New Executive Order will require Allah School in Mecca to be inventoried and reviewed by July 1, 2026

       According to the Official Website of the Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani, on January 1st, 2026, he signed into law Executive Order 04 [LEVERAGING CITY-OWNED LAND TO ACCELERATE HOUSING] due to the housing shortage in New York City. Executive Order 04 created a fast-track process to identify and utilize city-owned land for housing development (AKA: economic development). For that purpose, Mayor Mamdani established an interagency Land Inventory Fast Track Task Force (the “LIFT Task Force”). According to Executive Order 04, "The LIFT Task Force shall consist of representatives from Mayoral agencies offices, and affiliated non-profit corporations, including the Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS], the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of City Planning, the Department of Buildings, the Office of Management and Budget, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and representatives from other agencies, offices or entities affiliated with the City designated by the Chair." This LIFT Task Force will also seek participation and cooperation of additional public and other entities as the Task Force Chair deems appropriate. Some of those additional entities that were identified are the New York Public Library, the Queens Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Housing Authority, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Empire State Development Corporation. The Executive Order goes on to state the duties of the LIFT Task Force below:

      In addition to the city-owned property inventory that must be completed no later than July 1, 2026, the review of (adjacent) Capital Projects that impact city-owned properties, and consulting on land use changes, it is important to consider what this can mean to citizens and our communities. More specifically, what can this mean to the Allah School in Mecca [2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd] -an undeveloped city-owned parcel that has served as our national headquarters? I spoke with the NYC DCAS and they confirmed that this city-owned parcel will be reviewed and inventoried along with all other city-owned properties via Executive Order 04. Following Executive Order 04, Mayor Mamdani also signed into law Executive Order 5 that creates the SPEED Task Force. The SPEED Task Force is tasked with identifying and developing city department policies, procedures, and processes for Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development [SPEED] in NYC. According to Executive Order 5, these recommendations will be shared with Mayor Mamdani no later than April 11, 2026. 

Universal Parliament, P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman elementary school 
[November 28th, 1982]

     In my 2024 article Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca I shared that it was always assumed among our (Five Percent Nation) members that our Allah School in Mecca [2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd] is a parcel that was gifted to us by the Lindsay Administration with a 99-year lease. However, it was discovered that no legal document exists to substantiate that claim of a 99-year lease. While some Five Percenters have argued that Allah School is Defacto ours because of our historical use, we are not the legal property owners. This parcel is classified as a miscellaneous religious facility owned by the NYC DCAS. In that 2024 article I went on to share some of the unique challenges that we face based upon this lack of ownership. Challenges that some of us dismissed at the time. Challenges that are now at the forefront due to the January 1, 2026, passage of Executive Orders 04 and 5. 

     To clarify some of these challenges that we face, in my article Are we winning the battle of Reputational Warfare? I wrote, "Striving to achieve more, individually and collectively, may require us to be more intentional with how we appropriate our time and where we invest our finances and resources. Investing our time, finances and resources to create a tangible project to better serve our community is more valuable than sitting around recording 4-hour reaction videos about people. Being more selective about the company that we keep is equally important. This may require us to disassociate from folks who are clearly making us look bad, tarnish the reputation of our community, and destroy the positive relationships that we are striving to build. That disassociation may also need to carry over into the digital space. Being consistent about celebrating our achievements and disassociating from negativity will enable us to slowly course correct the Ghost Brand trajectory that we are currently on. Like with any defunct brand that lost its growing success yet still maintains some old loyal customers, Allah's Five Percent has been similarly falling out of significance yet still maintaining some old loyal adherents to what we teach. This is due to our lack of positive public facing representation, successful youth outreach, and real community development." This analysis was based upon the fact there are no professional revenue-generating workshops, classes, or projects being facilitated at Allah School every day. We have no grant-funded youth advocacy/community outreach programs being offered in the neighborhood. We have no collaborative initiatives with area organizations and institutions that are available on-site or virtually. Nothing is being offered by/for women and girls, even though women represent 75% of the professional non-profit workforce in the U.S. and the Allah School is a non-profit with allegedly no women board members. 

