The Original Black Capitalists

In recent years, the militant Black Muslim movement has been saddled with a falsely fierce image. Fear of the sect was magnified four years ago when Malcolm X, a New York adherent turned apostate, was murdered. Many viewed the killing as Muslim vengeance. The sect's aura of violence was enhanced by the fiery rhetoric of the organization's leader, Elijah Muhammad, who often castigated Caucasians as "white devils."

Despite this fearsome facade, however, the Muslims have always been the bourgeoisie of the black militant movement. Today, the sect's 39 years of dogged adherence to the notion of "build black, buy black" is paying dividends.

The Muslims have become the nation's leading exponents of "black capitalism" -- a Nixonian term that they despise.

Indeed, Muhammad, now 71, seems to have mellowed. Instead of inflaming Muslim passions, Muhammad (born Elijah Poole) is busily investing Muslim money. His energies are totally concentrated on building a Muslim-owned financial empire that some day, he predicts, will lead to a separate, self-sufficient "Black Islam nation" within the continental United States.

South Side Holdings. While investment has always been a basic tenet of the movement, Muhammad says: "We didn't have the money to go into business until now." Last year the Muslims sank an estimated $6,000,000 in businesses and real estate, two-thirds of it in Chicago, where the sect is based. Says Muhammad: "Our goal this year is ten times that amount." Few black businessmen believe that they will achieve this figure, but even if they double their investment next year, it will be a remarkable performance.

In Chicago's South Side ghetto, the organization owns a warehouse, apartment houses, two bakeries, a clothing store, two restaurants and two supermarkets where produce is sold bearing the sect's "Your" label. Much of the produce comes from a 1,000-acre Muslim-owned farm in Cassopolis, Mich., which has dairy cows and 10,000 laying hens. Another 1,400-acre Muslim farm is located in Albany, Ga. Says Muhammad-"What we have in mind is to purchase, wherever we can, better farm lands for our people, where they can grow their own food. We are scouting the Southwest for land."

Lovely Service. In Cleveland, the sect owns a string of stores with interesting names, among them "The Shabazz Kosher Market," "The Kaaba Haberdashery" and "Omar's Ice Cream Parlor." In Washington, D.C., where the movement has been active for 30 years, the Muslims own a bakery, a barber shop, a restaurant, a cleaning establishment and a printing office.

In the past, most funds have come from the members themselves, who contribute up to 10% of their annual income. Now the Muslims are looking for other sources of income and are trying to negotiate a $20 million loan from various banks. Some of this money will be used for additional business investment, and one-third of it will be spent to "revitalize" the 47 schools the sect operates across the country, notably the 37-year-old University of Islam in Washington.

In running their enterprises, the Muslims pay as much attention to efficiency as to ideology. While they always try to place a member in a Muslim-owned business, they will not hesitate to hire non-Muslims for key positions in which technical skills are needed.

As a result, the businesses run smoothly. The two restaurants in Chicago, for example, offer service that is better than average for the area, and their standard of cleanliness is considerably higher than that of most. Even this does not satisfy the fastidious Muslims. "Forgive us for any past disservice in these two establishments," said a recent ad in the Muslim newspaper Muhammad Speaks. "Soon we will have the proper laborers who will give you proper and lovely service."

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