Among the files reviewed was that of Wallace Dodd Ford. In the 1920 United States Census, his race was reported as white, his occupation as a proprietor of a restaurant, and his place of birth as New Zealand. Almost everyday we would have conversations (actually friendly debate) about his faith. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and made a living as a street merchant. The NOI teaches that Wallace Fard Muhammad was an avatar of Allah, who came to America to educate on this forgotten history. Was he alive to see his organization rapidly grow during the civil rights movement of the 1960s? He gave the exact birth of the white race; the name of their God who made them and how; and the end of their time, the judgment, how it will begin and end. 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. Following his disappearance, Elijah Muhammad succeeded him as the chief of the Nation of Islam. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Fard encouraged his followers not to drink alcohol or eat pork, which is standard practice for Muslims. Hijrah Magazine (MarchApril 1985). Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. Consequently, Fard and another leader, Ugan Ali, were arrested and questioned. The other was Wallie D. Ford of California, arrested by Los Angeles police on November 17, 1918, on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. At his suggestion, he came back to teach the residents, along with guests. He founded the religious movement in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1930, and was its leader until 1934, his disappearance. He could've at least sent a letter! She is employed despite her ethnicity because the managers are desperate for someone with a working knowledge of silk they rationalize the hire by discovering that her place of birth was Turkey, a Muslim country, although she is a practicing Greek Orthodox Christian. var rcds = document.getElementById("rcjsload_b42b6d"); From then onwards, he is untraceable. April 15, 2022. However, Minister Malcolm X and other leaders of the Nation of Islam have emphatically denied any past connection whatsoever of Elijah Muhammad, Master Wallace Fard Muhammad, or their movement with Nobel Drew Ali's Moorish American Science Temple."[57]. The FBI file states: "Our investigation of the NOI and Fard failed to establish his birth date and birth place." So they sent a Messenger to them of their own. })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. [35], A marriage certificate dated June 5, 1924, was issued to Wallie Dodd Ford and Carmen Trevino (or Trevio) in Santa Ana, California. The NOI consider Fard to have been a light-skinned black man. WebMaster Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. [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. ), Mecca-born founder of the Nation of Islam (sometimes called Black Muslim) movement in the United States. On the other hand, in a speech made on April 1, 2001, titled The Greatness of Master Fard Muhammad, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reiterated Fards origins in the Holy City of Mecca, and referred to him as the Mahdi, a man absolutely guided by God in the Islam faith. The Black Muslims in America. [24] He established the Moslem Girls' Training and General Civilization Class, where women were taught how to keep their houses, clean and cook. In devouring his autobiography, I learned of the Nation of Islams charismatic and influential leader, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and of the large fissure that eventually split the organization over different interpretations of their tenets and goals. But both Zared and Beatrice were said to have been born in Hawaii. [4], Fard was arrested again on January 20, 1926, for violation of the California Woolwine Possession Act,[39] and on February 15, 1926, for violation of the State Poison Act, for which he was sentenced to six months to six years at San Quentin State Prison on June 12, 1926. From then onwards, he is untraceable. Their tainted, weakened blood was to blame for the white races immorality, which they frequently used to keep the black race in a perpetual state of half-freedom. The religion that God set forth for Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and muammad proclaimed by the latter in Arabia in the 7th century, which enjoys the, Pan-Islam [39], On October 17, 1957, the FBI located and interviewed Hazel Barton-Ford, Wallie Ford's common-law wife, with whom he had a son named Wallace Dodd Ford, born on September 1, 1920. Learn how your comment data is processed. "In an attempt to determine the origins of W.D. ", Beynon refers to some of the lessons by Fard as an "oral tradition" that was recorded at the University of Islam as the "Secret Ritual of the Nation of Islam." How that ALLAH would separate us from the Devils and, then destroy them; and Change us into a New and Perfect People; and Fill the Earth with FREEDOM, JUSTICE and EQUALITY as it was filled with wickedness; and Making we, the Poor Lost-Founds, the Perfect RULERS."