HARLEM—Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad recently took to the rostrum of Mosque No. 7, the East Coast Regional Headquarters of the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.) on Nov. 19, and declared to the audience that Islam as taught by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, symbolizes the sun of the new Islam rising in the West.
“We are now in a time of the new Islam, its sun has risen in the West and it’s shining its guiding light on the East, no longer are we to follow the East,” said Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad, who is a member of the Shura Executive Council of the Nation of Islam and serves on the N.O.I. Research Team. He spoke at the mosque Sunday, Nov. 19 after a full weekend of speaking engagements and presentations in New York.
Student Minister Wesley, who has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, explained the decline of the “old” world of Islam and spoke on the role U.S. government intelligence agencies have played in the distortion and weaponization of Islam for their geopolitical wars and operations. As a result of their guidance,
What popularly constitutes “modern” and “extremist” Islam today, has been stripped of religious theology, and clothed in various NATO and covert CIA operations, he explained. This interference is an attempt to kill the Messenger of Allah (God) and reverse his course in establishing a righteous world, the Chicago-based student minister explained.
›However, despite these organized attempts, Master Fard Muhammad, Allah (God) in Person, traveled 9,000 miles from the East to North America with a new Islam, he continued. Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad spoke of this Coming of Allah (God) to the West as the awakening and upliftment of the Black man and woman in America. Thus, making them the choice of Allah (God) to build His new heaven on earth with a new Islam.
Student Minister Wesley acknowledged the N.O.I. as proof of Allah (God)’s Coming and the establishment of His new heavenly Islam. “You know what distinguishes the Nation of Islam, it is that everyone else does religion to worship God; we do religion to be god,” he said.
Registered nurse and Moorish Science Temple of America member Norma Solomon-El, 54, was enlightened by what was presented. “I began to heat up with the fire of holy zeal when I heard Brother Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad because finally, everything was cleared up for me. He was clear, he was direct, and he brought everything home … all the dots were connected today. … I’m so glad I came out,” Ms. Solomon-El said.
And she was not alone in that spirit. Student Minister Wesley’s empowering and insightful address generated applause and appreciation from the men and women in attendance—leaving many astonished by his ability to make complex points plain.
“He tied the scientific perspective, cultural perspective, and then inherent perspective of who Black people are together well within his lecture today,” Marcus Gibson, a 30-year-old lawyer, said. “That allows me to strive to continue to seek more guidance and understanding through my orientation class. It makes me want to pursue a deeper knowledge of who I am as a person and who I’m striving to be,” he added.
Sunday’s keynote address came as a close to a three-day series of events, including a visit to Nicholas Brooklyn in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 18, to address the topic of the assault on Black manhood and youth.
“I’m not presuming to inform you, family, that there’s an assault on Black manhood. You know that. I’m not presuming to educate you on the fact that Black youth are under assault. You all know that, you all live that,” he said. “Knowing that there is an assault and understanding that assault is very different. And in particular, what I hope to share tonight, shines some light on the not-so-obvious methods and mechanisms of the assault on Black manhood and Black youth,” Student Minister Dr. Wesley added.
He defined these “not so obvious methods and mechanisms” as “silent weapons for quiet wars.” Silent weapons to which Black people unknowingly fall victim to every day, including poisonous air, food, drugs (such as EA 2233 in its relation to marijuana (THC)), and more. In revealing these silent weapons, Student Minister Dr. Wesley set forth a mission to administer the prescription to the assault—the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad of “How To Eat To Live.”
The eventful weekend also featured a stop at Mosque No. 7C in Brooklyn on Friday, Nov. 17 to deliver a message titled, “Time Dictates Agenda.”
However, this weekend did not mark the start of Student Minister Dr. Wesley’s legacy in the Big Apple. He has a long history in the city, tracing back to the early 2000s, when he became known for intellectual debates and discourse. Only, now, his presence in New York brings a new meaning.
“I’m so happy to be back. Of course, it’s a new day, I help in a new way. So, I’m here in New York having more guidance from the Honorable Brother Minister Farrakhan and that makes all the difference in the world. Being back here is more fulfilling. My work here in New York with his expressed guidance is a much more satisfying work. Even though I appreciate the work that was done then, coming here with the direct guidance from the Honorable Brother Minister Farrakhan makes it so much more fulfilling,” Student Minister Wesley told the Final Call.
Before leaving, he showed gratitude for and respect to New York’s believers for their unwavering strength. “New York has been tested with a very heavy situation and set of circumstances,” he said, referring to the loss of Student Eastern Regional Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From where we sit in Chicago, it looks like you are handling it and coming out of it in a very commendable way. So, we’re proud of you, we are thankful, New York, for your continued labor, for your unbroken spirit in the face of very difficult circumstances. May Allah be pleased with our dear brother, Student Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad. And may Allah be pleased with all those who we lost from New York. New York being an epicenter of that COVID crisis. So, New York has suffered but New York is shining,” he added.
His gratitude and respect did not go unreturned. “[Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad’s] excellence in scholarship and defense of the Teachings is appreciated,” said Student Minister Arthur Muhammad of Mosque No. 7. “He is a favorite in New York city’s believing community and in the community, at large. But beyond that, New York’s connection as the ‘heart of the nation,’ to Chicago, which is the head of the nation, was further solidified. It was good to show that.”
—Yaminah Muhammad
