Rebuttal
First, we rise giving all Praises to Allah, honoring the last Prophet in these days, Prophet Drew Ali who is the only American born Prophet here in this United States of North America. We extend honors to all whom such honors are due.
We are writing in response to the article written about our religious organization The Moorish Science Temple of America and founder Prophet Ali that was short sighted, misleading, and absent of facts. The only thing written that was actuate was the year 2013 marked the centennial year of the actual founding of Islamism in America with the establishment of The Moorish Science Temple of America.
I am Shaykh Ra Saadi El the present national leader of the Moorish Science Temple of America-1928 presently headquartered in Atlanta Georgia. I am compel not only to step forward in giving an accurate portrayal of my religious organization historical accounts, however I will give a far better truthful insight about the faith of Islam in brief, we thank you for allowing us to correct and redirect you and your readers to a better understanding. What we found to be most distasteful in your inaccurate dissertation is that you as an historian did not seek to present researched materials underlining factorial accounts from accredited sources.
Your article was merely a personal spear campaign to discredit a century old organization that emphasizes on uplifting fallen humanity teaching people to be themselves. Historians are generally sincere in their attempts to share knowledge of what they discovered, as a Historian and religious scholar, I am duty bound to present acute detailed information based on proof, evidence and clear facts; void of bias views and slanderous remarks to simply amused and entertain.
To say that there is probably no other person that has had such a powerful living record of his life deeds to continue his works in the face of great odds. Ultimately by his own works and a life dedicate to uplifting his people the world would come to know he was right from beginning to his untimely death. This man is none other than a beloved Prophet Drew to give accurate portrayal of Prophet Drew Ali we will start at his birth; born on January 8th
In the year of 1886, a day marked in history giving accounts of an earthquake that shook the whole of the State of North Carolina. Prophet Drew Ali birth took place during the appointed time that had been recognized by the founding fathers of the American Government back in 1773-1787. The council of Seven Parliament (see, Rosey Cross) whereas the question arose what shall take place when the freedom of those held illegally under the term of slavery, how shall they act. This was during the time of General George Washington, who know there would be a person deem to be the deliverer for the misnomer black people; a Prophet would raise from the ranks of those once forced under the evil of North American Slavery.
This was speculated to be around 1848-188? it was announce as being the possible date, thus a grand design was set into stone to receive the future promised Prophet in North America. Until then it would remain as the Bible declared those people whom the builder of this new world utterly rejected and despised.
Now according to the Noble Quran of Mecca Surah 10: 47-49 declared that a Prophet shall be raised from and sent to all Nations as the Americas was not to be except. Timothy Drew as his name was originally would eventfully link himself up with those whom are known as "travelers" the African Masonic Lodge 459, he would quickly adept in knowledge about the hidden and secrets that were kept in the world about him and to which he was in. By the age of 27, he would had traveled overseas as a merchant seamen and then becoming a Pullman Porter on the trail. This would later allow him to visit other cities and see firsthand the oppression placed upon his people in a country divided by race.
By the age of 29, he along with two other men would eventfully establish the Canaanite Temple of Islam, it was known as a Mosque than that of a Temple during that time. It was during this time that other world events were taking places causing one of the other two men to leave in traveling back to Morocco. It was asked of Timothy Drew as he was then entitled Professor Drew the Egyptian Adept, what was he going to do and he responded; "I shall await on Allah for guidance what to do next". Afterward a rebellion begun among the remaining members of The Canaanite Temple of Islam, Timothy Drew would be force to abandon it. He would in later years declared that he had to do that in order to save a few that really believed in him and his message.
By the year of 1916 Timothy Drew had begun to establish The Moorish Divine National Movement, by the year of 1919 he was lead into the Marcus Mosiah Garvey Movement, there he was often referred to as being a African Prince. One of my teachers who back in the 1970's was deemed the oldest member of The Moorish Science Temple of America once a former follower of the Garvey movement shared with me accounts of Prophet Drew Ali being invited by Marcus Garvey to speak at one of is rally's. It would be in the year of 1925, Chicago Illinois that Timothy Dew would declare his Prophet-hood publicly thus becoming and recognized as Prophet Drew Ali. He would declared that all of his people (Moorish Americans) should become inspired by the Divine and lofty wisdom of the Noble Koran adapting it into their daily lives.
A people of great despair would discover the joy offered by the instructions in the basic beliefs and observances that Islamism had to offer them. A people who knew nothing but despair and oppression seeking to be made whole. There had always be a long-standing belief that sadly had been referred to as the religion of Mohammed; Prophet Drew Ali taught that Mohammed only revised the true doctrine of Jesus; he taught that Allah and man are one. This was the sacred and cardinal doctrine of the truth faith of Mohammed Ibn Abdullah El who was Divinely ordained by Allah some 1500 odd years ago over in Arabia.
Like Prophet Mohammed, Prophet Drew Ali he brought a revised religious creed, older than the Torah, Bible and the Noble Quran of Mecca. All religious text agreed that Allah (God) spoke and taught man in his early stages of growth and development. Islam only means submission and that peace would reign all the days of man's life. Prophet Drew Ali being a American born Prophet did what all other Divinely ordained Prophets did before him he revised that older religious creed simply Americanized it to suite the people he was uplifting. He declared that he spent many hours preparing the latest edition of the Circle Seven Holy Koran which is much liken to the bible, a collection of ancient text and even lost scripture while known in some circles remained hidden from the general public view.