[25]. [8][9], Fard Muhammad, acting as a door-to-door travelling salesman, spread his religious teachings throughout Detroit, and within three years grew the movement to a reported 8,0009,000 members in Detroit, Chicago, and other cities. WebWant a minute-by-minute forecast for Fawn-Creek, Kansas? Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader. Fard preached that blacks (who were not to be called Negroes) must prepare for an inevitable race war and that Christianity was the religion of slaveowners. Fard disappeared in 1934. var referer="";try{if(referer=document.referrer,"undefined"==typeof referer||""==referer)throw"undefined"}catch(exception){referer=document.location.href,(""==referer||"undefined"==typeof referer)&&(referer=document.URL)}referer=referer.substr(0,700); In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. Following his disappearance, Elijah Muhammad succeeded him as the chief of the Nation of Islam. He lived in Los Angeles with a woman named Hazel Ford. Hazel claimed he briefly returned to LA and lived with her before returning to New Zealand, from where she says he came. He taught us the truth of how we were made 'slaves' and how we are kept in slavery by the 'slave-masters children. Fard, a man who the FBI alleged used 58 aliases during his lifetime, visited Detroit. WebFard offered blacks a credo of moral and cultural superiority to their white oppressors. Message to the Black Man in America. WebWallace Dodd Ford or Fard was also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad and he was the founder of the Nation of Islam in the 1930s in Detroit, MI. . See alsoAfrican-American Religions; Black Muslims; Islam; Malcolm X; Muhammad, Elijah Karriem; Muhammad, Warith Deen; Nation of Islam; Qur'an. "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. WebWallace Muhammad - Disappearance Disappearance In June 1934, Fard left Detroit for Chicago and disappeared without a trace. [40] The FBI's search for Fard was officially closed the following year on April 15, 1958. 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. Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? WebWallace Dodd Ford or Fard was also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad and he was the founder of the Nation of Islam in the 1930s in Detroit, MI. Officials said he came to the United States from Asia.". Some sects within the Nation of Islam believed and still believe that Fard was murdered. Members of the movement believe Fard to be the incarnation of Allh, and his birthday, February 26, is observed as Saviours Day. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. Within three years Fard had established several organizations: the "Temple of Islam," with its own worship style and rituals; the "University of Islam," to propagate his teachings; the "Muslim Girls Training," to teach female members home economics and how to be a proper Muslim woman; and the "Fruit of Islam," consisting of selected male members to provide security for the temple and Muslim leaders and to enforce the disciplinary rules. I worked with a devout follower of the noi. 2 was given by our Prophet, W.D. 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.). In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. The whole thing smells like an intelligence agency operation to me. [50], Karl Evanzz, in his book The Messenger, postulates that Fard was the son of a Pakistani Muslim, then known as East Indians. I guess so, because if you compare their features (ears, nose, chin, mouth, eyes and eyebrows), they're very similar. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Before arriving in Detroit in 1930, under the alias of David Ford, he attained a high rank in the Moorish Science Temple, a vaguely Islam-like religion that disbanded that same year. There is No God but ALLAH. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and had an obscure background and used several aliases. Accordingly, he gave his followers Arabic names to replace those that had originated in slavery. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. In 2007, the Nation of Islam had an estimated membership of 20,00050,000. Fard appears in the novel Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, in which Fard's Detroit Temple No. [20], Beynon described disputes and tension that arose between the new community and the police over the group's refusal to send their children to public schools. WebWallace D. Fard aka Wallace Fard Muhammad / f . Another story described Fard as Palestinian. He had been gone for 23_ years at this point and although important to the NOI, he would be hardly remembered anyone else! Officially, the NOI believes Fard departed Earth via supernatural means. [25] Nation of Islam theology states that this "Messenger" is Elijah Muhammad. She claimed Ford was a New Zealander who had lived in Portland prior to coming to LA, and that she had one son by him, Wallace Dodd Ford Jr., who had died during World War II. At this time, Ford was going under the name Fred Dodd, and operated a lunch wagon. There is some evidence that Fard lived at least until the 1960s; his alleged lover stated that he had returned to New Zealand. 