At Religion Dispatches, Anna Clark asks how the Nation of Islam has evolved and changed, and how it is affected by our first black president:

[Arthur] Magida [author of Prophet of Rage: A Life of Louis Farrakhan and His Nation] believes that the influence of Farrakhan and the Nation is waning, which he attributes to Farrakhan’s illness; the 75-year-old leader was diagnosed with prostate cancer more than a year ago. While he made what was then called his last public speech at last year’s Saviour’s Day convention, Farrakhan has made appearances since and looked healthy.

Magida also believes that the Nation’s influence is waning as black nationalism is waning, “at least the kind the Nation of Islam represents…”

[…]

In part, Magida attributes this changing culture to President Obama.

“Barack showed the United States is not as viciously racist of a nation, as determinedly racist as the Nation has portrayed us. I’m not a white, blue-eyed devil; the tens of millions of who voted for him aren’t blue-eyed devils,” Magida contended.

Read the full article here.