The FBI surveilled the Moorish Science Temple for anti-imperialist and anti-racist activism

Evidence

Starting in 1931, the FBI began a program of surveillance and intimidation of the members of the Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA). For black Americans, Islam represented a mode of resistance in the postreconstruction era just as Protestantism was a means of challenging slavery in the antebellum period. At its height, the MSTA had tens of thousands of registered members. Founded in 1926, it drew inspiration from a number of quarters, including the Ahmadiyya mission, which emerged in South Asia and sought to promote racial harmony. The MSTA not only advanced criticisms of white supremacy but also of Western imperialism in Muslim majority countries. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 243

Categorization

• XREF: Directly parallels ch7’s claim that the FBI conflated Black Muslim anti-racism with sedition starting 1955 (NOI report); shows the FBI program actually began in 1931 with the MSTA. — connects to: The FBI surveilled the Moorish Science Temple as black Islamic resistance grew; The FBI conflated Black Muslim anti-racism with sedition and imperialism critique — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 234; The FBI surveilled and prosecuted black Muslims for challenging white supremacy (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• The FBI surveilled the Moorish Science Temple as black Islamic resistance grew #corroborates (0.95)
• The FBI conflated Black Muslim anti-racism with sedition and imperialism critique #expands (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 234
• The FBI surveilled and prosecuted black Muslims for challenging white supremacy #corroborates (0.82)
• The FBI surveilled black Muslim religious life as a national security risk #corroborates (0.80) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 393
• The FBI surveilled black Islam partly out of fear of nonwhite global solidarity #expands (0.80)
• FBI discipline of black religion proceeded through profiling and cataloging #expands (0.78)
• The FBI framed Islam as dangerous to justify anti-black state suppression #expands (0.75) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 398