RESOLUTION HONORING THE 134!S ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF PROPHET NOBLE DREW ALI
WHEREAS, on January 8, 1886, Prophet Noble Drew Ali was born in the State of North Carolina, destined to become the first patriot and founding father ofthe Moorish Divine National Movement. It was the Noble Drew Ali's belief that African Americans were all Moors, descended from the ancient Moabitcs thought to be inhabitants of Northwest Africa; and
WHEREAS, In 1913, Noble Drew AH founded the Canaanilc Temple in Newark, New Jersey and established congregations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Detroit, Michigan. In 1925, he arrived in Chicago to establish the Moorish Science Temple of America as the headquarters of his Moorish Divine National Movement, a "network of alternative spiritualities thai focused on the power of the individual to bring about personal transformation through mystical knowledge of (he divine within"; and
WHEREAS, it-was in this city that Prophet Noble Drew Ali built a civic organization to teach those things necessary to make his adherents better citizens. Since his work was largely religious, in accordance with the divine inspiration of God-Allah and the laws of the state of Illinois, on July 20, 1928, Prophet Noble Drew Ali convened a meeting of his followers to formally adopt this religious body politic under the corporate aegis of the Moorish Science Temple of America, filing as a religious institution on August 1 of that same year with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office, and declared to the Moorish Americans everywhere that Chicago, Illinois would be their new Mecca; and
WHEREAS, it is the fervent belief of the congregants ofthe Moorish Science Temple of America that, until the coming ofthe universal Prophet Noble Drew Ali, the resurrected Nation of Moorish Americans who, as a result of the 13th Amendment, were emancipated from slavery in 1865 but had yet to reestablish and reunite themselves with the human family of nations; and
WHEREAS, having drawn it power and authority from the Great Koran of Mohammed and guided by Allah as well as the live highest principles known to man; Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom, and Justice, it is the mission of the Moorish Science Temple of America to propagate the faith and extend the learning and truth of the great Prophet Noble Drew Ali throughout this nation, now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the mayor and members ofthe City of Chicago City Council, gathered together on this 18lh Day of December, 2019 AD, do hereby designate the 8'" of January, 2020 as Prophet Noble Drew Ali Day and January 8"1 through the 15"' of 2020 as Moorish American Week in the City of Chicago, the Moorish American Mecca, in honor of the 134"' anniversary of the birth of this holy and divine prophet of God-Allah and his magnanimous work of redeeming the Moorish Americans as well as uplifting fallen humanity worldwide, and recognize the events planned for this time.
Roderick T. Sawyer Aldennan - 6'" Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy ofthis resolution be prepared and presented to Brother Shaw El, Grand Governor and Divine Minister of the Moorish Science Temple of America Temple #25.