     In a more recent 2025 article Political Financial Illiteracy: How much does a Policy (Law) cost? prior to Mamdani's election, I further elaborated on the changing NYC Administration, what that could potentially mean to our nation (of the Five Percent) and Mayor Zohran Mamdani creating, amending, or repealing any NYC Policies (Laws) that he would like to implement -such as Executive Orders 04 and 5. I shared these words below;

"Building relationships with any Administration is the key to collaboration and maintaining cultural assets. Being prepared to show and prove our value as a community asset, cultural resource, and historic site will always be the difference between what we build or destroy. We have to ask ourselves, where do we stand regarding the Policies (Laws) that will be created, amended, or repealed during Mamdani's Administration? What will this cost our nation, and the community of Harlem, where we call our headquarters home? Are we at the table or positioning ourselves to be at the table to help create, amend, or repeal these Policies (Laws) to help better serve our nation and community? If we are not at the table, that is evidence that we are on the menu, either as an appetizer, entrée or a dessert. I am unaware if any Five Percenters were actively involved in Mamdani's campaign or if any Five Percenters saw the election result signs in advance and made contact with his campaign to begin building those relationships. Are any Five Percenters striving to be a part of his new Department of Community Safety?" 

     Since Covid-19, I have consistently written/spoken on the subjects of historic preservation, controlling our IP (Intellectual Property), and various procedures and programs that we can use to maintain our cultural continuity. Times are clearly changing and while some of those insights are still being dismissed, some folks are now starting to see the importance of changing how we do things, when to share our time, and where we should invest our finances and resources. I get the impression that some of us are waiting around to react to what happens instead of being proactive. As I am not in NYC or a resident in the Harlem community, there is only so much that I can do, based upon physical proximity, and how open some nation members actually are to receive what I have to share. 

     Some time ago I shared that it was not a great idea when I learned that a few Five Percenters met with city officials under the Eric Adams Administration to share a slide presentation about our ideas for developing their city-owned parcel: 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd [Allah School in Mecca]. I thought it was premature because we had no capital funding to do it and we still do not have the capital funding in the bank to do a multi-million-dollar economic development project. It was simply an idea that we shared with no funding or even Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with partnership businesses or organizations who support this project. If there is a record of those Five Percenters meeting with city officials' pre-Mayor Mamdani, it can be used by the current Administration to show a timeline and incapability to develop their city-owned parcel. If there is no record of those Five Percenters meeting with city officials' pre-Mayor Mamdani, it still puts us in a vulnerable position with the LIFT Task Force review happening no later than July 1, 2026, especially if none of us were actively involved in Mamdani's campaign, are actively communicating his Administration or actively involved with any of his departments such as the Department of Community Safety. Mamdani's Administration simply may not know who we are. With a quick Google or YouTube search, his Administration will get some answers, answers that I am not sure that we would like concerning how engaged, organized, and competent we are. If his Administration did further research by contacting surrounding anchor institutions such as P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman, P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune or housing developments such as the St. Nicholas Houses to learn who we are, I am also not sure that we would like their answers. Even if some city officials wanted to pop-up at the Allah School on a random Tuesday just to check out what is going on, they won't see anything of socioeconomic value, especially with 50% of their parcel inoperative [CommonUnity CENTER]. None of these things are favorable for us. 

