Nuwaubian Nation
The Nuwaubian Nation, Nuwaubian movement, or United Nuwaubian Nation () is an American religious organisation founded by Dwight York circa 1967. Since that point the group has repeatedly changed its name, teachings and practices. Scholars of religion have characterised it as a new religious movement and a black nationalist group.
Drawing on a wide range of sources, Nuwaubian beliefs are eclectic and have changed over time. York—who promoted his teachings through writings called “scrolls”—initially claimed to be the grandson of Muhammad Ahmad, the 19th-century Sudanese Mahdi. He later claimed to be an extraterrestrial named Yaanuwn. Although it has promoted references to “Allah” and “God”, its teachings are materialistic, dismissing the existence of a spiritual realm. Race is a key part of its black nationalist worldview, which focuses on African Americans especially. White people are regarded as having a fundamentally separate origin. The group is millenarian, with York prophesying that an apocalypse in the 2000s would see the righteous 144,000 be saved. Many of the movement’s teachings revolve around the use of Nubic, a language which York developed.
York had a background in Sunni Islam but established his own group, initially called the Ansaar Pure Sufi, in Brooklyn, New York City around 1967. By 1969 the group had been renamed the Nubian Islamic Hebrew Mission in America and in 1973 it became the Ansaaru Allah Community. Establishing a Brooklyn commune with its own security force, the group presented itself as being Islamic but faced much opposition from other Muslim organisations in the city. Over coming years it integrated ideas from New Age and UFO religions, with York announcing that he was an extraterrestrial. In 1992 York transformed his movement into the Holy Tabernacle Ministries, increasingly foregrounding Jewish themes. The following year, it became the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors and relocated to Georgia, where it began claiming to be a Native American nation and established Tama-Re, an Ancient Egypt-themed compound and tourist attraction. The movement also incorporated sovereign citizen concepts. In 2004, York was convicted of child molestation, racketeering, and financial reporting violations, and sentenced to 135 years in federal prison. Although Tama Re was demolished and group membership declined, the movement has survived as the United Sabaeans Worldwide.
Over the course of its history, the Nuwaubian movement has attracted thousands of followers, with estimates suggesting that core support has peaked at around 500 members in any given period. It has also exerted an influence on a number of African-American musicians. The movement has faced much criticism from U.S. law enforcement, journalists, the anti-cult movement, Muslim organisations, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which have varyingly accused it of being a black supremacist hate group, cult, and criminal enterprise.