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. [67] The FBI charged that Takahashi had been an influential presence in the Nation of Islam. Ford reported that he was a cook, age 26, born in Oregon and living in Los Angeles. 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. Since Mr. Fard has been deified, the Temple People raise to the rank of prophet the former Minister of Islam, Elijah Mohammed, now a resident of Chicago. Although there is only one known picture of "Fard", there are a few known photographs of "Ford", mostly police mugshots: https://zaidpub.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/walaace-fard.jpg. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. https://68.media.tumblr.com/8baacfedb2c5ff0be7055d0550917d7e/tumblr_ne5vz9XWui1t1ova9o10_500.jpg. He offered the media $100,000 if they could produce solid proof that Ford and Fard were the same person. "[62], Fard's lessons actually state that the "traders" referenced by Beynon, came to Africa, not Mecca.[63]. "[49], The Nation of Islam refutes the claim that Fard and Ford are one and the same in an article posted on the NOI website by Dr. Wesley Muhammad. [45], A February 19, 1963, FBI memorandum states: "In connection with efforts to disrupt and curb growth of the NOI, extensive research has been conducted into various files maintained by this office. They must give up completely the use of stimulants, especially liquor. 1. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. I taught him some lessons. One of the Conference Members by the name of Mr. Osman Sharrieff said to the Eleven Members of the Conference: 'The Lost-Found Nation of Islam will not return to their original Land unless they, first, have a thorough Knowledge of their own.' Otherwise he would chastise us with a severe chastisement until we did submit. 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. [43] According to San Quentin records, Wallie D. Ford was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 25, 1891, the white son of Zared and Beatrice Ford, who were both born in Hawaii. Fard, most scholars have relied on his teachings as passed down, and perhaps modified, by Elijah Muhammad. Excellent write-up! Garvey taught the Negroes that their homeland was Ethiopia. According to Bontemps and Conroy, Fard claimed that he was the reincarnation of Noble Drew Ali. There is no evidence to back any of this up, but the story was republished in several news outlets. [25] One such lesson concludes with the text: "This Lesson No. He was an adviser of Elijah Muhammad since the late 1950s and was the tutor of his son and successor Warith Deen Mohammed. Practically none of them had been in the North prior to the collapse of the Marcus Garvey movement. Attendance at the house meetings grew until the listeners were divided into groups and taught in shifts. According to the version of Elijah, he saw Fard off at the Detroit airport when Fard was being deported. They say that he shall soon return in a spaceship and that then the existence of the wicked Yakubians and their rule will end, with a new utopia forged. r d / (born February 26, 1877) was a co-founder of the Nation of Islam. On a 1917 draft registration card, a Wallie Dodd Ford gave his birthplace as Shinka, Afghanistan. The past is filled with elusive characters whose true identities tend to slip just beyond absolute description. Wallace Fard came to Detroit in the early 1930s and, in-between peddling silks and perfumes, preaches a unique brand of Islam to the local black population. His concepts attracted hundreds of followers to the Allah Temple of Islam (ATI), as he called his group. You have not yet seen me in my royal robes.' Attendances to his sermons rapidly grow over the next three years and then suddenly, without announcing his departure, he disappears, never to be seen or heard from again. In as much as Elijah Muhammad recognizes W.D. Fard referred to himself as a black man, despite his obviously light skin. The NOI teaches that Wallace Fard Muhammad was an avatar of Allah, who came to America to educate on this forgotten history. MSN Weather tracks it all, from precipitation predictions to severe weather warnings, air quality updates, and even wildfire alerts. [21][Note 1] These incidents drew police attention, according to Beynon, and contributed to persecutions and schisms. He told followers he was born in the holy city of Mecca, and his light-skinned appearance, courtesy of his Russian Jewish mother, was pre-ordained so that he could more easily mix with white people. