United Nation of Islam
Encyclopedia
The United Nation of Islam (UNOI) is a group based in Kansas City, Kansas
. It was founded circa 1978 by Royall Jenkins, who continues to be the leader of the group and styles himself Royall, Allah in Person.
Royall Jenkins was born in 1942 in South Carolina and grew up in eastern Maryland, later moving to New York and then Chicago, while working as a long-distance truck driver delivering publications of the Nation of Islam
. He remained a member until after the death of Elijah Muhammad
but split from the organization in 1978 . According to Jenkins, he spent time on a spaceship
with angels, where he learned that he was the Supreme Being
and how to govern the world. Public records show Jenkins working as a truck driver
and living mostly with friends as he tried to recruit followers, including his daughter Maureen, who joined him in 1985 in a house in Waldorf, Maryland
, that was rented for them by Joseph Kelly, one of Jenkins' first converts. The UNOI eventually grew, and was incorporated
as a nonprofit organization
in New Jersey
in 1993.
Between 1996 and 2002, the group relocated to its current Kansas City
location. The UNOI is very controversial and currently has a membership of a few hundred people.
with considerable modifications by Jenkins. While believing that W.D. Fard
( Allah
came in his person), Jenkins claims that himself is Allah in his own person who is more powerful and who is given the task of coercing the submission of all things and perfecting everything used to magnify Him, after which men [specifically males] will all be God or will be gods.
Jenkins stresses the relations between different races and sex
es, referring extensively to Black Man, Black Woman, and White Man. Black men are said to be the real and original men, whereas white people are claimed to have been created by a scientist named Yakub 8,000 years ago, the same belief held, at least in a metaphorical sense, by followers of the Nation of Islam
prior to the death of Elijah Muhammad
. Jenkins also claims that Black men created Black women as a natural pleasure, that women are inferior, and that following female guidance leads to Hell. He believes that Black women are in league with white men, whom he considers enemies, and condemns women seeking child support, custody, and alimony though courts.
Jenkins also claims that the current Nation of Islam
has been led astray by its leader Louis Farrakhan
, whom he asserts is the most "formidable enemy to Allah," and that Farrakhan uses tricks and deceptive tactics to "silence anyone else's voice" and "prepare the masses to fight for him," through appearing "to be against the Whiteman [sic] and his government."
UNOI hosts several call-in TV and radio programs across the United States. Jenkins appears regularly on these programs, as well as touring various US cities. The UNOI also offers classes and has a Web site that provides extensive writings by Jenkins and recordings of his TV appearances.
After moving to Kansas City in 1996 (although its headquarters was not moved there until 2001), the UNOI received commendations for apparently aiding in the renewal
of an area along Quindaro Boulevard that had a reputation for high crime rates and as a slum
. The group purchased several properties in the area at minimal prices and used them to house its various businesses. As this happened, crime rates fell dramatically and property values rose. Commendations extended to the Wyandotte County government donating several additional (vacant) buildings to UNOI.
). UNOI members and their children are required to be educated by the UNOI, which instruct them in many basic skills or provide opportunity for accredited higher education
. Members receive health insurance and are permitted to receive medical care outside that offered by the UNOI at Your Colonic Center, which does not include any physicians licensed in Kansas. At least one child of UNOI members has died without being taken to Kansas City emergency medical services.
The UNOI has also overstated its success—on one occasion stating that the Kansas City site is free of all crime, in the same month as a gunman fired twenty shots at a UNOI-run gas station. The Kansas City police department said it was unable to judge the effectiveness of UNOI in reducing crime. In 2002, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported five health violations at a UNOI-operated diner. In 2003, the gas station was the UNOI's only profitable business.
Jenkins has also taken several wives from among his followers, including a teenaged stepdaughter (after having impregnated her). From these unions, he has fathered at least 15 children. Jenkins claims that he is justified in practicing polygamy
, comparing himself to Solomon
and claiming "In the near future, a man will be known for his wisdom according to the number of wives that he has."
Notable among the UNOI's critics are over 10 former members, including Moreen and Hanif Jenkins, two of Royall Jenkins' children from his first marriage. Hanif Jenkins was only a member of the UNOI for six months and then became a critic of its operations. Moreen Jenkins joined the UNOI in 1985. She claimed that she marry Joseph Kelly, one of the first members of the UNOI, and also study UNOI theology for several hours a day for years. In 1997, Royall Jenkins declared that Kelly was a reincarnation
of Elijah Muhammad
, a claim that the Nation of Islam
rejected. Ms. Jenkins also claimed that, in 2002, after she attempted to intercede with her father to apologize to the victim of a beating by UNOI members, he threatened the lives of her and her youngest child. At this point, she took the infant and left UNOI. She experienced continued harassment from UNOI members, and stated that the UNOI was blocking her attempts to communicate with her other children and her attempts to gain custody of them. As of 2003, she had filed for divorce and still sought custody of her children. Ms. Jenkins died at her home in May 2008 .
In 2003, the UNOI stated that Ms. Jenkins was "operating out of vengeance, scorn, anger, desire and treachery" and proposed that she seduced reporters with "the guise of a scoop." In the same statement, Royall Jenkins is quoted as announcing “the time when those who conspire against the rise of the Blackman —including Black women—will no longer be tolerated." After her death, Jenkins described his daughter as a traitor, stated "the death of my daughter Moreen was more than justified" and exhorted his followers not to mourn.
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
. It was founded circa 1978 by Royall Jenkins, who continues to be the leader of the group and styles himself Royall, Allah in Person.
