The First Step of a True Moslem: Faith

How can man believe in anything lest he has faith that verifies the notion or idea?  Indeed, it seems many people abuse the word faith; but without faith, one cannot make progress on their spiritual journey.  Therefore, let us examine the true meaning of faith.

Though many people refer to faith as a word to express a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence, this western definition is incorrect. Moreover, faith implies three things: Belief in Allah, trust in Allah, and an allegiance to God in action (submission).  In this way, we can see how man, woman, and child themselves, become the material evidence of the truth of their God.

Sura 2:143: And thus We have made you an exalted nation that you may be the bearers of witness to the people and that the Messenger may be bearer of witness to you.  And We did not make that which thou wouldst have to be the qiblah but that We might Distinguish him who follows the Messenger from him who turns back upon his heels.  And it was indeed a hard test except for those whom Allah has guided.  Nor was Allah going to make your faith to be FRUITLESS.  

And so we can logically presume that our faith produces a construct of thoughts, desires and actions.  The latter is the evidence of the former.  And is this not why James exclaimed faith without deeds is dead (meaning no faith exists)?

In fact a Moslem should view faith as:

1. Faith is what man knows is truth.
2. Faith is the surety of the omnipotence of Allah and Man.
3. Faith is the certainty that man will reach deific life.
4. Faith is the first step on the path to righteousness.
5. Faith guides one in all of his actions.

In the Circle 7 we learn that men comprehend the inner life by what they see and do (Circle7- 4:17).  Thus a Moslem can only grow in his walk by his words and deeds and as he tills the righteous soil of life, the mystery of deific life is made more plain to him; This rules out the notion of "blind faith."  Abraham is a good example of a faithful man; His desire to follow Allah's commandments, even if it meant killing his own son, allowed him to see the omnipotence of his Ruler.

This interpretation is from a Moslem's point a view. Moslems do not  believe in blind faith; moreover, they become the truth they subscribe to and transform into a living testimony of the one and true Supreme Architect.

The Moors Strike Back: Sharif A. Bey Clears the Record (Part 1)

 Brother Sharif A. Bey is an expert on Moorish Jurisprudence and if you would like to know more about him, feel free to check a previous blog where his statements on a blogtalkradio interview was the centerpiece of discussion.

I was compelled to contact Brother Sharif, and he agreed to answer some questions for me. Again, thank you, Brother Bey, for elaborating on the MSTof A.  I trust that many of those who are interested in the MSTof A will find this information useful as I formed the questions based on many questions I feel the public may have about this movement. Again, enjoy.

Sia Sobek:
Marcus Garvey referred to African-Americans as Negroes while Noble Drew Ali referred to them as Moorish-Americans.  In my previous blog, I discussed discrepancies with "Moor" being used as a term to denote one's nationality.  From a Moorish-American's perspective, how does the term Moorish-American more effective than the modern day term  "African-American?"

Sharif Bey:

On pg. 109 of "Philosophies and Opinions of Marcus Garvey" he states "the negro needs a nationality."  This quote underscores the fact that Garvey used the term "negro" as it was the common denoting term of the day, yet stressed the need for a national identifying name.  His use of the term "negro" in the proper context is comparable to Prophet Drew Ali's use of the term "Asiatic;" both were describing our RACE, not national origin. 

Drew Ali's use of the term "Moorish American" to most accurately describe us in the national/political context is apt, firstly because racial/ethnic categorization and national/political identification are two different things (although the two are often connected), secondly, as nationality determines one's political status, the last known political affiliation our people had prior to our loss of nationality and subsequent enslavement was with the Moroccan Empire.  Our state of servitude came as a result of our loss of national identity, ie., ceasing to maintain our connection to our native political entity on these shores.

Conversely, the term "African-American" denotes connection to a continent and not a political body/nation/state, and therefore is unqualified as a signifier for national identity.

Sia Sobek:
Garvey seemed to be focused on uniting all "negroes" as he called us, yet Noble Drew Ali's members often perceive African-American's who call themselves "black" as being second class citizens solely based on their association with the term "black."  Blacks under Ali's ideology, for example, have no nationality.  The concept seems to be more divisive than unifying.  Explain how Ali's message was for the total unification of the race, though it superficially can be perceived as divisive.

