sub-human, and bereft of divinity, being intrinsically prone to lying, violence, and brutality. Elijah Muhammad repeatedly referred to whites as "the devil". The Nation maintains that most white people are unaware of their true origins, but that such knowledge

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1320-464: A lucrative drug network, with a total distribution estimated at 100 to 200 kilos of cocaine per month at its peak. As the JBM began to take shape, the fledgling organization formed a board of commissioners composed of all the original members. Although board members in theory shared power equally, and decisions were to be based on consensus, informants state that Aaron Jones quickly assumed a dominant role on

1430-602: A mean age of 29. Members and associates were called "Part I" and low-ranking members were named "The Little Brothers." Members could move up in the chain of command according to certain established criteria. The meetings were organized at different locations between 1969 and 1975 based on this hierarchy, while later iterations of leadership did not wish to record activities on paper. As the gang gained local control, separate meetings were held for those holding positions of power and those who were general members. The average number of attendees ranged from 40–60 and minutes were taken during

1540-602: A model for their organization, JBM members and associates have developed a number of links with LCN members and associates. For example, JBM advisor Michael Youngblood used LCN connections to obtain cocaine and methamphetamine for his drug trafficking operation. In 1983, Youngblood was indicted on drug charges along with George "Cowboy George" Martorano, the son of Philadelphia LCN member Raymond "Long John" Martorano . JBM members have been observed meeting LCN associates at LCN hangouts in South Philadelphia. Another member

1650-456: A murder rap of a well-known Reverend) ...be walking with kings," the dealers lamented. John Street escaped prosecution, but several of his key people drew successful federal prosecutions, ending their careers. The Black Mafia used formalized meetings, and legal incorporated nonprofits as cover, and imposed a hierarchy on its members in an attempt to create discipline among members. The command structure in 1968 consisted of fourteen individuals with

1760-489: A network of people. The networks varied in size and capacity and serviced different areas of Philadelphia. JBM members shared considerable knowledge of the clients and the workers of each other's networks. It was believed that this common knowledge was intended to reduce friction based on inadvertently soliciting clients or workers claimed by other members. Members often had a second-in-command for their own operation, to provide for continuity in leadership in case of arrest. From

1870-568: A period of deteriorating racial tensions will culminate in the apocalypse. NOI members have repeatedly claimed that this apocalypse is imminent; Farrakhan for instance predicted that the Gulf War of 1990 would spark it, while Tynetta Muhammad predicted it would occur in 2001. According to Nation teaching, the apocalypse will come when the Mother Plane appears above the Earth and transports

1980-597: A religious dimension. It regards African Americans, or black people more broadly, as the Chosen People, espousing a cosmology in which the black race is superior and the white race inferior. 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

2090-452: A shorthand to describe South Philadelphia's hidden forces for decades, damning efforts at urban renewal. The earliest documented act committed by the Black Mafia was the April 19, 1969, murder of one of the group's founders, Nathaniel "Rock and Roll" Williams. Williams arranged a crap game above a barbershop at Broad (14th) and South street. As usual, several Black Mafia leaders participated in

2200-469: A suspect in the 1973 murder of Major Coxson and shooting of several others at Coxson's residence. Because there were no witnesses willing to testify against him, he was not convicted of either murder. Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam ( NOI ) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization,

2310-537: A threat to the power of the Black Mafia, so organizations were created to combat gang violence, though mafia violence was still encouraged. One organization included Black B. Inc. Their aim was to put an end to gang activity in the African-American community. City residents and local law enforcement who saw the gang war unfolding in the streets, though, knew that the Black Mafia was behind the Council. One of

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2420-620: Is the Merkabah that appears in the Book of Ezekiel (1: 4–28). It teaches that Allah and many of his scientists live in a magnificent city on the Mother Plane, from which they monitor humanity; Farrakhan has claimed that Elijah Muhammad never died but is resident aboard this ship. The Nation teaches that there are also smaller vessels, "baby planes", docked inside the Mother Ship and that these travel to visit Earth. The Nation teaches that

2530-407: Is "completely divorced" from mainstream Islam. The two differ in regard to the fundamental ontological divide between humanity and God, as well as God's nature, which for mainstream Muslims is deemed eternal and non-anthropomorphic. Also conflicting with mainstream Islam is the NOI's claim that there is no afterlife; Elijah Muhammad wrote that "when you are dead, you are DEAD". Notions of Heaven ,

