Early American Islam: “Duse Muhammad Ali” and the “Universal Islamic Society”

Recently i’ve been reading into the history of Islam in the west, and in particular the states.

While reading I came across a figure who was of egyptian-sudanese origins, lived in London
and went by the name “Duse Muhammad Ali”.

He started two publications: The African Times and Orient Review, which began publication in July 1912.
He initiated an organization in 1926 which he called the “Universal Islamic Society” in Detroit, Mich.
He was a well-known mentor to Marcus Garvey, and was in contact with Booker T Washington,
the latter having contributed to his journals at one time.
He died June 25,1945

The point of interest is this:
We find that at this very time in the U.S. several psuedo-islamic cults were established, some gained longevity
such as the Nation of Islam, while others have nearly dwindled away such as the Moorish science temple.
This is one muslim figure who was present at the time, open about his Islam, and apparently propogating it
through both social programs and the written word, albeit with a nationalistic twist.
I hypothesis that he in fact is one of the early pioneers of Islam in the United States, and the small amount of knowledge
that he did impart went a long way, even though it was later corrupted by those that he has preached to.

Duse Muhammad was a well-known mentor to Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey was a well-known mentor Timothy Drew aka. The Noble Drew Ali founder of the Moorish science temple.
Drew Ali was said to have been mentor to Wallace Fard, at that time using the name David, who some claim was Fard Muhammad of Nation of Islam fame. Some connection between the Moorish science temple and Elijah Muhammad has been propositioned also.
It is known however that Elijah muhammad was at one time a member of the UNIA, Marcus Garvey’s organization, while in detroit. Earl little, father of Malcolm, was also a member of the UNIA and had preached to Elijah’s family while in Georgia.

The point behind this?

Well it does let us know of at least some of ways that any islamic information could have trickled down over the years, as well as give us an idea about how that information made it to the united states in the first place.

One amazing fact is that the time span between these events and the abolition of slavery is very short. The next amazing fact is that this only proves the brutality of the american or should I say western slave system, which was able to almost entirely wipe away (and thats a lite term) any sembalance of Islam in the majority of those of African descent in the United States.

(This contrasts sharply with the servial system permitted by Islam, which I have an aversion to calling ‘Slavery’ because of the mental imagery usually produced from the word. Inshallah in a future post I will try to show that what is called slavery by some is in fact more in tune with keeping prisoners of war than it is with keeping ’slaves’. like I said more on that later.)

The fact that all of these figures (except for maybe DrewAli) had one time visited or lived in Detroit, Michigan in the same general time period shows at least a possible connection, however small it may be.

Some older residents of the detroit area report a Muhammad who was teaching what were called ‘Lessons’ and shun the notion that this figure was the one who later came to be known as W.D. Fard/Fard Muhammad. In fact it is said that they never followed Elijah muhammad in his teachings and remained following the ‘lessons’ given to them until their death.

Is it possible that Duse was this very ‘Muhammad’ and that Fard was later was confused as being the same man?

Or that Fard simply built upon an urban myth in the making for his own advantage?

(Maybe more on Fard later, but if anyone has it, there is purportedly a photo of Muhammad Abdullah in the Oakland Masjid of al-Islam that was published in the Bilalian news circa 1976. W.D. claimed that this man is in fact Fard or something of this sort.)

If Duse Muhammad Ali is in fact one who imparted Islamic knowledge to African-Americans in this era, the fact that many of the later movements were overshadowed with Black supremacy and a strong sense of nationalism is not suprising, being that Duse Muhammad’s journal as described as “a journal championing national liberal struggles and abolitionism “in the four quarters of the earth,” and promoting solidarity among “non-whites” around the world.”
These teachings, in addition to the treachery and oppression of the white world of the time directed to all non-whites, would seem to act as a catalyst for such attitudes to resurface in altered exaggerated form.

Others figures from the same general time period
Another figure from the same time period is Mufti Mohammad Sadeq (a pakistani follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the deviant psuedo- prophet of the indopak sub-continent) who resided in Chicago in or around the same time period, and it said to have been actively calling to the Ahmadiyyah religion.
Anyone with information on this individual is asked to kindly provide it. Some who were senior in the NOI have stated that Elijah Muhammad was in close contact with the Ahmadiyyah from early on. This may be that contact.

Here are a few other figures from the same time period who I have little information on, and am still researching.
Muhammad Majid, Sudani who settled in Pittsburgh PA.
Satti Majid, a Sudani who is said to have challenged the truthfulness of Drew Ali, and secured a fatwa from alAzhar about his deviance (quoted in: Black Crescent: The Experience and Legacy of African Muslims in the Americas by Michael Gomez ) Is he the same man as Muhammad Majid? the question remains (especially when you have the limitd resources I do.)
Professor Ezaldeen who formed the AAUAA. a website, which contains very little information about the Professor, actually seems very orthodox based on the teachings posted.
Paul Nathaniel Johnson, the Ethiopian Temple of Islam

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