Prophet Drew Ali never allowed any propaganda or plagiarism to enter his works, he declared in the text of the Circle Seven Holy Koran that he got the ancient secret teachings from the Moslems of Egypt, India and Palestine. The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ, by Levi H. Dowling, [1920] his accounts about the life of Jesus the Christ you would have to be a great believer in mythical tall tales. It was Levi H. Dowling who plagiarized accrediting his book Aquarian Gospel which he credit some mystical winged back creature with white blue eye, blond hair and pale skin; attributing to European Angel.
The other religious text comes out of India by way of a visiting Earl of England who issued it out under the entitlement of Infinite Wisdom. You would be hard-pressed to find anything doctrine of Prophet Drew Ali where he give claims in writing the Circle Seven Holy Koran of The Moorish Science Temple of America. You clearly fail as a historian absent of the fact that the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America actually comes in three sections. The first sections is about the life of Jesus 18 missing years, the second section is degrees of teaching about one own spiritual, soulful and mortal nature, and then the last section deals directly with human history. Giving a brief history of man on earth of how the, Nile River was not only dug but also why it came into existence and the actual bloodline of Jesus the Christ etc.
If you made a slight attempt to do real scholarly research perhaps you would have discovered Prophet Drew Ali stating the sources in which he used to create the pamphlet of The Circle Seven Holy Koran of The Moorish Science Temple of America on page three.
It is very insulting for so-called claimed historian to write about a topic merely stating his own personal bias views void of any actual research seeking out Moorish American Moslems to interview citing accurate commentary. Was your attempt to author a spear campaign with your article in hopes to discredit our religious organization that never sought to defame you? You consciously marginalized a religious organization that has brought so much joy and peace to hundreds of thousands of men and women in America who was placed under a forced assimilation of their oppressor to adopt a culture, religion, names and identity absent of their ancestry.
To clear up your obvious confusion about my organization the term Noble is not an entitlement in the Moorish Science Temple of America! You stated that Prophet Ali, "concocted the 64-page scripture of his religion, the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America (Chicago, 1927), which despite its name has almost nothing to do with the normative Islamic Koran but is largely plagiarized from two texts, one occult Christian and the other Tibetan. Even more strangely, his Koran focuses not on the figure of Muhammad, but on Jesus." (D. Pipies)
Now as every real believer in Islam has heard the story too, which Jesus was said to had stated that he must go and yet the "Comforter" would come but then he would ultimately be return. If this is true in the Bible declaration and acceptable true in Al-Islam then the natural conclusion is that Jesus shall return but not using a 2000 odd year old body that has clearly turned to dust by now.
I closing we shall address the folly in brief that was stated as follows; "avoiding association with Africa", this is another clear sign of conjecture and mere assumption void of scholarly research. It states within the central document of the Moorish Science Temple of American, The Divine Constitution and By-law clearly declares that we are of African blood and descendant Nature.
Excuse us for the lengthy rebuttal as we very passionate about our religious organization and our Divine Prophet Drew Ali. We were greatly angered at what you presented to the world was nothing but a non-research article of biased babble. In a world, that seems to be void of humanity and good will to men you sought to sneer a bird of peace placed it upon your grill of evil influence to be consumed as a personal meal perpetuated hate. Our only question to you is what had inspired you to write such an article about a religious organization that embraces the principles of love, truth, peace, freedom and justice.
We are always open to debate on the subject of Islam in American and the history of The Moorish Science Temple of America. Our contact information can be found at the bottom of this email.
We extend gratitude in allowing our rebuttal to be posted.
The Moorish Science Temple of America-1928
Shaykh Ra Saadi El - Moorish Mahdi
Daniel Pipes responds:
Shaykh Ra Saadi El has much to say about my motives, competence, and the like, but when it comes to facts, he points out one agreement with me (on the date 1913 as the origin of the Moorish Science Temple of America) and three disagreements. Let's look at those latter:
He writes that Noble Drew Ali did not plagiarize from Levi H. Dowling, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ but rather the other way around.
The title page of a 1911 edition of Levi H. Dowling, "The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ."
I reply: Sorry, but Dowling published the Aquarian Gospel not in 1920 but in 1908, much before Noble Drew Ali's career as a prophet, so it's perfectly clear who took from whom.
- He writes that Noble Drew Ali did not plagiarize from the (pseudo-) Tibetan book Infinite Wisdom.
I reply: But he did and for details on why and what was copied, see Edward E. Curtis IV, "Debating the Origins of the Moorish Science Temple: Toward a New Cultural History," in Edward E. Curtis IV and Danielle Brune Singer, The New Black Gods: Arthur Huff Fauset and the Study of African American Religions (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009), pp. 76-77.
- He writes that the MSTA does not avoid association with Africa, rather its Divine Constitution and By-law clearly declares that members to be of African blood.
I reply: With the passage of decades, the 1920s and 1930s hope of passing blacks off as "Moors," "Moorish-Americans," or "Asiatics," rather than Africans, has faded to the point of near disappearance in the MSTA. (The same shift, incidentally, has taken place in the Nation of Islam, and for similar reasons.) This should not obscure, however, those early efforts to distance members from Africa.