     So, what can we do about it? At this point I think it requires radical change. That radical change requires more effort than guys showing up every week to stream a pixelated video for a handful of viewers, dudes posting three-hour videos talking about what other people are doing, or unemployed people just hanging out at the school. It requires more than that to show and prove that we are serious about the socioeconomic growth and development of Allah School. Especially at this critical time when the city-owned parcel that we have occupied all of these years is clearly undeveloped and underused compared to all of the development happening around it. As a part of this radical change there are a number of things that I would do, from restructuring the board, exploring historic preservation, grant writing, community engagement initiatives, youth programs, strategic partnerships, and etc. If or when people [men and women] are seriously ready to add-on like this and remove all of the obstacles out of the way that will undermine those efforts, I would be willing to build. Other than that, I'll continue to do the work that I do and continue to share information for those who have the eyes to see, the ears to listen, and the mouths to speak. If something is not radically done to ensure the ownership and socioeconomic development of our Allah School, we risk losing our national headquarters. With that lost, the adjacent "Allah, Justice & The Five Percenters Square" street sign will become a political consolation prize. A sign that will now serve as the only remaining evidence and historical reminder of who we once were in this Harlem community. This is no different than any other street signs that are named after figures who are no longer there. I don't want that, and I am sure many others don't want that either. We need to do something about it then.

Peace,

Saladin, #AtlantisBuild

2026: Say Less, Do More!

Cradle of Humanity
East Africa, Tanzania

  

     First and foremost, I want to acknowledge those whom we lost last year. It is my will that we honor them by walking with the best part that they shared with us. Reflecting upon 2025, I just wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with all of you regarding being successful in our undertakings. Whether we make New Year Resolutions or not, striving to be resolute in all that we say and do is important, regardless of when we choose to make that decision. In part, this is what “word is bond, bond is life and I will give my life before my word shall fail” means to those of us who are Five Percenters. This phrase is not simply something to recite. It is a declaration of being committed and it highlights the integrity, fortitude, and consistency to follow through with our word. In fact, when our word is truly a bond, we will not be broke, or broken.

 There were several things that I accomplished in 2025; from helping coordinate more amazing Niagara Falls National Heritage Area and Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center projects to again being the featured representative for the United Nations International Day for People of African Descent. I celebrated the three-year anniversary of opening our Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters in November! In this article here are 9 things that you can do to help you succeed in 2026:

1. When you are setting a goal, make sure that your idea is something that improves your quality of life with the intent/consideration of making you a greater resource to others and the world that we share. Life is interdependent and there is a constant process of giving and receiving. This intent/consideration ensures that your idea is in tune with the universal order and is something sustainable -because we are actively providing a service (and/or products) that others, and the world, actually need. If the only thing that we are thinking about is what we can get (keep), and not what we can consistently give, what we get (keep) will eventually run out. Why? We are just taking and not putting anything back. If you don't believe this, try it with your breath. Keep it to yourself and see how long it takes for your oxygen to run out... It is all about reciprocity and just that simple.

2. Make sure that your idea is real and obtainable. It is less likely that we are going to change EVERYTHING at once so it is important to work on what we can change, one goal at a time. Also, take things one day at a time. It took a while to create habits/routines, and it is going to take time to change them. The smaller goals we accomplish serve as steppingstones; helping us build confidence and gain the tools and experience that are necessary to reach our larger goals. And with any goal, one of the most important steps we need to take, and habits we need to create, is to “get our day underway with a positive, productive attitude.” Use positive affirmations, read positive writings, listen to positive podcasts, and post positive messages where you can visually see them. All of these things help orientate you with higher-order thinking and enable you to get your day underway with a positive, productive attitude. Whatever your cultural worldview or religion is, start your day considering the positive principles that your worldview and religion share. Our attitude sets the foundation of our altitude.

3. Make your goals specific. Instead of saying something unclear like, “I’m going to read more” say something more specific like, “I am going to read one book every month.” This is called Specificity. Specificity helps you better focus on your goals and encourages you to be more responsible and committed to those goals. If you were to say, “I want to be healthier in 2026” there is no sense of importance, ambition, or action plan to accomplish that goal. Now if you said, “I am going to only eat baked chicken once a week and go to the gym three times a week for 1 ½ hours after work” that has a sense of importance, ambition and provides part of an action plan to achieve your goal of being healthier in 2026. You clearly put more thought into that! If it is not clear, your path will not be cleared. When we learn about being ‘right and exact’, Specificity is what it means to ‘exact.’