Sharif Bey:

In this era of time, civilized people all over the world are identified and recognized not by color, but by national descent, which is why dark-skinned, wooly-haired "negroid" peoples native to Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, etc. are not called "black", but Mexicans, Hondurans, Brazilians, respectively.  Honoring our mothers and fathers by name and principle in this way (ie., recognizing and reclaiming our national descent and connection), for our people, is the very first step in "standing upright" as respectable civilized people and thereby becoming for the first time since our fall able to demand that respect from all other civilized people. 

 In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus' mission is ultimately to "spread the gospel" to the world, and yet the first part of his mission was to prepare a chosen nation to raise, then use that nation to "go out to all the world and preach the gospel..."

Likewise, as prophets, avatars, saviors, etc. are sent to nations to raise that especial nation, then commission that nation to be the example for the world, so it is with the program of Prophet Noble Drew Ali.  As in days of old, the Prophet's mission is to make our nation (the fallen Asiatic sons and daughters of North America) the "avatar" for the Uniting of Asia/the unification of melanated peoples, by first making us like himself.  He was sent to us so that we could be sent out to the world.  This is what is referred to as "raising the dead."  Incidentally, the word "black/negro" (derivative of the word 'necro'/'dead') in the history of humanity has ONLY been used to describe our people in our present condition (no nationality, or 'civiller mortuus'/dead in the eyes of the law).  Since the year 2000 the world has been watching the sudden resurgence of the Moorish movement; they are witnesses to the Biblical Resurrection.

Marcus Garvey: The Moorish American's Perspective (Part 1)

It is my proud pleasure to share with you important information concerning Noble Drew Ali and Marcus Garvey from a Divine Minister of the Moorish Science Temple of America, Azeem Hopkins-Bey. Brother Bey has done great works for the temple and is a scholar of the teachings of Noble Drew Ali.  In addition, he is an author of "What Your History Books Failed to Tell you," and is host of Know Thy Self , a blog talk radio show that is very informative on the plight of Asiatics all over the world.

Brother Bey is shining light on a previous blog of mine, "Why Marcus Garvey Wouldn't Support 
the M.S.T. of A." His perspective and understanding is most needed as he is a minister for the movement. Thus without further due, we can finally quench the thirst for all seekers who find my blog searching for "Garvey and Drew Ali." This is just a first in this series from Brother Bey by the way. Enjoy.

S. Sobek: Why do you think there is an inherent problem with people perceiving Marcus Garvey as the John the Baptist or Forerunner for Noble Drew Ali?

A.H. Bey: 
There has been much controversy concerning the linkage of Marcus Garvey to Prophet Noble Drew Ali. This controversy has arisen due to an erroneous perception of the term “Harbinger” and “Forerunner.”  For the sake of intelligibility, we sincerely offer the meaning to the aforementioned terms without nuance. Harbinger is defined as, “one that pioneers in or initiates major change; one that presages or foreshadows what is to come; precursor; forerunner.” The term “Forerunner” is defined as, “one that precedes and indicates the approach of another; a person of thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.” Through understanding the definitions given, one would grasp the nature of Marcus Garvey’s mission. When Marcus Garvey stated, “We want a Nationality similar to that of the English, the French, the Italian, the German…we want Nationality and government…”, this message obviously was the forerunner to the message brought by Prophet Noble Drew Ali.

S. Sobek:  If Marcus Garvey was the forerunner to Noble Drew Ali, why did he refer to his people as Negroes, why didn’t he say Asiatic or Moorish?
Ostensibly, his task/mission as forerunner was to prepare his people for the message brought by Prophet Noble Drew Ali; his responsibility was not to bring precisely the same message as Prophet Noble Drew Ali. If the people would have immediately accepted the teachings of Prophet Noble Drew Ali, there would not have been a need for a forerunner. We must keep in mind that Asiatics in America at that time were at least one generation removed from slavery (1865), and the language they spoke was the language of the negro. Consequently, the condition called for the necessity of Garvey to articulate implementing the vernacular of the so-called negro to clearly communicate the preparation rite bestowed upon them, which was nationalistic in nature.
S.Sobek:  Noble Drew Ali imposed the Moorish-American flag, a red flag with a five pointed green star in the middle for Moorish-Americans; however, Garvey already established a red, black and green flag to represent "negroes."  Why was it necessary for Ali to introduce an new flag?

