Constructing Families in the Nation

Abstract

This chapter examines the efforts the FOI have made to construct family units within their faith community. The chapter considers Minister Farrakhan’s gender ideology and argues that Quran-based teachings as they relate to male headship and maintenance do influence gender norms in the NOI to some extent. It assesses how membership in the NOI challenges men to reexamine their attitudes to marriage and family life and studies the varied ways in which men seek to employ the community’s courtship materials to build families. The chapter also considers the efforts that the NOI’s Singles Ministries have made to match-make the FOI and MGT and outlines the work of the singles ministries within the NOI.