PHILADELPHIA—“Youth! There is nothing like youth,” Student Regional FOI Captain Anthony Muhammad declared as he discussed the recent wildly successful Saviours’ Tour with The Final Call newspaper. The effort brought scores of FOI (Fruit of Islam, the men of the Nation of Islam) to the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, which comprise the Delaware Valley Region of the Nation of Islam. The weekly objective of the tour was to disseminate The Final Call newspaper.
“The idea for the tour came from the young brothers that came into the ranks from across the region. They said, ‘why don’t we join together as one great squad and hit a city every week and call it the Saviours’ Tour where we distribute The Final Call and interact with the people’ and the idea was birthed on July 3,” the student captain said.
Thousands of papers were distributed in each city, and many community members were positively impacted, he explained. “We went to every city in the region. We started in Pittsburgh,” Student Captain Anthony Muhammad continued. “The week after that was Harrisburg. Then we had a break because of the National Training Seminar on July 16. Then we went back at it on the 24th. In all, we did Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Wilmington. Chester, Philadelphia, Camden, Willingboro, New Jersey in successive weeks ending in Atlantic City on September 4.”
Every weekend, the weather forecast called for rain, starting in Pittsburgh but Student Captain Anthony Muhammad said he refused to call the activity off. “I said, we’re going no matter if it rains or not,” he stated.
›“So, I prayed to Master Fard Muhammad every Saturday morning, and I asked Him to hold off the rain. He answered. And then after we leave, it would rain.”
On average, a squad of 40 to 55 brothers participated in each city and the response they received was positive.
“In Harrisburg, one sister came out of her home and broke down and started crying, saying she thanked God for seeing us in the community. She just cried and cried, and she wanted to take a picture with us. In Delaware, a young lady cried as well. She came up to us, and she was just crying. She was saying that our presence is so needed in the community. Our people showed us love and were very receptive,” Student Captain Anthony Muhammad shared.
“One of the things that I wanted to mention which is key. We distributed a palm card with a QR code specific to each city that would allow the community necessary information to contact each mosque or study group. With the QR code, when somebody scans it, a form comes up. They can then put their name, email address, and phone number, and their information goes to the student minister in that city.”
The idea for the tour developed, via weekly regional Zoom calls held by Student Captain Anthony Muhammad and strategically included the young FOI. “I would have them give different reports, and they went all out with their presentations. Soon a comradery developed. Out of this, the idea for the Saviours’ Tour evolved,” he explained.
One of the organizers and a blazing light among the young FOI, Jabril Muhammad, said on a recent follow-up Zoom call, “I would like to thank our student regional captain for allowing the brothers 35 and under to form the ‘Kabir Squad’ (the great) to work out in this capacity, to assist and help, to bring the tour to our region.”
“Something much needed came out of the tour, allowing us to meet amongst ourselves and develop important relationships across the region,” he added.
“When we went out into the fields of Wilmington, Delaware, Allah displayed the influence of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. While we were going to and fro in the community, somebody had captured a scene where a sister had tears and said to the FOI, ‘Where have you been? You are the answer to our prayers,’” Student Minister Robert Muhammad of Mosque No. 35 stated during the Zoom.
As for the future, Student Captain Anthony Muhammad told The Final Call, the plan is to continue meeting and strategizing via Zoom. “The plan now is for each city to go door to door. The brothers going out door to door, getting customers, getting their hundred customer list. That’s the plan of action.”—Michael Z. Muhammad, Contributing Writer
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