Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam

Conclusion

>> 227 Conclusion Feminist and womanist scholars have described Nation women as guilty of reproducing their own oppression because they accept traditional gender roles, including men as providers and women as homemakers . Yet Nation women have strategically embraced these gender roles in the context of the broader struggle for racial equality. As we have seen, women joined Elijah Muhammad’s NOI for its racial uplift message and its community-building activities. When former members describe what attracted them to the Nation, the gender ideology is often secondary or not mentioned at all. Rarely did Muslim Girls Training attract them in the first place. Nonetheless, it became one of the most endearing experiences for old Nation women, particularly because of the sisterhood and affirmations of Black womanhood it engendered. Early Nation women, even those college-educated, embraced the Nation’s complementary roles as part of their Nation-building project, which included empowering African American men to reclaim their invaluable roles in their families and communities. Throughout this book, we have seen examples of Nation women’s interpreting Nation ideologies for themselves and navigating gender practices in their favor. This was certainly the case in how women handled MGT’s function of scrutinizing and policing women. Early Nation women conceptualized their role in the home not as a restriction but as a tool for liberation and advancement of their entire community. It was when they felt men and women restricting them to this role that they resisted. Even MGT captains, who were obligated to follow the dictates of Elijah Muhammad, encouraged women to educate and elevate themselves in ways that at times went against Nation norms. Elijah Muhammad himself encouraged women’s work and education when they benefited the organization. Former Nation women make it very clear that 228 > 229 the fact that their modest garments set them apart as women not to be viewed as sexual objects, especially by white men who had historically treated them that way during slavery and during their employment in white homes. Diet was another tool of liberation. The Nation of Islam viewed diet as a critical component of transformation, evident in the way that giving up pork has become a hallmark of becoming a Black Muslim. Thus, women as cooks in the home and the temple saw themselves as making a major contribution to the Nation’s goals. Not only were they nourishing healthy Black bodies, but they were also bringing in revenue for their families and temples. Nothing illustrates this role more than the creation of the famous bean pie. Nation women and their food creations became the trademark of Muslim restaurants and meals that have survived in the Resurrected Nation of Islam and the WDM community. Nation women’s ownership over dress and diet allowed them to contribute greatly to the self-help programs that characterize the Nation of Islam. As we have seen, women established their own businesses in the Nation. They also contributed to the Muhammad University of Islam as directors, teachers, counselors, and nurses. Nation women found various avenues in their organization, from MGT to MUI, to serve as leaders and workers in the Nation-building project. In some cases, when the civil rights movement seemed to have failed women, they found greater hope in the Nation of Islam. The narratives provided by Ana Karim and Amidah Salahuddin, for example, suggest that they welcomed the opportunity to work in gender- and race-segregated settings within the Nation. As the Nation of Islam moved beyond the civil rights era and brought forth two new leaders, Imam Mohammed and Minister Farrakhan, Nation women found greater opportunities for themselves. The women who followed Imam W. D. Mohammed into Sunni Islam describe the Nation’s transition period as “freeing.” Foremost, it was freeing because many women either never believed in the old Nation’s theological doctrine or found it hard to reconcile with their personal beliefs about white people or the nature of God. Many found it easy to follow the imam because they understood his succession as the hope and desire of Elijah Muhammad. Imam Mohammed was sensitive to the need among Muhammad’s followers to maintain continuity between the old 230 > 231 The transition was freeing for women also because Imam Mohammed actually removed the structures and dictates that limited women’s movement and individuality and established new structures for women ’s mobilization. He gradually ended MGT and established CERWIS (Committee to Enhance the Role of Women in Society) to support the expansion...