2640-442: Is a new religious movement , a black nationalist religion, and an African-American religion. As well as being characterised as an "ethno-religious movement", it has been labelled a social movement . Scholars of religion have also highlighted commonalities between the NOI and UFO religions , with extraterrestrial spaceships featuring in the group's ideas about the forthcoming end of the world. Although they have both employed

2750-445: Is a black crime syndicate that has been growing unchecked in Philadelphia for the past five years. It has expanded and evolved into a powerful crime cartel with chains of command, enforcers, soldiers, financiers, regular business meetings and assigned territories. It specializes in narcotics, extortion and murder, with minor interests in loan sharking , numbers and prostitution. It has a war chest that bankrolls drugs and gambling and buys

2860-628: 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. Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Black Man , 1965 The sociologist of religion David V. Barrett noted that the Nation's theology is "very distinct" and "extremely detailed". The Nation provides conflicting statements about its theology; although it professes commitment to

2970-475: Is held by senior white Freemasons . The NOI's ideas regarding white people have been labelled both racist and racialist . According to the Nation's teachings, Yakub's newly created white race sowed discord among the black race, and thus were exiled to live in the caves of "West Asia", meaning Europe. In this narrative, it was in Europe that the white race engaged in bestiality and degenerated, resulting in

3080-488: Is living in end times . It propounds a distinct eschatology drawing on the Book of Revelation . Central to its view of the apocalypse is a large spaceship, known as the Wheel, the Mother Plane, or the Mother Ship, and which members usually refer to using female pronouns. Elijah Muhammad described this as "a small human planet", claiming that it is half a mile by half a mile in diameter. The Nation teaches that this vessel

3190-593: Is our brother, our central responsibility is with the Black man here in the wilderness of North America". Rather than treating Africa as a homeland, the Nation's origin myths present Mecca as the original home of African Americans; Africa itself is often portrayed in Nation writings as the least desirable of the Original Asiatic lands. The NOI's teachings on gender issues are conservative and patriarchal, promoting strict gender roles for men and women. Emphasis

3300-407: Is placed on the family unit; the Nation maintains that the security of the black family unit is ensured when its members adhere to their gendered duties and responsibilities. Seeking to restore black manhood, 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

3410-549: Is poised to take control, because of his close ties to Philadelphia's black mafia underworld and his ability to network and organize. The JBM was involved in a drug war with the Shower Posse in Southwest Philadelphia during the 1980s and early 1990s. Samuel Christian Samuel Christian (March 20, 1939 – March 6, 2016) also known as Richard Carter , Sam 'Beyah' Christian , and Suleiman Bey ,

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3520-463: The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca; Elijah Muhammad himself did so three times. The Nation requests that, as a declaration of mental emancipation, new members change any names inherited from slave-owners who owned their ancestors. This is not considered necessary if the new member has a name that is already African in origin. In the NOI's early years, Wallace Fard Muhammad bestowed new names on followers for

3630-605: The monotheistic idea of a single God, its discourse refers to multiple gods, meaning that it can be interpreted as polytheistic . In the NOI's view, each Allah (god) is not an incorporeal spiritual entity but a flesh-and-blood person. These Allahs are anthropomorphic, taking the form of black men, which was the shape that the first Allah consciously adopted. In Nation teaching, the Allahs are not immortal, instead typically living for around 200 to 300 years. They have varying abilities and degrees of power, with each ruling over

3740-427: The "JBM" initials encrusted with diamonds. The JBM was conceived in 1986 and "born" in 1987 as an organization dedicated to exploiting the seemingly limitless profit potential created by the crack epidemic . JBM founders Aaron Jones, then 26; Mark Casey, then 23; and Leonard Patterson, then 27, grew up together on the streets of West Philadelphia. They shared a common vision centered around Aaron Jones' fascination with

3850-415: The 1980s, the JBM developed out of the street culture of Philadelphia and represented an attempt to form an organized crime syndicate modeled on La Cosa Nostra (LCN) and the original Black Mafia. The JBM espoused an amalgam of characteristics which purposely emulated LCN and Black Mafia control over organized crime and its fondness for symbols and ceremony. At the same time the JBM retained its resemblance to

