Why Islam is my choice — Page 94
94 from my father, his example left an indelible mark on me with regards to my character development. These two men were both highly regarded officials in the Christian church and in the community. My mother was the disciplinarian of the house and my father supported her decisions. The discipline in the house was centered on the teachings of Christianity. That meant if you were a school age child and were playing in church on Sunday or did anything not acceptable, then on Monday you had to hear about it again from the principal of your school. This was the type of reinforcement the Christian teachings had when I was coming along. Christian preachers in my area were noted for their fiery preaching style and the messages that they delivered in their preaching. One of those messages that stuck with me was about being in the wrong place on Judgment Day. That message never left me and would be a type of discrimination I kept with me through my life’s journey. I left North Carolina around 1961 and went to Philadelphia to pursue an education in classical music. It was, however, short lived as around the same time I had gotten married and needed to find employment to support my family. I studied and learned the trade of barbering and eventually migrated to New York. During my early years in New York, I was affiliated with various movements of the time which included the Black Nationalist Movement where I had briefly met Queen Mother Moore, Stokely Carmichael, and others. I also attended Nation of Isl ā m Rallies held in Harlem in front of Michaux’s bookstore on 125th street and Lenox and got to see Malcolm X (El- Ḥ ajj Malik El-Shabazz) and Elijah Mu ḥ ammad in person. During this time I was having a series of dreams. In one of those dreams I saw that I came in contact with a spiritual person. That person I thought was a