The evolution of the ideology of the African-American organization Nation of Islam

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the evolution of the ideology of the religious organization Nation of Islam (NOI), which is one of the most famous representatives of the black nationalism movement in the USA. The study examines the ideological origins of the NOI, the main tenets of its ideology, crystallized under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad, as well as attempts to give the organization a political character in the 1950-1960s. Finally, the article pays special attention to the ideological split that followed the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, as a result of which the majority of supporters of the NOI converted to traditional Sunni Islam, while the radical part of the followers remained faithful to the previous ideology.