The marriage did not last even a year; Ford accused his wife of being an alcoholic and a bad spender. Both provided their race as "Spanish"; Ford claimed that his parents, "Zaradodd" and "Babbjie", were natives of Madrid, Spain. On his 1917 draft card, under the name "Wallie Dodd Fard", he listed his place of birth as "Shinka" in Afghanistan. WebMaster Fard's mysterious disappearance in 1934 led to an internal struggle for the leadership of the Nation of Islam among several contending factions. He provided no known place of birth for his parents nor his date of immigration. In that year, he established in Detroit the Temple of Islm as well as the University of Islm, which was the temples school, and the Fruit of Islm, a corps of male guards. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. After another brush with the law in April 1934, Fard left Detroit for good. But as a prerequisite for black liberation, he stressed the importance of attaining "knowledge of self." Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader. Omissions? [8][29], Karl Evanzz of The Washington Post submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the FBI in 1978 requesting its file on Fard. Ford/Fard lied about his background so many times that it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. His fathers name is listed as Zaradodd Ford, his mothers name as Babbjie, and their birthplace as Madrid, Spain. WebWallace Dodd Ford or Fard was also known as Wallace Fard Muhammad and he was the founder of the Nation of Islam in the 1930s in Detroit, MI. '"[59], Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975, heard Fard teach for the first time in 1931. Ugh, I've been going back and forth for the past ten minutes trying to decide if I think the pictures in link 1 and link 2 are of the same person. [23] "Within three years the prophet not only began the movement but organized it so well that he himself was able to recede into the background, appearing almost never to his followers during the final months of his residence in Detroit."[24]. All Rights Reserved. 1960. Reported Aliases of the Messenger and of Wallace D. Ford, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8FM-5FP, "Master W. Fard Muhammad and FBI COINTELPRO", "4. On a 1926 San Quentin State Prison file, a Wallie D. Ford of Los Angeles gave his birthplace as Oregon, and his age as 31. Part of Fard's teaching also involved admiration for Japan. Some people claim that he died from injuries inflicted by the police while he was in jail. Ford reported that he was a cook, age 26, born in Oregon and living in Los Angeles. During our colored and Negro days, he was Black. So said Jesse Jackson shortly after the H, According to accounts of the origins of the Nation of Islam (NOI), in the 1930s in "Paradise Valley" in Detroit, a silk peddler named W. D. Fard bega, The expansion of Islam historically embraces two phenomena. "Fard, W. D. (c. 1877-1934), Religious and Political Leader After Elijah's death, Warith Deen appointed Abdullah imam of Mosque #77 in Oakland, California. Evanzz believes that Fard immigrated to the United States via Canada in 1913. He advocated community members to establish and own their own businesses,[13] eat healthy, raise families, and refrain from drugs and alcohol. "[25], Fard wrote several lessons which are read and committed to memory by members of the Nation of Islam. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and had an obscure background and used several aliases. ." Fard pleaded innocence and claimed he had no involvement in the murder. Ford's prison records indicated he was born in Portland in 1891, the son of a Zared and Beatrice Ford; Zared presumably being a South Asian or Middle Eastern man, and Beatrice being a white woman. Officially, the NOI believes Fard departed Earth via supernatural means. I taught him some lessons. In 1981, Pakistani scholar Zafar Ishaq Ansari researched Fard's life and claimed that Fard was identical with Muhammad Abdullah, a Pakistani Ahmadiyya Muslim. [31], From the FBI's response to the Freedom of Information Act request, Evanzz claimed that Fard, using the name Fred Dodd, married Pearl Allen in Multnomah County, Oregon, on May 9, 1914, with their first child, a son, born the next year. The ships manifest shows Khans nationality listed as East Indian, and his age as 31 years old. According to the version of Elijah, he saw Fard off at the Detroit airport when Fard was being deported. Attendances to his sermons rapidly grow over the next three years and then suddenly, without announcing his departure, he disappears, never to be seen or heard from again. [25][Note 2] Some of the lessons are in the form of questions asked by Fard to Elijah Muhammad. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Pan-Islam is the ideology that calls for the unity and cooperation of Muslims worldwide on the basis of their shared Islamic identity. In 1933, Fard disappeared and a power struggle within the NOI emerged. The 2 smear campaigns that were released also have me wondering what the agency hoped to accomplish. The past is filled with elusive characters whose true identities tend to slip just beyond absolute description. [17] The Quran was soon introduced as the most authoritative of all texts for the study of the faith. [24] He established the University of Islam, where school-age children were taught, rather than in the public schools. He had met Muhammad in prison where the two men plotted a confidence game in which followers were charged a fee to become Muslims. ", Fard used the name "W. F. Muhammad" on several lessons written in 1933 and 1934. What seems most remarkable is that Fard seems to have utterly disappeared from the governments (especially the FBIs) radar after leaving Detroit in 1933. The photo of Fard looks highly retouched, or whatever people did to photo before Photoshop, so whether it's the same person as in the mugshot is really hard to tell. The Nation of Islam list Muhammads birthday as February 26, 1877, celebrated as a holiday called Saviours Day. Another story described Fard as Palestinian. I am your brother. Master Fard's identity, origins, appearance, and disappearance remain mysterious and controversial. What happened to Fard after he left Detroit? Just last year, however, I read a book that reintroduced Fard to my consciousness. Members of the movement believe Fard to be the incarnation of Allh, and his birthday, February 26, is observed as Saviours Day. To further muddy the waters, C.E. His color is listed as White. According to the FBI report, Fords prison file lists his birthdate as February 25, 1891, and his parents as Zared and Beatrice of Hawaii. They say that he shall soon return in a spaceship and that then the existence of the wicked Yakubians and their rule will end, with a new utopia forged. Fard offered blacks a credo of moral and cultural superiority to their white oppressors. })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. A 1920 birth record for a boy named Wallace Max Ford born in Los Angeles lists his father as Wallace Ford, who was born in New Zealand, and his mother as Hazel Barton. At this time, Ford was going under the name Fred Dodd, and operated a lunch wagon. He founded the religious movement in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1930, and was its leader until 1934, his disappearance. "Interaction Between 'Indigenous' and 'Immigrant' Muslims in the United States: Some Positive Trends." (February 22, 2023). Others asserted that he had returned to Mecca to prepare for his eventual return. [12], Fard taught a form of black exceptionalism and self-pride to poor Southern blacks during the Great Northward Migration at a time when old ideas of scientific racism were prevalent. WebMap of Fawn Creek, KS, Kansas. It's the late 1950s and the civil rights movement is beginning to emerge. It's possible him and Ford are the same guy. [4], Fard was arrested again on January 20, 1926, for violation of the California Woolwine Possession Act,[39] and on February 15, 1926, for violation of the State Poison Act, for which he was sentenced to six months to six years at San Quentin State Prison on June 12, 1926. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Maybe he was deported after that hearing. She claimed Ford was a New Zealander who had lived in Portland prior to coming to LA, and that she had one son by him, Wallace Dodd Ford Jr., who had died during World War II. Accordingly, he gave his followers Arabic names to replace those that had originated in slavery. Fard, they say, was born in 1877, which would make him 53 in 1930. More about myself I will not tell you yet, for the time has not yet come. [47] The paper published the story in an article titled "Black Muslim Founder Exposed As White. The Black Muslims in America. Jeffrey Eugenides novel Middlesex, which could justly be called a Detroit epic, includes a fascinating chapter in which the matriarch of the Stephanides family, Desdemona, takes a job as a silk worker at the Nation of Islams headquarters on Hastings Street. In 1934 he disappeared without a trace. In the 1920 United States Census, his race was reported as white, his occupation as a proprietor of a restaurant, and his place of birth as New Zealand. He taught us the truth of how we were made 'slaves' and how we are kept in slavery by the 'slave-masters children. Fard, most scholars have relied on his teachings as passed down, and perhaps modified, by Elijah Muhammad. Today, the Nation of Islam teaches that he boarded the Mother Plane and is still alive. A World War I draft registration card for Wallie Dodd Fard[4] from 1917 indicated he was living in Los Angeles, unmarried, as a restaurant owner, and reported that he was born in Shinka, Afghanistan on February 26, 1893. Interestingly she had found a letter among his personal belongings addressed to one "Fred Dodd" of Portland. Free maps of USA towns - printable, unique, stylish, souvenir maps for download now! What would he have thought of it? Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Uncover property values, resident history, neighborhood safety score, and more! April 15, 2022. Trevino was a 22-year-old native of Mexico also living in Los Angeles. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBIs capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. Wallace D. Fard, also called Walli Farrad, Farrad Mohammed, F. Mohammed Ali, or Wallace Fard Muhammad, (born c. 1877, Meccadied 1934? To Mr. Fard alone do they offer prayer and sacrifice. He told followers he was born in the holy city of Mecca, and his light-skinned appearance, courtesy of his Russian Jewish mother, was pre-ordained so that he could more easily mix with white people. WebThe FBIs FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. To this day, nobody knows. It's strange that he never attempted further contact with his followers, however. Although I'm inclined to believe the official story that he simply fled the country after coming under heat from the police. Evanzz detailed the experience of several other authors who also based their accounts of Fard's life on the FBI file. Did Marco Polo ever reach China? Both during and after his life, some charged that Fard was a con man who used mystery and charisma to swindle poor blacks by selling them new Muslim names and stirring up racial animosity[15] by copying selected elements of other Muslim religious sects and ideologies that would fit his racial supremacist narrative. But I am not the same person who taught Elijah Muhammad and I am not God. Consequently, Fard and another leader, Ugan Ali, were arrested and questioned. He appeared in Detroit in 1930 and made a living as a street merchant. Encyclopedia.com. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Thus ended the FBI investigation into Fard's early life. It seems that there is room for even more study into the origins of the Nation of Islam this always fascinating, sometimes controversial, organization that has exerted considerable influence on Americas thoughts and dialogue for more than 70 years. When nothing further was heard from him, some rumored that he had been killed by police. WebIn late 1933 or in 1934 Fardmysteriously disappeared from public record. I don't know what to think. 1963. He said that he loved us (the so-called Negroes), his lost and found, so well that he would eat rattlesnakes to free us if necessary, for he has power over all things. Karriem was found to be legally insane and was committed. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. . Contemporary American Religion. [41] Immigration records did not match any of his aliases. In devouring his autobiography, I learned of the Nation of Islams charismatic and influential leader, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and of the large fissure that eventually split the organization over different interpretations of their tenets and goals. The men of the organization were drilled by captains and referred to as the Fruit of Islam. On the other hand, in a speech made on April 1, 2001, titled The Greatness of Master Fard Muhammad, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reiterated Fards origins in the Holy City of Mecca, and referred to him as the Mahdi, a man absolutely guided by God in the Islam faith. Via e-mail, I asked Claude Andrew Clegg III, author of another Elijah Muhammad biography, An Original Man, to give me his take on the controversy. Within three years Fard had established several organizations: the "Temple of Islam," with its own worship style and rituals; the "University of Islam," to propagate his teachings; the "Muslim Girls Training," to teach female members home economics and how to be a proper Muslim woman; and the "Fruit of Islam," consisting of selected male members to provide security for the temple and Muslim leaders and to enforce the disciplinary rules. At his suggestion, he came back to teach the residents, along with guests. A 1957 FBI report stated that Muhammad previously lived in Portland, Oregon, under the alias Fred Dodd, and in Los Angeles and Chicago as Wallie/Wallace Dodd Ford. WebWallace Fard, also known as Master Wali Farrad Muhammad, founded the Lost and Found Nation of Islam and served as its leader until his mysterious disappearance in the early 1930s. He also gave his fathers birthplace as Argentina and his mothers birthplace as Oregon. Artists who have made references within their music include Jay-Z ("I'm going to chase the Yacub back in the cave"[69]), Jay Electronica ("Lost tribe of Shabazz stylin' on the record", "The son of W.D., who hung around in the D, Who ran around in the three, The trap gods raised me, Face all on the Sphinx, Story all in the wall of the pyramids, Niggas know the Black God saved me"[69]), Brand Nubian ("This Asiatic black man is a dog spelled backwards, The maker, the owner, the cream of the planet earth, Father of civilization, God of the universe, Manifestin thought with my infinite styles, Making sure this travels twenty-three million miles, The other six I set the crucifix, Because the heart of the problem is this."[70]), and Ras Kass in the song "Riiiot" ("Now I got niggas claiming they saw God unfortunately, he wasn't in the person of Master Fard Muhammad").[71]. Much of what is known about him is shrouded in mystery, and it is difficult to separate fact from mythological stories. [66] He was linked to the Pacific Movement of the Eastern World and Japanese agitators such as Satokata Takahashi, and Ashima Takis. Black Muslims A relatively short leadership struggle ended with Elijah Muhammad assuming control of the NOI. He was ultimately forced to leave Detroit because of an allegation that he encouraged one of his followers to engage in a ritual of human sacrifice. From here on, his teachings became increasingly venomous. WebWallace Muhammad - Disappearance Disappearance In June 1934, Fard left Detroit for Chicago and disappeared without a trace. The 26 November 1976 issue of the Nation of Islam journal Bilalian News reports Muhammad Abdullah's first khutbah at the mosque and shows a photo. A few of them had come under the influence of the Moorish-American cult which succeeded it. ", so I don't know. Officials said he came to the United States from Asia.". 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