A.H. Bey: 
Quite simply, the red, black, and green flag is not a national flag whereas one can utilize to trace themselves back to their ancient forefathers. The red, black, and green was the banner of the UNIA, and it was primarily flown on Marcus Garvey’s fleet of ships known as the Black Star Line. The red, black, and the green banner introduced the thought, idea, and notion of national flag to the so-called negro. In fact, the banner was created in 1920 by the members of the UNIA in response to the enormously popular 1900 coon song “Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon,” which has been cited as one of the three coon songs that firmly established the term coon in the American vocabulary.

A 1921 report appearing in the Africa Times and Orient Review (published by Duse Muhammad Ali), for which Marcus Garvey previously worked, quoted him regarding the importance of the flag where it states, “Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride....” The red, black, and green was the forerunner to the red flag with a five pointed green star in the center, i.e. the Moorish flag which is over 10,000 years old.

Stay Plugged for Part Two Tomorrow!

Old Teachings, New Approach: Pastor Seth Pickens Shines His light (Part 1).

Old Teachings, New Approach is a new series I am introducing in my blog.  Its purpose is to take a more esoteric approach to modern day religions, mainly Islam and Christianity.  Each blog under this series will feature a guess blogger and it is my proud pleasure to reintroduce to you  Seth Pickens.

For years, Seth Watson Pickens has served his community and world as a messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before being called as the seventh pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Los Angeles, he served as Associate Pastor at Shiloh Church in Harlem, NY for five years.

Prior to his ordination, Rev. Pickens has had careers as a sales executive, an elementary school teacher, and as a stand up comedian. From 2001-2003, he served as a Volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in Haiti.

Upon returning from Haiti, Seth enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, earning a Master of Divinity in 2006 with an emphasis on Ecumenical Studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Morehouse College, where he was an honor student.

He  is married to the former Isis Jones, and they are the proud parents of a son, Seth Isaiah, and a daughter, Zola Patrice. In his spare time, he loves to be with his family and friends, read, listen to music, exercise, and play basketball.

“The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. This is why I speak to them in parables, ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’ (Matthew 13:11,13).

 S.Sobek:  Jesus clearly states that there is a deeper meaning to his words. He clearly asserts that his parables have an esoteric value that many will miss;however, his disciples were given the "secrets of heaven."  As a senior pastor, do you think those who can understand the inner teachings of Jesus often lose interest in Christianity since many Christian leaders explain Jesus' teachings from face value?

Seth Pickens:  It's true that some people are turned off by Christianity because some preachers and teachers aren't getting deep enough. But because Jesus' teachings are so deep, some people may simply not be able to grasp them right away, even if they try. Right before the scripture you quoted, Jesus gave a parable about spreading the message of the kingdom of God. My job is to spread it everywhere, and with that I need to realize that no matter how much I study and how loud I yell, some people will ignore it. Some people will come running enthusiastically at first but then not follow through. Some people understand intellectually, but get so concerned with the worries of life and wealth that they can't really apply it. But every now and then, someone hears it, gets it, and stays with it.

There are some leaders in Christianity and in every faith who only scratch the surface with their teachings. I'd like to believe I'm one of the good ones who makes God's Word relevant and plain so that anyone can digest it and grow as a result. But even if I do have a knack for teaching about the Spirit, I have to admit that even on my best day, I can only provide a very small glimpse of what the Bible calls the unsearchable riches of Christ. There's a reason why we can keep going back to the same scriptures and gathering new meanings and deeper insights, and that is because none of us have it completely figured out. At best, we can just hope to gradually shed more light on our shared situation.
 

Smiley v. Sharpton over President Obama and the Black Agenda

Why on earth would anyone expect the President to have a "black" agenda?  Well, Sharpton, like me, doesn't feel that the President should be on front street making policies specifically for blacks, a term that I do NOT like to use.

