"The white man’s false religion called Christianity . . . gives you no desire or power to resist them. The only way and place to solve this problem is the religion of Islam . . . In the religion of Christianity the white race has had us worshiping and praying to something that actually did not even exist." (Elijah Muhammad)
Whatever else the Nation of Islam may teach today under the leadership of Louis Farrakhan, its original teachings stem from Elijah Muhammad, and have been circulated to a much wider audience than the Black Muslim community. In the 1950’s and early 60’s, Elijah Muhammad, and his key disciple Malcolm X, were the primary voices in the black community declaring that Christianity was a "white" religion. The alternative was Islam, which they proclaimed as the "true religion of the black man." Though the Nation of Islam ("Black Muslims") is a departure from orthodox Islam, they were definitely a catalyst propelling many black Americans to examine Islam. Since that time we have seen the phenomenal growth of Islam in the black community.