4. Set a projected time/date for your goals. Setting a time/date creates a sense of urgency, responsibility, and accountability to meet your goals. If you don’t meet your time/date then set another one. Without setting a time/date, what we are saying is that our goals are not really a priority (important). Why? Because under these circumstances they can happen any time and any day. THAT is not resolute. If you don't have a time/date, you are creating the possibility that there will never be a time/date. Keep in mind that “one day”, “any day” and “someday” are not days on a calendar. Set a reasonable time/date when you want to reach a goal and don’t procrastinate. If you are having legitimate challenges accomplishing a goal at that time and on that date, set another reasonable time/date.

5. Write down your ideas. I have known people who had challenges with organizing their day, appropriating their time, and focusing on achieving their goals. One of the solutions I shared with them was writing down their goals on index cards or signs and posting them in visible places around their home. Not necessarily for everyone to see, it is for you to see; they're your goals! This helped reinforce and remind them of their goals so they would not allow themselves to get lost in the hustle & bustle of each day. Committing your ideas to paper is the understanding of knowledge and wisdom. How? Because it is outside evidence that allows you to physically see what you thought [knowledge] and spoke [wisdom] about. Understanding is often referred to as a child or the best part. This is one reason that Creatives often refer to their projects, such as their paintings, literature, or music as ‘their baby.’ And just like any baby, that must be nurtured and requires attention, our goals require the same in order to grow healthy and strong. Writing down your ideas is also a contractual obligation to yourself.

6. Only share your ideas with those who have shown themselves to be supportive of you fulfilling them. If they are not there to help you, they are only going to hinder you. If they are not an asset, they are a liability. If they are not in your life to build, they will destroy. This also includes the nice folks with pleasant attitudes. Just because they have a happy disposition, it does not mean that they can automatically help. Again, our idea is likened to a baby, and a baby must be nurtured, respected, loved, protected, and educated. That baby must build its immunity to repel the bacteria and viruses that could compromise its health, growth, and development. It is unwise to let any and everybody touch your baby. It is equally unwise to expose your idea to any and everybody. Now, some people may not intentionally strive to hinder you or be a liability. They simply don't have the means to support you. Whether that support is positive conversation or encouragement, experienced expertise, a listening ear, or sharing actual resources. This includes your own family. Just because someone is in proximity to you, or may even share a bed with you, it does not mean that they can automatically see your vision. It also possible that someone you talk to online who lives in a different hemisphere, or that you recently met, can see your vision and support you. Lastly, and most importantly, be this support that you seek! It is unfair to ask for something from others that we are unwilling and unable to give.  

7. Look into networking with people/organizations that will help you fulfill your physical and mental health goals. That is why our social equality is important and the reason some keep us apart from their own social equality. Our network is a prime indicator of our net worth. Take care of yourself and connect with those who are invested in doing the same. There are no ideas when we don't have your health. There is no health if you don't have the energy. Get an appropriate amount of rest. Eat healthy foods and don't eat often. Fast! Make sure that you have daily physical activity whether that is exercise, going to the gym, choosing to walk, etc. Figure out what works best for you and stick to it! 

8. Speaking of health; strive to maintain a positive outlook! Some days it will be easy to maintain a level of positivity and other days you need fellowship with others who share the same goals and are just as resolute about achieving their goals. This means investing the time to build with others and being present to learn as much as you can about the positive principles/values they are sharing with you. This is a key to sustainability and not burning yourself out.

9. Your idea is not the end all be all. Some people live to have a wedding while others strive to be married, have a family, etc.  While the wedding is a place, being married is a state. So, although your ideas may help you arrive at a place, the ultimate goal should be to achieve a state of existence. And this state of existence should set the stage to help you achieve even higher and greater goals! It is all about constant growth and elevation, not stagnation. Life is constantly changing and evolving and so should the living.