3960-503: The 6th/7th century Arabian religious leader Muhammad was the final nor the most important messenger of God, instead treating its first two leaders, Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad, as being more important. From mainstream Islamic perspectives, its teachings are heretical , with its theology being shirk ( blasphemy ). Accordingly, some scholars of religion have characterised it as "quasi-Islamic", or referred to it as "Fardian Islam", "pseudo-Islam", or "nontraditional Islam". God

4070-511: The Advancement of Colored People , regarding them as "Uncle Tom Negroes". In contrast to King's calls for non-violent protest against segregation and racial violence, the Nation maintained that self-defence it was a moral obligation for African Americans. The NOI called for the creation of a separate and sovereign African-American nation-state in the southern part of what is currently the United States, with Elijah Muhammad stipulating that

4180-483: The Black Mafia's tenure, charges against Barnes were dropped when police were unable to line up witnesses who could identify him. Jeremiah Shabazz owned bakeries and food stores through the first Philadelphia NOI mosque or masjid, which would later be publicly criticized by NOI leadership in Chicago for drawing too much attention to itself as a "gangster" mosque. Recent academic works in criminal justice are filling in

4290-528: The JBM targeted for death those dealers who turned down such offers. Like most local gangs, the JBM supplied sales and distribution services in the United States' fifth largest city to major international drug cartels , enabling these cartels to grow. The leader of the JBM, Aaron Jones, is currently on death row in Pennsylvania . Officials have reported that a relative of the late Russell Barnes, Dennis "Anwar" Barnes who frequents Philadelphia and New York,

4400-524: The NOI also seeks to reclaim what it regards as the historic Muslim identity of the African-American people, with the group's second leader, Elijah Muhammad , stating that "Islam is the natural religion of the Black Nation." The Nation sees itself as part of the Islamic world, and Islamic elements in its practices include the use of the Arabic language, prayers five times a day, and the adoption of

4510-431: The NOI is black nationalist, and has sometimes been perceived as a Black Power political organization. Scholar of religion Mattias Gardell commented that the idea of black unity is "at the very core of the NOI ideology". It seeks to empower black people by giving them a positive self-identity, purging ideas of white superiority, and black inferiority, from its followers. In the Nation's view, black liberation requires

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4620-476: The NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the African diaspora , especially on African Americans . While describing itself as Islamic and using Islamic terminologies, its religious tenets differ substantially from orthodox Islamic traditions . Scholars of religion characterize it as a new religious movement . The Nation teaches that there has been a succession of mortal gods, each

4730-482: The Nation appointed its first woman minister, Ava Muhammad, as head of Mosque Number 15 in Georgia. In various cases, Nation women still play an active role in their communities, sometimes challenging established gender norms in the organization. The NOI strictly enforces heterosexual monogamy among its members and encourages sexual abstinence prior to marriage. Members seeking to court another are expected to inform

4840-409: The Nation claims, are a lie used by white Christians to keep black people docile. Instead Elijah Muhammad taught that there is no spiritual realm beyond the material universe, although he also stated that humans could develop parapsychological powers and that he personally had telepathic abilities. The Nation teaches that in the beginning there was nothing but darkness. Then, 76 trillion years ago,

4950-613: The Nation draws influence from both Christianity and Islam while offering profoundly different interpretations of their central scriptures, the Bible and the Quran . Having arising from within a Christian-majority society, the Nation denigrates Christianity, presenting it as a tool of white supremacy . For the group—whose members are commonly called "Black Muslims" —their Islamic identity offers an alternative to mainstream, Christian-dominated American culture. In describing itself as Islamic

5060-447: The Nation labels "white man's religion". The group deems Christianity a tool of white supremacy used to subjugate black people, and expresses the belief that the oppressed (African Americans) and the oppressors (European Americans) cannot share the same god. 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, something encouraged by

5170-471: The Nation uses many standard Islamic terms, it gives them "profoundly different meanings" to those understood by most Muslims. The Nation's views differ from the Five Pillars , which are typically seen as central to Islam; its claims that Allah (God) takes anthropomorphic form and that there is no afterlife differ fundamentally from Muslim teaching. Unlike most forms of Islam, the NOI does not hold that

5280-634: The Nation's leadership would be theocratic , authoritarian, and totalitarian . 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, rejecting a specifically Pan-African ideology. Elijah Muhammad stated that "where as the Black man in Africa