There are issues that need to be addressed-there is no question about that.  However, the movement or revolution of African-Americans has to start from the ground up.  It's bad enough that conservatives consider President Obama "the most radical president ever."  Mix that in with a "black agenda" presented to Congress and we could easily see his destiny paralleling with King, Kennedy and the likes.  This is not to say that there aren't steps that  President Obama could initiate that would assists African-Americans by far; I'm merely saying that African-Americans must raise themselves up by their own bootstrap instead of looking to some iconic figure to solve their problems.

And nothing can be more frustrating, concerning the issue, than two leaders in our community arguing about the issue at hand.  Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley bickered over the radio waves about the President needing to implement or not implement a "black" agenda.  Take a listen for yourself and you should come up with the same conclusion I did: This is sad.

Bad Hip-Hop: T-Payne Endorsing Hannity!

Sean and TPain Presents! -
The Sean Hannity & T-Payne Minstrel Show

"A lot of my fans have been writing in saying the video is funning."
Ahh, I bet Sean, I bet.

The Moors Aren't Sovereign? Really?

"Nationality cannot be bought unless you're in the slavery game." That quote was stated by Brother Sharif A. Bey, an expert on Moorish American Jurisprudence. "There is no such thing as a nation of sovereigns," was another profound quote that Brother Bey exclaimed on a blogtalkradio interview with Brother Azeem Hopkins Bey.

Brother Sharif Bey has just revealed some very pertinent information concerning the true meaning of sovereignty inside the context of the Moorish Science Temple of America, and I would like to think that other bodies of the M.S.T.of A at least listened and understood the wisdom in his words.

By in large, my experience with the M.S.T.of A dealt a lot with sovereignty. My former leadership exclaimed,"We are sovereign" quite frequently. "We are a wheel within a wheel," was another popular saying. Moreover, about a year and a half ago, I received information from a Supreme Grand Sheik in Chicago, who I will not disclose of specifically, who mentioned that he was researching ways (if possible) to legally remove Moors from the burden of having driver's licenses.

However, after the interview on BlogTalkRadio, which I encourage anyone of African descent to listen to, it is clear that this is not what Noble Drew Ali brought. Though Brother Sharif Bey admits that he played a role in contributing to this haphazard kind of thinking, he since has learned that this is NOT what Noble Drew Ali intended for his followers. If one would listen to the interview, he would know that C.M Bey and others used State Rights Advocate's ideologies to legitimize the Moors stance on being sovereign from the federal government; as mentioned by Sharif Bey, ironically, the states were those who directly subjected African-Americans to slavery in the first place.

If indeed Drew Ali was attempting to bring back the golden age of the Moors, his construct is perfect. The Moors in Spain discussed how when the Moors ruled Europe, they allowed other nationalities to follow their own beliefs without interference. They did not require Christians or Jews to become Muslims. So long as they observed the letter of the law, all was well.

Therefore, though we are not the rulers of the land in the present day, all nationalities have the right to develop their own economy and their own political representation; for instance, the Jews have 13 members in the Senate and need we discuss their economic stronghold? Their presence in the Senate and their economic power makes them a force that will be represented fairly well when Congress is in session. On the contrary, Roland Burris is the only African-American in the Senate at this present time.

I see now that Drew Ali was trying to unite our people under one economic circle, one political party and one God. Such a thing should be the inherent nature of all races, but our subjection to the oppression of slavery in the 18th and 19th century has African-American's behind a little bit. No excuse, merely just stating the facts.

I tip my hat off to Brother Hopkins and Sharif Bey for clearing up the record. Moorish Americans all over America should take heed.

The Reptilian Theory: Realer Than You Think?

If anyone doesn't know about David Icke, he's an English author and former BBC journalist that has a huge following. His niche is undoubtedly his allegations that there is a reptilian race amongst us.