Ngorongoro Crater

PLUS DEGREES: 

*Just say “NO.” Sometimes we put too much on our plate because we don't know how to tell people “NO” and we feel guilty about it when we do. Here's the thing: if you don't have the time, or the finances, you don't have to agree to do it. Let time and finances be the reason that you cannot commit to something. It is unreasonable for someone to expect you to create more than twenty-four hours in a day or magically increase your bank account, for them. Just. Say. NO.

*"Be a shark, not a peacock." When a peacock walks into a room with its feathers fanned out everyone can see it. It is not necessary to be a show-off or strive to get attention. You also attract predators that way. Sharks move in silence and by the time you see their dorsal fin, it is too late. In many cases staying below the radar and not revealing what you're doing until it's actually done is a sure way to be successful in your undertaking. Be a fine mist that the naked eye can hardly detect. When we talk a lot, we are also subject to the expectations of others, which are usually unrealistic. If you tell people that you are writing a book and you know that you don't even have a manuscript yet, people may assume that you are going to be publishing a four-hundred-page book next week and expect it. Now when you obviously don't deliver, people will begin to look at you like the boy/girl who cried wolf. Always remember that light travels 186,000 miles per second and sound only travels 1,200 feet per second. People will see what you are doing before they can hear what you are saying so your reputation always precedes you. So, "Say Less" in 2026 and let your work speak for you.

   In closing, I will that every one of you and your families have a positive and productive 2026 and that it adds more beauty to our families, community, and environment. 

Peace,

Saladin 

#AtlantisBuild

Political Financial Illiteracy: How much does a Policy (Law) cost?

Zohran Mamdani speaking at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque,
New York, October 24, 2025

     

     After engaging someone in an online discussion regarding Policy (Law), I realized something that hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't a new revelation, it was an "Ah ha!" moment about something that I have witnessed since 2017 with the election of Donald Trump. Everything instantly clicked and I found the words to articulate it: citizens generally lack a basic understanding of the political process and the relationship between Policy (Law) and Procedure. It is political financial illiteracy, and this is how I came to that conclusion.

     One of my Facebook friends shared a status about requiring I.D. to vote here in New York State. If you didn't know, here in New York State citizens are not required to present government-issued I.D. in order to vote. It is against the law. Because of this law, some New Yorkers, usually Republicans or Conservatives, have promoted the idea of voter fraud and undocumented citizens being allowed to participate in the political process. My Facebook friend's argument was that since people need I.D. to buy cigarettes, alcohol, medication, get a loan, cash a check or travel by bus, train, or airplane that people should be required to have a valid government I.D. to vote. What this person did not consider is the relationship between any government Policy (Law) and the Procedures required to implement. It costs money. It was also obvious that they lacked an understanding of how government works when it comes to its financial and legal responsibility to create, amend or repeal any Policy (Law). 

     Regardless of where someone stands on a political spectrum, if there is a Policy (Law) that they believe needs to be created, amended or repealed, the local, state, or federal government that creates, amends, or repeals that Policy (Law) assumes the primary financial and legal responsibility for implementing that Policy (Law). That. Costs. Money. If that Policy (Law) is to require citizens to show I.D. in order to vote, New York State (NYS) is financially and legally responsible for ensuring that eligible voters can obtain the necessary government issued I.D. without incurring significant costs or undue burdens. By law, NYS cannot simply say to citizens, “Get a damn I.D. to vote!” or "You got money and can pay for an I.D. to vote." The procedure of creating, amending, or repealing a Policy (Law) include financial and legal obligations, in perpetuity. For example, some of the financial and legal obligations that NYS would be responsible for to implement a new Voter I.D. Policy (Law) are: NYS government administration costs, training for board of election staff and machine inspectors across the state, multilingual/visually impaired voter education outreach materials to inform citizens about the law, covering associated costs for acquiring the "6 points" of documentation to obtain a valid NYS government I.D., insuring accessibility (elders/citizens with mobility issues, etc.), updating voting technology/machines, material/digital signage, and etc. If financial and legal responsibilities like these are not met, state and federal courts are there to ensure that this Policy (Law) is upheld. This is just a basic example of associated costs and the legal obligations that come along with creating, amending or repealing a Policy (Law). So… take a guess who would be required to pay some of these associated costs and legal obligations to make this Voter I.D. Policy (Law) happen? The same folks who believed that people simply need to, “Get a damn I.D. to vote!” or "You got money and can pay for an I.D. to vote." Sometimes the associated costs and legal obligations for the Policy (Law) is not the grass that people think is greener on the other side. They may find out that this "grass" was actually non-sustainable artificial turf that needs to be constantly replaced, and they're going to be paying the big, beautiful, bill.  We saw the financial and legal responsibility during Covid when federal, state and local governments created, amended, and repealed Policies (Laws) around closures, public services, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), social distancing and etc. We also saw people get rich because of it and people become poor, if we were paying attention. 