5390-687: The Nation. During the 1960s, the NOI's places of worship were called both temples and mosques. As well as serving a religious function, these can also be used as a community center, bank, school, and child-care facility. Those attending meetings will sometimes be searched by members of the Fruit of Islam or the Muslim Girl's Training group, who look both for weapons and for objects like cosmetics and cigarettes which are disapproved of. After this, attendees are seen to their seats, usually rows of benches. The sexes are segregated during worship; women on

5500-528: The Original Asiatic Race. 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". The NOI promotes a story called the myth of Yakub , which received its fullest exposition in Elijah Muhammad's 1965 book Message to the Blackman . In this narrative, Yakub was a black scientist;

5610-492: The Tribe of Shabazz and achieved global dominance. Setting itself against the white-dominated society of the United States, the NOI campaigns for the creation of an independent African-American nation-state, and calls for African Americans to be economically self-sufficient and separatist . A millenarian tradition, it maintains that Fard Muhammad will soon return aboard a spaceship , the "Mother Plane" or "Mother Ship", to wipe out

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5720-499: The U.S. should financially support this new country for 20 to 25 years. This is presented as compensation for the unpaid labor of their enslaved ancestors. 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. Gardell suggested that any nation-state formed under

5830-650: The United States, the Nation of Islam has also established a presence abroad, with membership open only to people of color. In 2007 it was estimated to have 50,000 members. The Nation has proven to be particularly successful at converting prisoners. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League have characterized it as a black supremacist hate group that promotes racism towards white people , antisemitism , and anti-LGBT rhetoric . Muslim critics accuse it of promoting teachings that are not authentically Islamic. The Nation of Islam (NOI)

5940-610: The affected areas in Fort Carson. Samuel Christian, (also known as Richard Carter or as Sulieman Bey), formerly a high-ranking member of the Black Mafia, waged an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of the JBM after his release from prison in late 1989. Christian called a meeting, ostensibly for the purpose of mediating a dispute between the JBM and rival narcotics networks. Under the guise of seeking unity and an end to factional violence, Christian sought to exploit both groups financially. In addition to using La Cosa Nostra (LCN) as

6050-505: The apocalypse, "Peace, joy and happiness will have no end." Those living in this perfect society will eat the finest food and wear clothes of silk interwoven with gold. 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. Ideologically,

6160-706: The area around Mecca in the Arabian peninsula. The Nation calls this region "East Asia", reflecting its belief that Asia and Africa were once a single continent. 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 . The Nation teaches that the Original Race were Muslims by their intrinsic nature, but that many created heretical deviations such as Hinduism ; some of those who broke Islamic rules were exiled from Asia-Africa to North America, where they became

6270-558: The area must be fertile and minerally rich. Elijah Muhammad, 1965 The Nation is black separatist , rejecting the integration of the black and white races. This racial separatism was at odds with the mainstream civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The Nation was critical of African-American activists who promoted racial integration, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Association for

6380-535: The best lawyers." The original Black Mafia's power was beginning to fracture, though, by 1974. In September 1974, 21 members and group affiliates were arrested in an early morning raid by federal drug agents and the Justice Department's crime strike force. The Black Mafia would fracture and reform several more times, each generation remaking itself more light, agile, and deadly, with growing political influence. One rumored source of information that led to

6490-415: The board, becoming the de facto chairman. The board determined whom to admit to membership and whom to exclude and attempted to resolve disputes. Potential members had to be recommended by an original member and approved by the board. The primary criterion was that prospective members had to have drug networks capable of moving large quantities of narcotics. Each member was responsible for distributing drugs to

6600-400: The brains of the JBM. Casey was the one who came up with the ideas and knew how to put things together. Leonard Patterson was most likely the person who came up with the name JBM and the idea for the rings." To strengthen group resources and to broaden the base of distribution, the JBM founders began to recruit friends and associates who already had established drug networks in various parts of

6710-485: The captain of their local Fruit of Islam or Muslim Girls Training branch about their intentions. Men found to have beaten their wives are temporarily suspended from Nation membership. Divorce is frowned upon, but not forbidden. Children are expected to study hard, avoid street culture, and respect their elders. Farrakhan was initially highly critical of rap music because he argued it promoted sexual promiscuity . Although Nation members are allowed to marry non-members,