"At the heart of his theories lies the idea that a secret group of reptilian humanoids called the Babylonian Brotherhood created and controls humanity, and that many prominent figures are reptilian, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Kris Kristofferson, and Boxcar Willie.<sup>"
-Wikopedia

Now, as much as I entertain conspiracy theories, I don't entertain this notion. Why? Honestly, there's just to much other solid research I could be doing than entertaining the notion. However, this blog addresses the issue that there is a T.V. show out now that conveys this very same idea. It's a throw back series brought back to life by ABC. The show deals with a group of "Visitors (i.e. V)" that come to earth in peace. They are leaps and bounds ahead of humans offering such features as healing centers and future diagnostic labs (they can diagnosed a future heart attack for instance).





The problem is beneath there human appearance, they are reptiles and they are plotting against human beings, though they say they come in peace. What does this represent? Are there a group of people that historically have said one thing with the intention to do another? What group of people do you think are like the V's? I can tell you that on the T.V. show, they are portrayed as Europeans. The leader, in fact, is a European female which could be symbolic of the bloodline resting on the female's side.

A snake can't be trusted, and it's hard to understand the ways of a snake. My Grandma probably felt that Europeans were snakes when they refused to service her newborn child; That should have been my older uncle ( they denied him medical service) but he died as an infant because they deemed themselves the superior race. My dad told me from that point, my Grandma vowed to never trust Europeans again.

The Indians had no idea that the Europeans didn't really want amalgamate with them. They sold it well however and when the Europeans were close enough, they put the smack down on the indigenous Americans.

Even in the movie Avatar, we saw how Europeans had concocted a plan to "blend" in with the indigenous people; The true purpose, however, was to destroy there sacred land so they could mine a valuable resource. Snakish enough for ya?

The fact is we (people of color) were never considered equal by Europeans. They indeed saw themselves as a superior race deeming everyone else inferior. We were the "savages" who were being tamed by the "Masters." When you watch V, you see this kind of philosophy getting thrown around immensely.

Hence a pure bred European (if such a thing exists these days) despises the notion of "mixing" with the the inferior bloodline. And is not modern racism often a representation of the reptilian concept? They smile in your face, but often do not deem you fit to stand next to them. It's like you're holding a snake, and then all of a sudden, it wraps around you and suffocates you. You never saw it coming.

So when you are watching V, Avatar, or any film that demonstrates secret agendas initiated by one breed or group of people, you are seeing a reptilian mindset on display (no matter what color the race is). It's just ironic that many Hollywood reptilian theories display Europeans as the reptiles. There are definitely some factual correlation points to these kinds of demonstrations, but to fully see it, you have to do your own research. I know it's a lot of snakes out there but "My Soul Knows Better."</sup>

MK ULTRA: The CIA's Ace in the Hole

I know alot of you are naive; You would never think that our government would want to control the way we think, let alone brainwash us. However, history is the best teacher and it can be proven that the government,specifically the CIA, has, in the past, enacted plans to do the aforesaid actions.
Do you remember the Manchurian Candidate? The movie demonstrated MKULTRA, a covert plan that had 4 goals:

1) Mind and behaviour control
2)Advanced brainwashing and the remolding of minds and belief systems.
3)Truth drugs that would make other methods of interrogation obsolete.
4)Techniques for psychological warfare on a mass scale.

The plan itself started around the 1950's and was "supposedly" discontinued around the late 70's. It is also known that the Rockefellers funneled money into the project. The late Ted Kennedy said this concerning the project in 19777 (on the senate floor):

"The Deputy Director of the CIA revealed that over thirty universities and institutions were involved in an "extensive testing and experimentation" program which included covert drug tests on unwitting citizens "at all social levels, high and low, native Americans and foreign."

It's quite sad to think that people who are supposed to protect us would create sinister plans as such. For instance, LSD was given to mental patients, students and prisoners. Don't believe me? Well google George white + CIA, or just click here.

It has also been documented that MKULTRA was operating in the Veteran's Hospital in Menlo Park, San Francisco (1959). They were offering $100 dollars to patients who would take LSD and allow their reactions to be documented.

So, people that have conspiracy theories aren't always just paranoid. They often draw from facts in the past to predict or suspect what might happen in the future. Indeed, there has been many occurrences of The U.S. government "gone bad," so it's best to stay squared, and keep both eyes open.