     With all eyes on the recent election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City's next Mayor, this transition will provide an excellent opportunity to see the primary financial and legal responsibilities that comes along with creating, amending, or repealing any NYC Policies (Laws) that mayor-elect Mamdani would like to implement. There is always a cost. Folks on both sides of the political spectrum have already begun to weigh-in regarding his campaign promises of a rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores, fare-free buses, free universal childcare, the creation of a new Department of Community Safety, affordable housing construction and other ideas. While some see these things as unattainable pie in the sky delusions, others see practical possibilities. All of them, whether they realize it or not, are indirectly assessing what this will cost; what primary financial and legal responsibilities will come along with these campaign promises? Some folks believe that the cost is too high, others believe that it is not. While most folks see this as a binary argument, either we cannot or we can, the reality is there will be a combination of both. As a government body consisting of two branches, Executive and Legislative, mayor-elect Mamdani will have to work with these branches of government, city departments, county government, and the state government to create, amend, or repeal any NYC Policies (Laws) and determine his city government's financial and legal responsibilities. This is not a unilateral decision, and all of these entities do not always agree. In other words, just like any mayor elected to office, they will get some things done in their first term and other things they will not get done. Sometimes things simply don't get done because it is a multi-year project or initiative beyond the term that someone was elected to serve. That brings up another important point; sometimes the ribbon-cut project or initiative that folks are crediting to a current mayor, current members of city council, or current county legislators started a decade ago when none of these folks were in office. Many times, the political architects of these projects and initiatives are not acknowledged or given any credit for it. Of the many reasons that history is important, this is one of them. It enables you to chart the trajectory of change that happens in any given environment, how those changes shape the legal landscape, who are the folks responsible, who does/doesn't benefit from these changes, and what can be done to create, amend, or repeal any Policies (Laws) to make the environment better and legal landscape more equitable. While this is how I see the value of history, there are others who have used the exact same thought process to make the environment worst and the legal landscape inequitable. American Apartheid or Segregation is one of the most obvious examples where races were legally and inequitably separated for almost a century in all aspects of public and private life (anti-miscegenation laws), even in death (cemeteries were segregated).  These were the same Policies (Laws) that deputized the KKK to enforce them, which included murdering Black folks for voting. Yes, some Black people literally died to vote. Consider the story of Maceo Snipes.

WWII Veteran Maceo Snipes
Shot for Voting. Died July 20th, 1946.