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6820-570: The case of his murdered family, eventually resulting in the 1977 Hanafi Siege . By 1973, the Mafia were beginning to lose anonymity due to the increasing scale of their crimes and the increased law enforcement and media attention. The Philadelphia Inquirer , as cited in Sean Griffin's "Philadelphia's Black Mafia: a Social and Political History," reported, "The Black Mafia is real. It is not a cop fantasy, newspaperman's pipe dream or movie myth. It

6930-414: The centuries. It expects men to be providers for their family. Women are expected to act as caretakers of the household and the children, and are cautioned from forming friendships with men. Outsiders often perceive the Nation's women as being victims of male oppression and control. The group's leadership is overwhelmingly male, although several women rose to senior positions during the 1990s; in 1998

7040-461: The city. Some associates joined voluntarily, hoping to maximize their drug profits. Those who were initially skeptical of the benefits of JBM membership were persuaded through violence, threats, and intimidation. The JBM attempted to organize under a single umbrella with networks in North, North Central, Northwest, and Southwest Philadelphia. What began as a loose criminal association quickly evolved into

7150-437: The club, wounding 20 people. In addition to Palmer, three women and one of Palmer's bodyguards were killed. By far the most well-known act of crime that the Black Mafia carried out, the 1973 Hanafi Muslim massacre was what gained them national media attention. On January 18, 1973, the mafia murdered seven Sunni Muslims. Two adults and five children, aged 9 days to 10 years, were murdered. The adults and one child were shot while

7260-463: The continent's native population. For the Nation, everyone not of West European genetic origin is a descendant of the Original Asiatic Race. In contrast to understandings of race held by most Americans, 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. Even some Eastern Europeans, such as Albanians , are considered descendants of

7370-604: The course of its history. The Nation is a highly centralized, hierarchical, and authoritarian movement. Unlike practitioners of Rastafari , a contemporary of the NOI which shares many of its key concerns, members of the Nation do not exhibit considerable variation in their approach to the religion, displaying a high degree of uniformity and conformity among followers. Despite this, not all members have believed all of its teachings implicitly, and there are also members who have privately broken its rules on personal behavior and lifestyle. Having no specific holy text of its own,

7480-483: The course of the meetings. Many members were transported to and from meetings while blindfolded by more powerful members to avoid compromising the secrecy of the location. As demonstrated by the manner in which meetings were run, oaths and rules were prevalent so that the group could avoid exposure. A secrecy oath was required to be taken by the members to ensure secrecy and that members would not disclose important information. The oath also swore to report any violations of

7590-404: The course of their control, the Black Mafia was responsible for over 40 murders and countless other crimes. Each founder had extensive arrest records, with most cases involving violence. Law enforcement officials had difficulties prosecuting members of the group, however, because witnesses would rarely cooperate, fearing retaliation, and cases were dropped more often than not. This not only permitted

7700-414: The creation of the first Allah, rather than a product of evolution , the Nation endorses a form of creationism and believes dinosaurs to be a hoax created by white scientists. 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

7810-421: The devil In the Nation's teachings, the ruling Allah permitted the white race to rule the Earth for 6000 years, a period that came to an end in 1914. It claims that the ruling Allahs allowed this so that the black race 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. The NOI claims that over 6000 years ago

7920-495: The distribution of cocaine and appears to have modeled its criminal methods after that LCN organization as well as the original Black Mafia, relying heavily on violence and extortion to further its drug enterprise. In accordance with this, one theory suggests that the original members of the 1970s-era Black Mafia organized African American youths into the JBM to thwart the Jamaicans Yardie control of drug distribution in

8030-559: The earliest days of the JBM, members and associates of the old Black Mafia served as mentors to various JBM members and are known to have played an important advisory role in the formation and development of the Junior Black Mafia. Many believe it was younger relatives of the original Black Mafia. The JBM cooperates with associates of the Italian-American Bruno-Scarfo Mafia crime family in

8140-513: The emergence of apes and monkeys. To help the whites develop, the ruling Allah then sent prophets to them, the first of whom was Musa ( Moses ), who taught the whites to cook and wear clothes. According to the Nation, Jesus was also a prophet sent to try and civilise the white race. The group reject the Christian belief that Jesus was a unique manifestation of God, that he was the Messiah ,

