As a final note, the NOI and other parallel
groups have often been labeled collectively “Black
Muslims.” These include such related communi-
ties as the Moorish Science Temple (begun before
the NOI in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey, by Noble
Drew Ali, born Timothy Drew), the Five Percent
Nation of Gods and Earths, or Five Percenters (an
offshoot of the NOI started in 1964 by ex-NOI
member Clarence “Pudding” 13X, born Clarence
Jowars Smith, killed in 1969), and the Ansaaru
Allah Community (an apocalyptic and theologi-
cally eclectic community founded by Isa Muham-
mad, aka Malachi Z. York, born Dwight York ca.
1935). The term Black Muslim was coined by an
early scholar on the NOI, C. Eric Lincoln in 1961
and came to be commonly associated with various
sectarian African-American Muslim communities,
but particularly the Nation of Islam. This usage
was intended to distinguish the Nation of Islam
from the immigrant, expatriate, and white convert
population of the American Sunni majority who
have tended to claim “Moslem” or “Muslim” for
themselves.
See also aFrican americans, islam among;
sUnnism.
Kathleen M. O’ConnorFurther reading: Claude Andrew Clegg, III, An Original
Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad (New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998); Robert Dannin, “Islands
in a Sea of Ignorance.” In Black Pilgrimage to Islam
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1995); E. U.
Essien-Udom, Black Nationalism: A Search for Identity
in America (New York: Dell Publishing, 1962); Matthias
Gardell, In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farra-
khan and the Nation of Islam (Durham, N.C.: Duke Uni-
versity Press, 1996); C. Eric Lincoln, The Black Muslims
In America (Boston: Beacon Press, 1961); Malcolm X
and Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965.
Reprint, New York: Ballantine Books, 1992); Aminah
Beverly McCloud, African American Islam (New York:
Routledge, 1995); Kathleen M. Moore, Al-Mughtaribun:
American Law and the Transformation of Muslim Life in
the United States (Albany: State University of New York
Press, 1995); Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Black-
man in America (1965. Reprint, Newport News, Va.:
United Brothers Communications Systems, 1992); Son-
sryea Tate, Little X: Growing Up in the Nation of Islam
(Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2005); Rich-
ard Brent Turner, Islam in the African-American Experi-
ence (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997).Navruz (Persian: new day; Nawruz,
Nowruz, Nevruz)
Navruz is the ancient Persian New Year’s holiday,
traditionally celebrated in iran and neighboring
countries from Turkey to Uzbekistan at the time
of the spring equinox (around March 21). Origi-
nally, it was an ancient Zoroastrian festival that
was adopted by the Persian kings before Islam’s
appearance in the seventh century c.e. It was
celebrated widely in Middle Eastern cultures as a
public holiday. It is now celebrated over a period
of 12 to 14 days in late March by people who have
grown up in Persianate cultures and households,
regardless of religious affiliation. This includes the
majority of Sunni and Shii Muslims, Christians,
and Jews living in Iran, or in communities influ-
enced by the Persian cultural heritage.
Navruz is a time for family visits and exchang-
ing gifts. The home has become one of the main
centers for celebrating it. After people do a
thorough housecleaning, they set up the haft-sin
(seven food items beginning with the letter “s”)
with a mirror and candles on a table in a common
area where visitors can see it. An older custom is
to place these items on a carpet or cloth that has
been spread on the ground. Seven is considered a
lucky number and the food items placed on the
table are said to be auspicious for the coming year,
representing good health, happiness, prosperity,
fertility, and long life. There is some variation
among the symbolic items displayed, but they
often include sabzi (green sprouts), sib (apples),
samanu (a sweet, creamy pudding), sir (fresh gar-
lic), sumaq (a sour berry used in Persian cuisine),
sirkeh (vinegar), and sinjid (oleaster, or jubjubeK (^524) Navruz