Noble Drew Ali #1160
$ 8.00
Caption from poster__
Noble Drew Ali
“ May the blessings of the God of our Father
Allah be upon you that carry this card. I do
hereby declare that you are a Moslem under
the Divine Laws of the Holy Imam of Mecca.
Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom, and Justice.”
Prophet Noble Drew Ali.
The Moorish Science Temple of America is an American religion founded in
the early 20th-century by Timothy Drew. He based it on the belief that
African Americans had descended from the Moors and were originally
Muslims. Drew put together elements of major traditions to develop a
message of personal transformation, racial pride and uplift. Founded in
New Jersey in 1913, by self-proclaimed Prophet Drew Ali (born Timothy
Drew in the United States), the Moorish Science Temple blossomed in
Chicago and other major cities during the late 1920s. During this time, the
African American population and culture of the North and Midwest was
increasing rapidly as a result of the Great Migration from the South. Its
creation can be seen as part of the era's search for identity as African
Americans sought to establish themselves in new regions of the United
States, at a time when racial discrimination and segregation were severe.
Membership in the Moorish ScienceTemple gave people a positive
community in which to build their lives. As in Protestant sects,competing
factions developed, especially after the death of the charismatic
founder Noble Drew Ali in 1929.Members followed various leaders into
different groups, but the main body of the Moorish Science Temple
continued. In the 1930s, membership was estimated at 30,000, with
one-third of them in Chicago. The founding of the Nation of Islam also
created competition for members. The Moors continued to increase
members in the postwar years, but at a slower rate. By the late 20th
century, demographic and cultural changes had decreased the attraction
of young people to the Moorish Science Temple. In the early 2000s,
it is estimated that there may be 1 million card-carrying Moors in the
United States.
