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The first University of Islam (very similar to a parochial school) was founded in 1931 in Detroit. The schools served as a "long-range recruiting device of the movement." The schools emphasized an Afrocentric curriculum which most parents found as a "welcome change from the white oriented teaching in nearly all public schools, which [have] so long cast Black children adrift in a sea of nonidentity and non-belonging." The school year is 50 weeks long (future leaders of the Black community have no time for three months of frivolity). The curriculum consists of science, reading, mathematics, history, arts, and language (Arabic). The schools were highly criticized because they involved removing young children from public school. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad himself was arrested for "contributing to the delinquency of a minor child and voodooism," because of his affiliation with the schools.These schools follow Malcolm's and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's emphasis on knowledge of Black history as an instrumental tool in empowerment and self-determination.
The Black Muslims in America (1961) Lincoln, Eric C. Africa World Press Trenton, NJ
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