The Life and Legacy of Noble Drew Ali
Many of the younger generations and those new to the Moorish Divine and National Movement are calling themselves Moors, but do not know of the man who started the movement. There is significant confusion and misinformation; many associate being a Moor only with the "strawman" and remain unaware of the true power of nationality. The following is a history of the man who started the movement, and in whose steps the Moorish Republic follows.
The Moorish Divine and National Movement began in 1913 when Prophet Noble Drew Ali (Sheikh Sharif Abdul Ali) founded the Canaanite Temple in Newark, New Jersey. Originally located in Dixon Barbershop at 7 Rutgers Street, the temple moved to a larger location in 1916 as membership grew.
The Prophet taught that we were not "Negros," "Blacks," or "Coloreds," but rather Moors. He also taught "Islamism," a form of Islam he stated dated back to the ancients, prior to modern orthodox Arab Islam. However, due to strong Christian indoctrination at the time, the Prophet was voted out as head of his own temple in 1919 in favor of Dixon.
By 1925, Noble Drew Ali relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he organized the Moorish Holy Temple of Science. On November 29, 1926, the temple was organized as a civic organization under Illinois state laws. The following year, the Prophet published the Holy Koran of the Moorish Holy Temple of Science, which was released in 1928. The Divine Constitution and By-laws were officially adopted in 1928, and on May 2nd of that year, the name was officially changed to the Moorish Science Temple of America as it reorganized into a religious organization.
The shift to a religious organization may have been a strategic move to avoid the type of scrutiny from J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI that targeted Marcus Garvey's Pan-Africanism. By focusing on religion, the movement could protect its underlying goals of national unity and global standing. Noble Drew Ali opened several temples across the colonial United States and encouraged Moors to start successful businesses.
Primary Moorish Documents
After Noble Drew Ali passed on July 20, 1929, the movement splintered into factions such as the Reincarnated Prophets and the Nation of Islam. Following various power struggles, the Divine Constitution was reinstated in 1975 by R. Love-El. Today, while many branches exist, many have moved away from the core focus on international nationality. The Moorish Republic maintains that nationality is always the "order of the day" for the upliftment of our people.