8250-468: The first Allah willed himself into being, taking 6 million years to form into his desired appearance; that of a black man. In this account, this god chose his skin color in reference to the blackness from which he had emerged. The first Allah then created the Sun and the planets, as well as fellow black gods, who lived predominantly on the Earth but also on Mars . Of these, the first Allah and 23 others formed

8360-661: The first incidents to be attributed explicitly to the Black Mafia by law enforcement officials was the severe beating of Pennsylvania Deputy Insurance commissioner David Trulli in May 1969. Trulli, then investigating an insurance fraud case, was beaten with a lead pipe by Richard "Pork Chops" James apparently at the request of a third party. Trulli lost three teeth and required 26 stitches to close his wounds. Before James could be brought back from jail in New York City , where he had been arrested for murder on November 23, 1969, he died of

8470-411: The game. Curiously, Williams was absent from his own crap game. Thus, when two gunmen busted into the room and robbed the pot and the players, suspicions arose. The Black Mafia leadership almost immediately heard in the street what they already suspected, that Williams had engineered the stick-up, using neighborhood gang members, and that Williams had driven the getaway car himself. An hour and a half after

8580-595: The gaps using FBI , court, and police records to substantiate the long association of Shabazz (aka Jeremiah Pugh) with the growth of organized black crime in Philadelphia. Shabazz's West Philadelphia mosque boasted of the most prominent members of organized black crime in Philadelphia. The difficulty this precedent created would play out dramatically when the FBI overheard two high-level heroin dealers complain that they were being overly extorted by Shamsud-din Ali aka Clarence Fowler,

8690-541: The group stipulates that they should only marry other black people, claiming that sex with white women emasculates black men. Birth control methods are criticised as an attempt by the white establishment to lower the black birthrate, although Farrakhan stated support for abortion in cases of rape, incest or where the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy. Same-sex relationships are condemned as immoral; Farrakhan for instance banned gay men from his Million Man March , bringing accusations of homophobia against him and

8800-629: The group. Following Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, his son Warith Deen Mohammed took over the organization, moving it towards Sunni Islam and renaming it the World Community of Islam in the West . Members seeking to retain Elijah Muhammad's teachings re-established the Nation of Islam under Louis Farrakhan 's leadership in 1977. Farrakhan has continued to develop the NOI's beliefs, for instance by drawing connections with Dianetics , and expanding its economic and agricultural operations. Based in

8910-467: The growing black organized crime that became the Black Mafia until black New York drug lord Frank Matthews became their supplier. Bruno turned a blind eye to many of the renegade Italian gangsters who "did business" with, or supplied, the black drug lords, so long as they met their financial obligations to him and to the New York families. In fact, a rough outline of Italian organized crime (IOC) east of Broad Street, with Black OC west of Broad Street, became

9020-522: The idea that "God is man and man is God, that God has a presence inside human individuals," with Elijah Muhammad espousing the view that "all Muslims are Allahs". Accordingly, the NOI teaches that the black race, in its natural state, is divine, a "nation of Gods". According to the NOI's teachings, "knowledge of self" is key for black people to realize their inner divinity. The NOI thus teaches that by following its teachings, its adherents can recognize their inner godliness. The Nation of Islam's theology

9130-404: The imam who had replaced Shabazz. That probe would land the drug investigation on the desk of then-mayor John F. Street , as Dawud Bey complained that the dealers "were out here hustling" while Shamsud-din Ali requested $ 5,000 to be delivered to Connie Little, former Democratic Ward leader, and John Street's Executive Secretary. "Cutty (Shamsud-din Ali's nickname, short for "cutthroat" for beating

9240-502: The leadership of the NOI was assumed by Elijah Muhammad . He expanded the NOI's teachings and declared Fard Muhammad to be the latest Allah. Attracting growing attention in the late 1950s and 1960s, the NOI's influence expanded through high-profile members such as the black nationalist activist Malcolm X and the boxer Muhammad Ali . Deeming it a threat to domestic security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked to undermine

9350-649: The ministers, who may also read verses from either the Bible or Qur'an. In the late 1950s, Elijah Muhammad published a prayer manual outlining how his followers should pray five times a day; this involved an ablution beforehand. He stipulated that these prayers should be in English, although commented that in future he would explain how to do so in Arabic. In later articles, he explained that his followers should face towards Mecca as they pray, symbolising their journey toward

