CHICAGO (FinalCall.com)—During an Aug. 31 Muslim American Society (MAS) Annual Islamic Awards Banquet, keynote speaker Dr. Sulayman Nyang, professor of African and Islamic Studies at Howard University, explained the value of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in establishing Islam in the Western Hemisphere and the importance of Imam W. D. Mohammed’s efforts to continue the spread of the religion.

Prof. Nyang said that at the time of Elijah Muhammad’s preaching, there was a great migration of Blacks from the South and an immigration of Muslims from the Middle East and Africa. As a result, the Hon. Elijah Muhammad came in contact with another legendary man, Fard Muhammad, Prof. Nyang said.

"Allah chose [Elijah Muhammad] to be a man of destiny. Original Nation of Islam theology was a challenge to the theology of racism in America. The Nation of Islam emerged in urban America. This is where the Nation of Islam parallels the emergence of historical Islam," Prof. Nyang said.

The professor said the historical importance of a man is gauged by the people he touches and the seeds he plants, noting men touched by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad such as Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.

Allah in His wisdom decided He’d choose a man from Georgia to plant the seed of Islam, he said. As a result, he added, thousands of Muslims today "came out of the humble efforts of the late Elijah Muhammad. We have to think historically É (then) we can appreciate the contributions of the late man from Georgia," he said.

Closing, he remarked that Elijah Muhammad’s teachings were a boost to the self-esteem of a suffering Black man and woman. Protecting the honor of the woman is also one of the legacies of the Nation of Islam, he said.

"This movement the late Elijah Muhammad brought to these United States is destined for greater things, but the Islam in America cannot be the Islam of Saudi Arabia," Prof. Nyang concluded.

During the banquet, Elijah Muhammad II, son of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and the assistant supreme captain under his father, and then-Supreme Captain Raymond Sharrieff were honored with Deen of Merit Awards.

Saluting one another, the two pioneers in the effort of Islam in America vowed to continue the work of resurrecting suffering humanity introduced to them by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.