**Presents oral histories and interviews of women who belong to Nation
of Islam
**
With vocal public figures such as Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, and Louis
Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam often appears to be a male-centric
religious movement, and over 60 years of scholarship have perpetuated
that notion. Yet, women have been pivotal in the NOI's development,
playing a major role in creating the public image that made it appealing
and captivating.
Women of the Nation draws on oral histories and interviews with
approximately 100 women across several cities to provide an overview of
women's historical contributions and their varied experiences of the
NOI, including both its continuing community under Farrakhan and its
offshoot into Sunni Islam under Imam W.D. Mohammed. The authors examine
how women have interpreted and navigated the NOI's gender ideologies and
practices, illuminating the experiences of African-American, Latina, and
Native American women within the NOI and their changing roles within
this patriarchal movement. The book argues that the Nation of Islam
experience for women has been characterized by an expression of Islam
sensitive to American cultural messages about race and gender, but also
by gender and race ideals in the Islamic tradition. It offers the first
exhaustive study of women's experiences in both the NOI and the W.D.
Mohammed community.