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He arrived in Detroit in 1930 with an obscure background and several aliases, and taught an idiosyncratic form of what he considered Islam to members of the city's black population. [44], On August 15, 1959, the FBI sent a story to the Chicago New Crusader newspaper, stating that Fard was a "Turkish-born Nazi agent who worked for Hitler in World War II". If in this way they obeyed Allah, he would take them back to the Paradise from which they had been stolen the Holy City of Mecca. He stated that he was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a Black African father and a Russian Jewish mother, from the Caucasus. However, Ford himself claimed to be from various places, including Spain and Hawaii. Some people claim that he died from injuries inflicted by the police while he was in jail. WebWallace Fard, also known as Master Wali Farrad Muhammad, founded the Lost and Found Nation of Islam and served as its leader until his mysterious disappearance in the early 1930s. The Caucasians are the colored people, since they have lost their original color. To Mr. Fard alone do they offer prayer and sacrifice. A variety of other claims emerged; that he went to Hawaii, New Zealand, and even to the Middle East. 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. But over time his ideology began to shift. "[25] He went on to state: "Why is Stress made to the Muslims to Copy, the Minister, Elijah Muhammad's Answers? This would suggest he was, in fact, diabetic. 1, List of people who have been considered deities, "Wallace D. Fard American religious leader", "Nation of Islam at a crossroad as leader exits", "Louis Farrakhan says billionaires 'paying off' black preachers, politicians", "Nation of Islam resonates in Detroit as it returns home for convention", "The Nation of Islam could be Chicago's savior", "Coverage Of "The Voodoo Murders" Mythic Detroit", Appendices: A. He taught a unique form of religion which was based on Islam to members of the city's African-American population. But his strict culinary concerns may have emerged from elsewhere: it is said he carried packets of sugar in his coat pocket and is said to have bled easily. In Middlesex, Fard is revealed to be Desdemonas brother-in-law, who had been presumed dead after a rum-running incident. Fard offered blacks a credo of moral and cultural superiority to their white oppressors. Interestingly she had found a letter among his personal belongings addressed to one "Fred Dodd" of Portland. The Nation of Islam state that Muhammad was of African and Arab descent. [8][29], Karl Evanzz of The Washington Post submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the FBI in 1978 requesting its file on Fard. [32][33], Dodd left his family in 1916 and moved to Los Angeles, using the name Wallie Dodd Ford. rcel.src = "//trends.revcontent.com/serve.js.php?w=76341&t="+rcel.id+"&c="+(new Date()).getTime()+"&width="+(window.outerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth)+"&referer="+encodeURIComponent(referer); His original name was Wallace D. Fard, but he was also known by other aliases, such as Farad Muhammad, F. Muhammad Ali, Wali Farrad, and Professor Fard. [68][bettersourceneeded]. Karriem was found to be legally insane and was committed. Fard disappeared in 1934. Encyclopedia.com. Personally I don't know enough about the context to form an opinion on whether he was murdered, but it wouldn't shock me if he was. Uncover property values, resident history, neighborhood safety score, and more! What happened to Fard after he left Detroit? Two days later, Elijah Muhammads son, Wallace Muhammad, was named leader of the NOI, and quickly distanced himself from certain aspects of his fathers teachings most notably those denouncing whites as devils. The book Chameleon: The True Story of W.D. There were rumors about his whereabouts until the 1990s, when some believed he was still alive and living somewhere in California. They say that he shall soon return in a spaceship and that then the existence of the wicked Yakubians and their rule will end, with a new utopia forged. WebWallace Fard, also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad or Master Fard Muhammad (/ f r d /; reportedly born February 26, c. 1877 disappeared c. 1934), was the founder of the Nation of Islam. "Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader This is my own personal theory and it is out there so this is a fair warning: I believe that Ford was a FBI plant sent in as a cointel agent to gather intelligence on the civil rights movement that would getting traction in many inner city's and southern States. [19], In the early stage of his ministry, Fard "used the Bible as his textbook, since it was the only religious book with which the majority of his hearers were familiar. Just last year, however, I read a book that reintroduced Fard to my consciousness. WebWallace Fard, also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad or Master Fard Muhammad (/ f r d /; reportedly born February 26, c. 1877 disappeared c. 1934), was the founder of the Nation of Islam. Fard, 2017, by A.K. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. . Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. They must learn that they are the original people, noblest of the nations of the earth. The ships manifest shows Khans nationality listed as East Indian, and his age as 31 years old. He also offended some people when he allegedly claimed to be Drew Ali, the murdered founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America (another Islamic black nationalist group). Both provided their race as "Spanish"; Ford claimed that his parents, "Zaradodd" and "Babbjie", were natives of Madrid, Spain. After Desdemona is hired and settles into a familiar routine of caring for the delicate silkworms the Nation of Islam breeds to make cloth, she discovers that she can hear the speeches of Master W.D. He bases this theory on several indications:[30], The 2019 book Finding W.D. He is always referred to reverently as the 'Prophet Elijah in Chicago. This new movement, known as the Temple People, identifies the prophet, Mr. W. D. Fard, with the God, Allah. And those who follow the Apostle would see the Light. [36][bettersourceneeded], A declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memorandum dated May 16, 1957, states: "From a review of instant file it does not appear that there has been a concerted effort to locate and fully identify W. D. Fard. They also have a similar receding hairline that poofs out along the side. '"[59], Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, heard Fard teach for the first time in 1931. [27] "Harris had no standing in the order and was not regarded as a leader. Fard had an East Indian appearance, and was a dapper dresser with perfect white teeth and dark eyes. He was known usually as Mr. Wali Farrad or Mr. W. D. Fard, though he used also the following names: Professor Ford, Mr. Farrad Mohammed, Mr. F. Mohammed Ali. When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. To further muddy the waters, C.E. [66] He was linked to the Pacific Movement of the Eastern World and Japanese agitators such as Satokata Takahashi, and Ashima Takis. 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. Trevino was a 22-year-old native of Mexico also living in Los Angeles. Although I'm inclined to believe the official story that he simply fled the country after coming under heat from the police. The FBI were confident that Wallace Dodd Ford was, in fact, Wallace Fard Muhammad. His ears, mouth, eye brows etc his face looks like a younger Ford imo. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme. Four years later, in 1963, they issued another story to a Los Angeles-based newspaper that claimed Ford and Fard were, in fact, the same person. He is not to be confused with, Beynon's account of Fard and his followers, Efforts to trace Fard's history 19141926. [9], In 1938, sociologist Erdmann Doane Beynon published in the American Journal of Sociology a firsthand account of several interviews he conducted with followers of Fard in Michigan. On the question of a connection between the Nation of Islam and the Moorish Science Temple of America, Beynon wrote: "Awakened already to a consciousness of race discrimination, these migrants from the South came into contact with militant movements among northern Negroes. [citation needed] Harris attended meetings of the Detroit chapter of the Nation of Islam, then also called the Order of Islam, and Allah Temple of Islam, where he was given the name of Robert Karriem. Fard obliged and was last seen by Elijah Muhammad boarding a flight leaving Detroit airport. [23] Following the rapid increase in membership, he instituted a formal organizational structure. 1 is the location setting for several scenes in the book. [61], Fard wrote, in his instructions to the leaders of his community, that they should "copy the Answers of Lesson of Minister Elijah Muhammad. Officially, the NOI believes Fard departed Earth via supernatural means. Encyclopedia.com. He claimed to have attended Oxford and the University of California, and then to have begun training as a diplomat for the kingdom of Hejaz (now a part of Saudi Arabia). A fully equipped kitchen is available with all of the cooking essentials including a Keurig coffee maker w/coffee and hot cocoa. Did Marco Polo ever reach China? 22 Feb. 2023
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