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September 11, 2008
Stated clerk joins in mourning Imam who pushed for moderate U.S. Islam
W.D. Mohammad, 74, promoted racial, interfaith harmony
LOUISVILLE — Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons has joined other religious leaders in mourning the death of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, the former leader of the Nation of Islam who broke with the racially tinged teachings of his father, Elijah Muhammad, and inspired thousands of African-American Muslims to follow mainstream Islam. Mohammed died Sept. 9 at age 74.
“We are grateful for his years of faithful leadership to the African American Muslim community, to his commitment to overcome racial separation and animosity and the friendship he has fostered with other faith communities,” Parsons said of Mohammed in a prepared statement issued Sept. 10. “We pray for his family and close associates, and stand ready to offer our support to the community at this time of sorrow and transition.”
W.D. Mohammed was chosen as the leader of the Nation of Islam upon the death of his father, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in early 1975. W.D. Mohammed rejected the Nation’s teaching of black separatism, and led his community into mainstream Islam.
Minister Louis Farrakhan later broke away from Mohammed and claimed the leadership of the Nation of Islam as his own. Even though the media has often paid more attention to Farrakhan, W.D. Mohammed’s following is far larger.
“Through his words and his actions, he taught an ethic of personal responsibility before God, of self-reliance and building up the African-American community and of nurturing ties of affection and cooperation with people of other faiths and cultures,” Parsons said. “His was a ministry of healing and teaching that has left us all richer.”
Imam Mohammed was the first Muslim to offer the invocation in the U.S. Senate, in 1990. He was well known as a strong proponent of civil rights and community development, and of better interfaith relations. He fostered close relations with the Focolare Movement, an international lay Catholic group devoted to reconciliation, and nurtured closer ties with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and other groups. He will be remembered as a major American leader.
The Rev. Jay T. Rock, the PC(USA)’s coordinator for interfaith relations said, “I want to express our great sadness and share our condolences with the many Muslims who looked to Imam Mohammed for guidance and inspiration. The Imam was a model of loving service, active commitment to community development and dedication to God. We celebrate his life and we will sorely miss him.”
"For those in his community, it is a dire loss. For those not in his community, it is both the loss of a pioneer and a very influential person," said Aminah McCloud, director of the Islamic World Studies program and a professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago. She noted that Mohammed regularly worked with Christian and Jewish leaders to include Muslims in interfaith dialogues.
When he assumed control of the Nation of Islam after his father’s death in 1975, Mohammed instituted several reforms in an attempt to bring thousands of Muslim-Americans closer to mainstream Islam and promote religious tolerance. He dropped the Nation of Islam name, loosened the strict dress code, encouraged followers to practice the five pillars of Islam and rejected black supremacy.
In 1992, Mohammed became the first Muslim to deliver the invocation opening the U.S. Senate. In 1993 and 1997, he offered Islamic prayers at the interfaith prayer services for President Clinton’s two inaugurations.
Religion News Service contributed some information for this story.
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