9460-596: The moon. One of the 13 tribes was trapped on the moon, where they died due to lack of water. 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. Of the twelve tribes that remained on Earth, the most resilient was the Tribe of Shabazz; they settled in Egypt's Nile Valley and

9570-400: The movie The Godfather . One associate of the JBM described the roles of the three founders: "Aaron Jones was obsessed with the movie, The Godfather. He saw himself as being the 'Godfather' and Leonard Patterson as 'Sonny.' They focused on drugs because loansharking and numbers were not big moneymakers. Extortion was ruled out because people did not go along with that anymore. Mark Casey was

9680-711: The nickname of "the Muslim Mafia" or "the Muslim Mob." The Black Mafia gained power in local neighborhoods by intimidating people to prevent anyone from reporting the group's activities to the police. Because of this, police had incredible difficulty taking any action on the gang or any of its members for years after their conception. Members initially participated in holding up crap games, extorting drug dealers, and working as numbers men and illegitimate businessmen, but they eventually ended up controlling entire rackets and gaining influence with local politicians. Over

9790-558: The numerous successful African American owned banks, medical practices, stores, landlords, and other African American businesses to escape the city as segregation pressures faded. Angelo Bruno , the don of the Philadelphia crime family , discouraged drug dealing in South Philadelphia, but could not prevent deals being made by the New York mafia families such as the Gambino Crime Family , which were doing business with

9900-457: The oath under risk to family and other members. A strict set of written rules were created to govern these meetings, as well. For example, each member upon entry to meetings was required to be searched by authorized members. Only the presiding member at the meeting was allowed to appoint who could carry weapons. The mafia organized three different community service projects as a front to their criminal activity during their control. Other gangs posed

10010-472: The offenders to continue their criminal activities, but also allowed their reputations of being "untouchable" to flourish, thus enhancing their influence on the street. The "Black Mafia" was formed to coordinate and consolidate historic inner-city crime in numbers, prostitution, and extortion of legitimate businesses, while combining with the rising drug demand in Philadelphia. It can be argued that their success drove legitimate black business and capital, such as

10120-439: The other children were drowned. The intended target of this crime was Hamaas Abdul Khaalis for a letter he had written to the NOI members claiming that Elijah Muhammad was a false prophet and that certain members of Elijah Muhammad's NOI were merely gangsters who were harming the name of Islam. The difficulty in obtaining evidence to successfully prosecute the crime fomented a breakdown by Khaalis as he sought to draw attention to

10230-399: The police killing of black youths, that they flooded black-majority areas with drugs, and that they created AIDS to exterminate black people. The Nation is also openly critical of U.S. aggression towards countries with non-white and Muslim majorities, and in keeping with its ethos has adopted an anti-Zionist position regarding Israel. The NOI is millenarian , believing that humanity

10340-452: The restoration of black greatness. The most important date in the Nation's year is February 26, Saviours' Day , which is believed to be the birthday of Fard Muhammad. This is the date on which the organization holds its annual national convention. Under Farrakhan, the Nation has also held a second Saviour's Day each year, on October 7, to mark the birth of Elijah Muhammad. In addition to marking festivals, NOI members are encouraged to make

10450-399: The right and men on the left. The tone of Nation services is sombre and quiet. Services typically begin with the statement " As-salamu alaykum " (peace be upon you), with the congregation responding "Wa 'alaikum As-salam" (and also upon you). Meetings at the mosque are both opened and closed with prayers, and the Nation's "national anthem" may be played. A lecture will be provided by one of

10560-474: The righteous to live upon it. It will then use the baby planes to bury bombs beneath the Earth's surface, which will explode and wipe out the old, white-dominated order. The Earth's atmosphere will then burn for 390 years and spend another 610 cooling down. 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. In his book The Supreme Wisdom , Elijah Muhammad claimed that after

10670-497: The robbery, witnesses saw two men marching Williams out of a bar at 15th and South street at gunpoint. Williams' corpse was found in an isolated area near the Naval Base in South Philadelphia. Four bullets had been fired into his back. Police would later characterize the homicide as a "Black Mafia execution." Jerome Barnes was arrested for Williams murder on August 12, 1969. In a trend that would be repeated numerous times throughout

