The FBI designated orthodoxy by political loyalty rather than theology

Evidence

The 1955 report outlined the central tenets of what the FBI considered to be “orthodox” Islam (which it approved of), which were then contrasted with the NOI’s practice, which was deemed “unorthodox.” There was a “good” Islam and a “bad” or inauthentic Islam for the FBI. Further, the domestic good Muslims, as Pasquinelli writes, were “imams of Middle Eastern (rather than African) descent who were opposed to (Arab-, African-, and Black-) nationalism” who were then “treated as representatives of an authentic, peaceful Islam.” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 235

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The FBI treated politically active black religions as non-religion — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 394; The FBI treated black Islam as a political sign regardless of actual loyalty; The FBI constructed a good-bad Islam binary to police racial politics (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The FBI treated politically active black religions as non-religion #expands (0.85) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 394
• The FBI treated black Islam as a political sign regardless of actual loyalty #exemplifies (0.82)
• Surveillance agencies define legitimate religion as politically quiescent #corroborates (0.80) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 394
• The FBI constructed a good-bad Islam binary to police racial politics #expands (0.78)
• The FBI reframed Black religious groups as cults to evade religious protections #expands (0.75)
• The FBI engineered inter-community hatred among American Muslims #qualifies (0.72) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 399