History
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
. He remained a member until after the death of Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
but split from the organization in 1978 . According to Jenkins, he spent time on a spaceship
Spaceship
Spaceship can refer to:* Another name for a spacecraft* An Unidentified flr5tyqertaerying object * "Spaceship", a song by Puddle of Mudd from their album Vol...
with angels, where he learned that he was the Supreme Being
Supreme Being
The term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the...
and how to govern the world. Public records show Jenkins working as a truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
and living mostly with friends as he tried to recruit followers, including his daughter Maureen, who joined him in 1985 in a house in Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
, that was rented for them by Joseph Kelly, one of Jenkins' first converts. The UNOI eventually grew, and was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
as a nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1993.
Between 1996 and 2002, the group relocated to its current Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
location. The UNOI is very controversial and currently has a membership of a few hundred people.
Beliefs
The beliefs of the United Nation of Islam are based on the beliefs of the Nation of IslamNation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
with considerable modifications by Jenkins. While believing that W.D. Fard
Wallace Fard Muhammad
Wallace Fard Muhammad was a minister and founder of the Nation of Islam. He established the Nation of Islam's first mosque in Detroit, Michigan in 1930, and ministered his distinctive religion there for three years, before mysteriously disappearing in June 1934. He was succeeded by his follower...
( Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
came in his person), Jenkins claims that himself is Allah in his own person who is more powerful and who is given the task of coercing the submission of all things and perfecting everything used to magnify Him, after which men [specifically males] will all be God or will be gods.
Jenkins stresses the relations between different races and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
es, referring extensively to Black Man, Black Woman, and White Man. Black men are said to be the real and original men, whereas white people are claimed to have been created by a scientist named Yakub 8,000 years ago, the same belief held, at least in a metaphorical sense, by followers of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
prior to the death of Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
. Jenkins also claims that Black men created Black women as a natural pleasure, that women are inferior, and that following female guidance leads to Hell. He believes that Black women are in league with white men, whom he considers enemies, and condemns women seeking child support, custody, and alimony though courts.
Jenkins also claims that the current Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
has been led astray by its leader Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
, whom he asserts is the most "formidable enemy to Allah," and that Farrakhan uses tricks and deceptive tactics to "silence anyone else's voice" and "prepare the masses to fight for him," through appearing "to be against the Whiteman [sic] and his government."
Operations
Members of the UNOI work as volunteers in various businesses owned by the organization. UNOI-owned businesses include a full-service gas station (Your Gas Station), several restaurants and bakeries a sewing factory, an urgent-care medical facility (Your Colonic Center) and a construction company, among others. UNOI claims that it provides for all the needs of all full-time volunteers. The group has roughly 200 full-time members in Kansas City, with perhaps 300 spread across several other cities. Most of the latter are part-time.UNOI hosts several call-in TV and radio programs across the United States. Jenkins appears regularly on these programs, as well as touring various US cities. The UNOI also offers classes and has a Web site that provides extensive writings by Jenkins and recordings of his TV appearances.
After moving to Kansas City in 1996 (although its headquarters was not moved there until 2001), the UNOI received commendations for apparently aiding in the renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
of an area along Quindaro Boulevard that had a reputation for high crime rates and as a slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
. The group purchased several properties in the area at minimal prices and used them to house its various businesses. As this happened, crime rates fell dramatically and property values rose. Commendations extended to the Wyandotte County government donating several additional (vacant) buildings to UNOI.
Controversy
Critics of the UNOI note that members work for Jenkins's benefit in UNOI businesses and receive no income, apply for and receive welfare from the government, and are given only the minimal necessities for survival, while UNOI use the funds for their own benefit (including free vacations in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
). UNOI members and their children are required to be educated by the UNOI, which instruct them in many basic skills or provide opportunity for accredited higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. Members receive health insurance and are permitted to receive medical care outside that offered by the UNOI at Your Colonic Center, which does not include any physicians licensed in Kansas. At least one child of UNOI members has died without being taken to Kansas City emergency medical services.
The UNOI has also overstated its success—on one occasion stating that the Kansas City site is free of all crime, in the same month as a gunman fired twenty shots at a UNOI-run gas station. The Kansas City police department said it was unable to judge the effectiveness of UNOI in reducing crime. In 2002, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported five health violations at a UNOI-operated diner. In 2003, the gas station was the UNOI's only profitable business.
Jenkins has also taken several wives from among his followers, including a teenaged stepdaughter (after having impregnated her). From these unions, he has fathered at least 15 children. Jenkins claims that he is justified in practicing polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, comparing himself to Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
and claiming "In the near future, a man will be known for his wisdom according to the number of wives that he has."
Notable among the UNOI's critics are over 10 former members, including Moreen and Hanif Jenkins, two of Royall Jenkins' children from his first marriage. Hanif Jenkins was only a member of the UNOI for six months and then became a critic of its operations. Moreen Jenkins joined the UNOI in 1985. She claimed that she marry Joseph Kelly, one of the first members of the UNOI, and also study UNOI theology for several hours a day for years. In 1997, Royall Jenkins declared that Kelly was a reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
, a claim that the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
rejected. Ms. Jenkins also claimed that, in 2002, after she attempted to intercede with her father to apologize to the victim of a beating by UNOI members, he threatened the lives of her and her youngest child. At this point, she took the infant and left UNOI. She experienced continued harassment from UNOI members, and stated that the UNOI was blocking her attempts to communicate with her other children and her attempts to gain custody of them. As of 2003, she had filed for divorce and still sought custody of her children. Ms. Jenkins died at her home in May 2008 .
In 2003, the UNOI stated that Ms. Jenkins was "operating out of vengeance, scorn, anger, desire and treachery" and proposed that she seduced reporters with "the guise of a scoop." In the same statement, Royall Jenkins is quoted as announcing “the time when those who conspire against the rise of the Blackman —including Black women—will no longer be tolerated." After her death, Jenkins described his daughter as a traitor, stated "the death of my daughter Moreen was more than justified" and exhorted his followers not to mourn.