10780-400: The same name, the Nation of Islam has represented two distinct organizations: the first group was established by Wallace Fard Muhammad in the 1930s and existed until 1975, after which the second organization was created by Louis Farrakhan in the late 1970s. Farrakhan's second Nation bears some distinct differences from its predecessor, reflecting how the Nation's teachings have shifted over

10890-618: The store and set more fires to destroy evidence of the robbery. The eight criminals fled the scene as soon as the fire alarm went off, purposefully trampling on one of the victim's bodies as they left. This crime was so notable that W.E.B. Griffin wrote a novel based on it, The Witness, and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo was quoted as saying that the DuBrow crime was "the most vicious crime I have ever come across. The Black Mafia also had their sights on high-up drug dealers and crime leaders. Tyrone Palmer, known as "Mr. Millionaire",

11000-415: The street gangs which provided most members with their first initiation into crime. These characteristics include a racially and culturally homogeneous membership and the wearing of group insignia. The JBM is composed exclusively of young Black males, with female participation nonexistent except in the supporting roles of couriers and fronts for rentals and purchases. The original members wore gold rings with

11110-411: The twenty employees present and forced them to lie on the floor in the back of the store where they bound them with tape and electrical cord. Thirteen employees were beaten while two others were shot. A janitor who walked in on the robbery while doing his job was shot and killed. One employee was doused with gasoline and set on fire. After their vicious treatment of the employees, they looted the offices in

11220-407: The unsolved murder of Taazmayia "Taaz" Lang, the manager and girlfriend of Philadelphia singer Teddy Pendergrass , who was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in 1976. They allegedly resented Lang's control over Pendergrass' lucrative music career. These are the names of the identified victims who were murdered by the Black Mafia. This list is in chronological order and is likely not complete. In

11330-592: The white race and establish a utopia . Members worship in buildings called mosques or temples . Practitioners are expected to live disciplined lives, adhering to strict dress codes, specific dietary requirements, and patriarchal gender roles. Wallace Fard Muhammad established the Nation of Islam in Detroit . He drew on various sources, including Noble Drew Ali 's Moorish Science Temple of America , black nationalist trends like Garveyism , and black-oriented forms of Freemasonry . After Fard Muhammad disappeared in 1934,

11440-406: The whites began to dominate the world, achieving this using treacherous tactics that the Nation calls "tricknology". As part of this, the whites enslaved the Tribe of Shabazz, shipping many of them to the Americas through the Atlantic slave trade. The NOI claims that most enslaved blacks forgot their true names, their Arabic language, and their Muslim identity, instead embracing Christianity, which

11550-440: The whites. In making thus argument, the NOI equates the United States with the city of Babylon as presented in the Bible. The Nation thus understands the modern subjugation of African Americans as part of an ancient white conspiracy. 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

11660-586: Was an American mobster and the founder of the Philadelphia Black Mafia . Christian changed his name upon joining the Nation of Islam and eventually became captain in their paramilitary unit, the Fruit of Islam . Christian was the 321st person to be added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list as a suspect in the 1972 murder of Tyrone "Fat Ty" Palmer, who was shot in the face at Club Harlem , and as

11770-543: Was assassinated on Easter Sunday 1972 in Atlantic City , New Jersey, by associates of the Black Mafia. Palmer, a big-time cocaine and heroin dealer and the primary Philadelphia area contact for New York City drug dealers, was shot in the face in plain view of 600-900 people at the Club Harlem , by Black Mafia founding member, Sam Christian. Before Palmer's bodyguards could defend themselves, the mafia opened fire in

11880-473: Was gained from 21 days of wiretapping mafia member's phone lines. Members were charged with different crimes including but not limited to heroin and cocaine distribution, rape, and murder. This hardly ended the reign of terror. Philly's " stop snitchin' " culture can be attributed to the success of the Black Mafia in silencing entire communities so effectively that wiretapping would be the modus operandi of successful prosecutions. The Black Mafia are suspected in

11990-476: Was seen in the company of Joey Merlino at local sporting events. The JBM is estimated to have approximately 100 members and about 300 street-level associates. Its members drive expensive cars and still often wear gold jewelry and rings with the JBM initials encrusted in diamonds. JBM has sought to expand its drug trafficking profits by offering independent narcotic dealers membership in the JBM. The Pennsylvania Crime Commission documented two 1989 incidents in which

12100-468: Was the product of a virgin birth, or was crucified and resurrected. 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. Louis Farrakhan’s views on white people being

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