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Nation of Islam
Also written: the Nation, NOI
proper-nouncapitalization-ruledo-not-conflate
At a glance
Source-by-source
“Religious movement established during the Great Depression in Detroit in 1930 by Wallace D. Fard, a salesman. … The Nation of Islam's teachings are of Black Nationalism and separatism. Many of its beliefs and practices differ from the Orthodox Islam Church.”
NABJ describes the Nation of Islam as a Black Nationalist religious movement founded in 1930s Detroit and now led by Louis Farrakhan, and notes its beliefs and practices differ from orthodox Islam. The entry directs writers to spell out the full organization name in news copy rather than the community shorthand "the Nation."
“A religious and political organization formed in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad with the stated aim of "resurrecting" the spiritual, mental, social and economic condition of Black people in America and the world. Its tenets differ markedly from those of traditional Islam.”
The Diversity Style Guide treats the Nation of Islam as a proper-noun organization name and stresses that its tenets differ markedly from traditional Islam. It directs writers to call adherents "members of the Nation of Islam," notes that "Black Muslim" is now considered derogatory and should be avoided, and cross-references its Islam entry.
“Followers should be referred to as members of the Nation of Islam … Nation of Islam clergymen use the title minister, which should be capitalized on first reference before a name. On second reference, use only the person's last name.”
The Religion Stylebook is the most operational of the three: refer to adherents as "members of the Nation of Islam," and capitalize the clergy title "minister" before a name on first reference. Its definitional text matches the Diversity Style Guide's entry, and it likewise flags that the organization's tenets differ markedly from those of traditional Islam.
Audience notes
- Journalists and editors
- "Nation of Islam" is a proper noun — capitalize all three words on every reference. Spell out the full organization name in news copy rather than the community shorthand "the Nation" (NABJ). Refer to adherents as "members of the Nation of Islam," and capitalize the clergy title "minister" before a name on first reference (Religion Stylebook).
- All communicators — the conflation trap
- Never treat the Nation of Islam as interchangeable with Islam or with Muslims generally. All three sources stress its tenets differ markedly from traditional/orthodox Islam (NABJ, Diversity Style Guide, Religion Stylebook). "Black Muslim" is now considered derogatory and should be avoided, and should never be used to describe African-Americans who practice traditional Islam.
- Writers covering history or named figures
- The organization's leadership history involves easy-to-confuse names and spellings — Wallace Fard Muhammad (founder), Elijah Muhammad, his son W. Deen Mohammed (note the spelling change), and Louis Farrakhan. Verify the spelling against the named individual rather than assuming a house style applies.
Synthesis
All three sources agree on the core editorial point: “Nation of Islam” is a
proper-noun organization name, not a description of a faith. Each guide
treats it as a specific American religious and political movement founded in
1930s Detroit — by Wallace Fard Muhammad (the Diversity Style Guide and
Religion Stylebook) or “Wallace D. Fard, a salesman” (NABJ) — and each draws
the same hard line that its tenets differ markedly from those of traditional,
orthodox Islam. The practical consensus is to capitalize all three words on
every reference, refer to adherents as “members of the Nation of Islam,” and
not conflate the organization with Islam or with Muslims generally.
The shared do-not-use is “Black Muslim”: both the Diversity Style Guide and the
Religion Stylebook state the term became associated with the organization but
is now considered derogatory and should be avoided, and that it should never be
applied to African-Americans who practice traditional Islam. From there the
guides differ in operational depth. The Religion Stylebook is the most
hands-on — it adds the clergy-title rule (capitalize “minister” before a name
on first reference, last name only after). NABJ adds a usage note for
newsrooms: the organization is “commonly known in the black community as simply
The Nation,” but writers should use the full organization name in news copy.
Chronologically, the three entries converge by design rather than
independently. The Diversity Style Guide aggregates specialist stylebooks and
its definitional text follows the Religion Stylebook’s entry, so those two read
nearly word-for-word the same; the independent reading here comes from NABJ,
whose Black-press framing emphasizes Black Nationalism, the Fruit of Islam, and
the organization’s own newspaper, The Final Call. The leadership history all
three reference — Fard, Elijah Muhammad, W. Deen Mohammed, Louis Farrakhan —
carries the recurring spelling and naming pitfalls that make individual-name
verification, rather than blanket house style, the safer practice.
Audience notes
See the structured audience notes above: journalists should treat the name as a
three-word proper noun and use the full organization name in news copy; every
communicator should keep the Nation of Islam distinct from Islam and from
Muslims generally and avoid “Black Muslim”; and writers handling the
organization’s history should verify the easily-confused leader names and
spellings individually.
Related terms