Peace be upon you

Anyone that has lived, or spent an extended amount of time "up north", Philly, NYC, Newark, etc., has seen the brothers of the N.O.I. They walk for miles calling out "FINAL CALL" to the masses with their newspapers in one hand, a fresh bean pie in the other, sporting a crisp cut and a bow-tie.
 

Courtesy of Reformed Blacks of America

But many don't know, nor understand, what the N.O.I. is, and why people choose to join their organization. I can only give my opinion in the latter matter, so please take it as just that, MY OPINION.


What is the N.O.I.?


The N.O.I. is an acronym for the Nation of Islam. A religious organization, based off of Islam and the teachings of a man named Master W. Fard Muhammad.


Courtesy of the Final Call

Excerpt from the Nation of Islam's website:

On July the Fourth, the day of America's Independence celebration, He [Master W. Fard Muhammad] announced the beginning of His mission which was to restore and to resurrect His lost and found people, who were identified as the original members of the Tribe of Shabazz from the Lost Nation of Asia. The lost people of the original nation of African descent, were captured, exploited, and dehumanized to serve as servitude slaves of America for over three centuries. His mission was to teach the downtrodden and defenseless Black people a thorough Knowledge of God and of themselves, and to put them on the road to Self-Independence with a superior culture and higher civilization than they had previously experienced.

I believe that the highlighted phrases are what attract Black American people to the N.O.I. These are good things, and the reasons why my brothers and sisters choose to join the N.O.I. ranks.

F.O.I. (Fruit of Islam)



Courtesy of Photo Bucket

 

Courtesy of Gordon Parks



In my opinion, the N.O.I is so desirable to Black Americans, because it give us a culture not given by the same people that have caused us harm in the past. It's not an affront to Christianity, as many would believe, and I even know many participants that attend both church and mosque.


What the N.O.I. does is loves you, and teaches you how to love yourself, despite the self hatred you have learned. They make you feel that not only is your blackness beautiful, but it is desired. They force you to take all of your pain, hurt and mistrust, and turn it into creativity, intelligence, innovation and inner strength. N.O.I restores the pride and self esteem that:

slavery

Source: Illinois Times

Jim Crow Laws

Source: Silver People Chronicle

  lynchings

Source: Black Hawk

cross burnings

Source: Digital Journal

church bombings

Source: Desiring God

discrimination

Source: Gordon Parks

segregation

Source: Wine & Bowties

forced poverty

Source: Poverty and Hunger

... rape, drugs, alcohol, medical experiments, forced sterilization and piracy takes from any person.

I'm no longer a part of the N.O.I. because of conflicting personal views and beliefs. However, I do support uplifting my Black American people, the lost tribe in the wilderness of North America.

No matter what struggle I face in this life, my umi (mother in Arabic) said to shine my light on the world.

Thank you Yasiin Bey. You said it all.


Asa lama lakum

Am I a Christian because I live in the Bible-Belt?

First, let me just say I am a Christian. I was born into a Southern Baptist family, but still struggled at times with my faith. After moving from the North to the South, my faith has grown stronger and my beliefs are more concrete. However, I sometimes wonder "Is it because I live in the Bible-Belt?" I can't say a definite "No" to this question because I do think living in the liberal North has played a huge part in the doubt of my faith.

For a large chunk of my childhood (11 years to 16 years of age), my family practiced a form of Islam. This always confused me. "Why did we convert to Islam from Christianity?" I asked my mother. "Was it because that was the religion most of the people around us practiced?"

"I don't know. Maybe," began her answer. "I guess I may have felt drawn to the Islamic faith because that was the strongest presence around us at the time, and I wanted us to be included in the community. Most of the people home [NY/NJ] are Islamic, or have started to form a culture based off of Islamic cultural practices. Like not eating pork or reading the Qur'an for guidance."

So, I started to really think about why I have embraced my Christian roots. Is it because I am being encircled by the Bible-Belt? Or is it because God strategically placed me here in order to strengthen what he already instilled in me?

My answer is the latter. God strengthens me no matter where I live. He walks with me. He walked me through the fires, and I will always reside in His embrace.

Kirk Franklin-Imagine Me

To be continued...

Yankee Land from a Southerner's Perspective

Recently, a few of my friends went to New York City for their first time. Before they set off on their most anticipated one day adventure, I asked them what they planned on doing while in NYC. Most of them said, "Oh, we're just going to wing it; Walk around, sight-see, go shopping, etc." WHAT!!!?

I really think they thought the NYC of Sex in the City was real :-/

Source: Boxed Ambivalence



Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!

I'm sorry, but you don't just wing New York City!!! And, many of them soon found that out. Axl Rose might as well had been singing as they stepped off their charter buses...

Source: Youtube

...because NYC soon showed them Mr. Big was not going to sweep them off to some posh New York restaurant, and they would not by stepping out on the town with a fresh pair of Manolo Blahnik. It was not time for fun and games.

After all the laughs I shared at my friends' expense, I wanted to know how a Southerner would feel after actually living in the New York tri-state area. What are some of the things that would baffle them? What would they hate, and what things would they love about living in the Big Apple?

Well, I got my chance to interview a friend, and hear a Southerner's perspective on living in the "New Babylon".

*For my new friend's privacy I'm not going to share her name.*

Where are you from in the South?

Tuscaloosa, AL

Where did you live in the North?

Queens, NY

What are some differences/similarities you have witnessed between living in the South and living in the North, e.g. religion, cultural mannerisms, interactions between strangers, etc.?

There is more diversity in Queens. It’s part of one of the most diverse cities in America so that is definitely a difference. Tuscaloosa is a college town so there is more diversity there than in a typical city in the “deep south” but it’s not comparable to Queens. In the South people are friendlier to strangers. In NY, in particular, people just move at a faster pace, so there isn’t as much casual friendliness towards strangers on the street. But, people in NY are helpful on the street if you need directions. In my opinion, life in general moves at a faster pace in NY. In NY it’s so easy to always be on the go.

What are things that you missed while living in the North?

I missed the slower pace of life. In the South it is a lot easier to relax. And you can easily find peace and quiet. It was always noisy in NY all day and all night. Even if you’re at home the sounds of the city life drift in through your windows.

What are things you miss about the North, now that you live back in the South?

In NY you can walk most places and it’s easy to just walk out your front door and just stay out walking all day because there is always something interesting to see or do.

Would you rather live in the South or the North?

I like both but I’d rather raise children in the south mostly because of the weather and the quality of life.

What are some things you wish people from the North would understand about the South, and vice versa?

I wish especially in the “deep south” that there wasn’t the stereotype that Southerners are unintelligent and uncultured. I don’t really have anything I wish people from the South would understand about the North. From my experience is that there are more people in the South who visit the North than the other way around. I’ve met people in NY who’ve never been outside of NYC.

Well, there you have it folks. New York is not one for the snooze button, but the South is the place to be if you are looking to rest, relax and raising children.

I love it here!!!