Moorish Circle 7: The Rise of the Islamic Faith Among Blacks in America and it's masonic origins

by Keith Moore

This book is based on the theory that the black Muslim movement was created from the knowledge of the Masonic order. In the early decades of the 20th century, noble drew ali established a political and religious organization known today as the Moorish Science Temple of America. It was this organization that exposed black to something other than the normal Christian influences of that day. Ali a high degree freemason, incorporated various Masonic teachings from an auxiliary group. Known as the AEAONMS ancient Egyptian Arabic order of noble of the mystic shrine A pseudo Islamic/Arabic oriental organization that served as a wake up call to a lost knowledge. A knowledge that was taken away from Africans during the slave trades. The theory behind this book is that the majority of the slaves that were taken from the west coast of Africa were practicing Muslims, and these Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity under the strong oppression of slavery. At one time Afro-Americans were the biggest minority in the American society. About 90% of the today's population of black's are descendants of slaves that were brought to America for working on plantations since the 16th century. At the beginning of the 19th century most of the so-called Negroes lived in the plantation areas of the Southern States. After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery it wasn't until the early 1920's and 30's that black's were beginning to experiment with other faiths. Of all the faiths Islam became the fastest growing religion and the most popular. This book by far is in no way a research into black history, instead it covers a more deeper aspect of history in which I call the history behind the history. It explores the true Asiatic origins of the ancient religions of Hinduism, Buddhism well as the Islamic faith. Finally It explores the Masonic symbolisms of ali's Moorish science dogma digging deeper into the esoteric side of his Aquarian/Masonic teaching explaining their origins and disco

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2005

Reviews

[Tyler Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited about this book. Being a member of the MOC, an occasional scholar of black nationalism, and recently having been raised as a Master Mason, this was exactly the book I wanted to read.

Alas.

Rather immediately upon cracking this book, I became aware of a certain level of incoherence. Diction, punctuation, phrasing, and grammar did not rate highly in this author's list of important aspects of writing. (One might notice that even the title is irregularly capitalized and mis-punctuated/misspelled.) I can overlook those things, however, if the final product communicates its ideas with texture and verve.

Alas.

A vast majority of the book is cobbled together from sources of dubious veracity, many of which fall into the category of that lay-Afrocentrism which will be familiar to anyone with a background reading in this general topic area. Everybody is African. Everything is African. All accomplishments in the ancient world are by Africans. Native Americans are African. Dravidians? African. Religion? African. Your granny's potato soup? African. Never mind that "African" is a largely useless and undefinable term. Never mind that attributing the entire world's accomplishments to one "group" is not only problematic but incredibly dismissive. Never mind that those "Egyptian" pyramids in Guatemala bear absolutely no relation, in form, function, or physics, to their supposed North African imago. Never mind that an analog to the Vedas is simply not extant in hieroglyphic texts. Never mind that an image sculpted to represent Gautama a thousand years after he died is not exactly proof of his Egyptian ancestry. Never mind any reasonable or remotely traceable facts. Ho Hum.

I should mention, while I'm tossing this gentleman's sources out the window, that I myself am quoted (as an "unknown source," words taken from an article I wrote years ago for an online journal which is since gone, and my name has fallen off of the only surviving online copy) at the top of page xiv of the Preface. Imagine my disorientation.

Additionally, I was disappointed, even so, that the title doesn't really bear that much resemblance to the material. There is little meat on the "Rise of the Islamic Faith Among Blacks in America" bone, and even less on the ribs of "it's [sic:] masonic origins." A few offhanded paragraphs amounting to a notation of images on MSTA charters being probably derived from the Shrine is pretty much all we get.

Alas.

I think that Mr. Moore's intentions are extremely well-placed and positive, and I'm guessing that a good deal of work went into this book. But the utter and complete lack of editing; the scatter-shot paragraphs that seem to leap from here to there, and then make such statements as "I have just proved thus-and-so;" and the extremely problematic issue of sources (and lacking footnotes in any case) all add up to a train wreck.

I give it two rueful stars for effort.