Nation Of Islam Research Paper

Words: 840
Pages: 4

Freedom and limitations are significant themes within any religious group, especially NRM’s. Values that transcend beyond mainstream society allow for a sense of freedom within NRM’s, but also creates limitations due to their “outsider” image perpetuated by these values. The body, community and the mind make up some of the most significant themes of religious movements and lead to major freedoms and limitations surrounding these ideas. These themes perpetuated both freedom and limitation as seen within the Nation of Islam through the black body, civil rights culture and restorationism; Wicca through the “New Self”, fluid community structure and people-nature interconnection; and within The Peoples Temple through the disposable physical body, …show more content…
In the 1930’s, the movement was made up of poor, urban African-Americans. It encouraged the African-American community to build their own businesses and “become more productive and successful citizens.” (Urban, Nation, 93). Along with this establishment of African-American prosperity, the movement also encouraged freedom, justice and equality of black individuals within U.S. society. Overall, these ideas promoted the freedom of the black man within the Nation of Islam community. Despite the freedom of the Nation of Islam community, there were constraints associated with being a black man within the community. During the mid 1900’s, being a black man had its limits in the United States, specifically during the rise of the Civil Rights movement. The African-American community was seen as inferior and had a lack of power within the United States society, which limited their ability to be successful in society. These constraints drastically contradicted the acts of freedom performed within the Nation of Islam community, but they were able to prosper despite the limits placed on them as African-American …show more content…
During this time, the civil rights movement was in full swing. The culture of the civil rights movement became seriously incorporated into the Nation of Islam, specifically when Malcolm X became affiliated with the group. Malcolm X embodied the themes of black nationalism and separatism, which fully supported the values of the Nation of Islam. This allowed for a new form of freedom that differed drastically from everyday society and the mainstream civil rights values perpetuated by Martin Luther King Jr. The similarities between the group of Malcolm X created a “more radical alternative to the civil rights movement.” (Urban, Nation, 90). Overall, the relationship between the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X, validating the group’s ideas and provided them with the freedom of expression through this partnership. This alignment with Malcolm X also further ostracized the Nation of Islam from mainstream society, thus perpetuating the “outsider” image. Since the values of the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X differed greatly from mainstream society, specifically the ideas of black power and restorationism, this caused the group to shift more toward the periphery of society. By becoming even more of an “outsider” group, this limited the movement’s power and validity within