SHADMIA's WORLD

When Elijah Muhammad headed the Nation of Islam or the Black Muslims, it was generally considered to be a black supremacist organization. He taught black racism, calling white people the blue-eyed devils; and separatism believing that blacks should have nothing to do with white society; all cloaked under the guise of Islam. He died in 1975 leaving his son, Warith Deen Mohammed, in charge of the organization.

Imam Warith Deen Mohammed led the organization away from racism and towards orthodox Sunni Islam, emphasizing its message of racial tolerance and changing its name. After some internal disputes, Minister Louis Farrakhan broke away from Mohammed and re-named his organization once again the Nation of Islam, following the original teachings of the late Elijah Muhammad.

Minister Louis Farrakhan is now suffering from prostate cancer and last year stepped down from his post as leader of the Nation of Islam. A board currently oversees the movement and has said nothing about who would succeed the ailing minister. Mohammed said that his half brother Ishmael Muhammad and another man he would not identify are in the running to become the next leader of the Nation -- a sign, he said, that the group "had a strong desire to see religious change."

"These persons are already in position to clear up the destruction of the religion in the Nation of Islam," Mohammed said. He predicted the group would unite with his Muslim organization. "I think there's a merger coming," he said.