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[[image - black & white photograph of Moslem gathering in New York]] The New York followers of Mr. Elijah Muhammad recently sponsored a "Feast" to help raise funds for a new Temple building. Held at the Congress Casino, 137th Street and 7th Avenue, the occasion was attended by several hundred Moslems and their friends, many of whom came from long distances. Shown in the picture, on the stage, is a group of young Moslems reciting some of the lessons "in the Knowledge of their Kind." They also recited Moslem prayers in Arabic 18 MOSLEM WORLD & THE U.S.A. [[end page]] [[start page]] [[underlined]]What's New in New York City[[/underlined]] The Rapidly Growing Temple of Islam New York is an ever-changing city -- a metropolis that never ceases to give birth to or make room for new ideas and institutions. Within this great city can be found the headquarters of hundreds of intercultural organizations and international publications, and edifices of practically all the known religions of the world. Indeed, nothing ever seems to be "new" in New York City. Every time we hear of a "new kind of activity" or "movement," we discover that something similar had already been in existence here. We believed, for instance, that MOSLEM WORLD & THE U.S.A. was the first journal of its kind ever printed in New York City. Soon we learned that one Mr. Mohammed Russell Webb, an American Moslem, also once published a similar journal -- over 60 years ago at that! Last month we received the news that the New York followers of Mr. Elijah Muhammad (see MOSLEM WORLD & THE U.S.A., the issues dated April-May 1956 and June-July 1956) were planning to establish a permanent Temple of Islam here within the next few months. "Wouldn't THIS be something really new in New York City?", we asked ourselves. Aware of the existence of two long-established mosques in Brooklyn and a number of small Islamic "meeting places" elsewhere in the Greater New York area (read "Moslems in New York City," MOSLEM WORLD & THE U.S.A., April-May 1956 issue), we cannot say that the projected Temple of Islam would be the first edifice of its type here. However, there is no question in our mind that it will be the FIRST to actively seek converts to Islam. As one member of the Temple put it, "What the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. has never done, we hope and pray that it will be our good fortune to accomplish. You see, the task of propagating Islam doesn't seem to interest that Center, but with us it is our Mission!" The permanent Temple of Islam, as planned at present, wouldn't be a new building. Instead, an "old one" would be purchased and converted to suit the Temple's purposes. For the present, the Temple holds its services on rented premises at 102 West 116th Street (near Lenox Avenue), Third Floor, New York City. Together with the projected Temple, another "something new" in New York City would be the further addition to the strength of the Moslem community here, at a rate "which may exceed all anticipation." Today there are only a few thousand Moslems here, and of these no more than three or four hundred belong to the Temple. Within a few months, however, "if it be the Will of Allah," hundreds of new members are expected to join the ranks of Islam. It might be well to mention here why the new Moslem movement, founded and led by Mr. Elijah Muhammad, "the messenger of Allah," is gaining such widespread popularity here. First of all, the local Temple's leadership and ministry is in the hands of a very able and competent individual, Mr. Malcolm X. (The "X" indicates that Mr. Malcolm, like his fellow-ministers and other followers of Mr. Elijah Muhammad, no longer uses his surname "inherited from our slavemasters.") Hard-working, dedicated and trusted appointee of Mr. Muhammad, Mr. Malcolm AUGUST-SEPT. 1956 19