      Maceo Snipes was a WWII Veteran who had recently returned home to a segregated Georgia after serving overseas. On Jully 17th, 1946 Snipes cast the first vote in the Primary Election for Governor of Georgia, despite threats from the local KKK that Black citizens didn't have the right to vote. The next day four white men came to Snipe's grandfather’s farmhouse where Snipes and his mother Lula were having dinner. One of those men who came to the house was a military acquaintance of Snipes, WWII veteran Edward Williamson. According to a Department of Justice memo, Snipes was called to come outside. Lula said that she heard Snipes speak to the men and then three gunshots ring out. When the men left the scene Snipes lay shot, bleeding profusely, on the porch. A wounded Snipes and his mother Lula walked almost 3 miles to the home of Homer Chapman for help. Chapman owned the land where Snipes and his mother worked as sharecroppers. Snipes was then driven to the Montgomery Hospital in Butler. After addressing his wounds, Snipes was refused a blood transfusion because doctors stated that there was no "Black blood" in the hospital. Snipes died two days later on July 20th. Edward Williamson eventually admitted to shooting Snipes but claimed that it was over a $10 debt dispute and in self-defense because Snipes approached their car with a knife. While all obvious signs lead to Snipes being murdered for voting, the local coroner acquitted Williamson days later. In 2008 the FBI reviewed the case and determined that the shooting arose from a personal dispute. The case was officially closed on April 10th, 2010, yet not for the family members of Maceo Snipes who are still seeking justice. At the time of Snipe's murder, the family owned 202 acres of land yet were forced to leave their land because of threats to their lives.

     While some things have changed since ending the legalization of Segregation, some segments of the American population are still fighting hard to maintain or reinstate Policies (Laws) that would make these American Apartheidists proud. In fact, many of these Baby Boomers who were in the pictures holding racist signs outside of public schools, spitting on and throwing bricks at marchers, smiling in front of lynched Black bodies, and burning down homes, businesses, and churches are still here today. They didn't disappear and they still serve as judges, lawyers, CEOs, board members, wardens, managers, police chiefs, teachers, business owners, politicians, and in other influential positions today. Many of them voted for the current POTUS; they are in the same peer group! At the same time, there is a new guard of progressive folks across the nation who are bringing a fresh perspective on what local, state, and federal government can be for everybody. Like him or not, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is one of those folks. As a Five Percenter in New York, yet not NYC, I think it is also important for those of us within Now Why Cee (NYC), especially near our national Harlem (Mecca) headquarters, to position ourselves to prepare for this new Administration and what that can mean to the future of our nation and our headquarters. One of Mayor-elect Mamdani's biggest criticism was his lack of connection with the Black community. There are many who have even gone as far as to coin the phrase "Mamdani Gentrification", claiming that his primarily non-Black campaign team, policies and backing by younger, wealthier white and white-adjacent residents have contributed to rising costs that price out and displace longtime residents in historically Black communities. Taking points like this from everyday New Yorkers and the voting statistics in the 2025 NYC Mayoral Election Exit Polls also appear to corroborate that apprehension, where nearly half (44%) of Black women voted for disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo instead of Zohran Mamdani, even though Cuomo resigned as governor after NYS Attorney General Letitia Jame's report found him guilty of sexually harassing eleven women while serving as governor. 

     In my April, 2024 article Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca, I highlighted the fact that our Five Percent Nation's national headquarters at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. is a parcel that is owned and classified as a miscellaneous religious facility by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS]. This is important to note because many Five Percenters were under the impression that this property is Defacto ours because of our historical use and a belief that we possessed a 99-year lease signed by the Lindsay Administration in the 1960s. As of today, there is no legal documentation, no lease agreement, or no property deed that we possess to substantiate the claim that "we own" this property. With this being the case, along with the gentrification criticisms of mayor-elect Mamdani and the sociopolitical unpredictability that comes along with any Administration change, I again echo the sentiment that we need to protect and preserve Allah Youth Center in Mecca. While some of us may assume that as a practicing Muslim, mayor-elect Mamdani may be more relatable to our nation, that is no guarantee. Building relationships with any Administration is the key to collaboration and maintaining cultural assets. Being prepared to show and prove our value as a community asset, cultural resource, and historic site will always be the difference between what we build or destroy. We have to ask ourselves, where do we stand regarding the Policies (Laws) that will be created, amended, or repealed during Mamdani's Administration? What will this cost our nation, and the community of Harlem, where we call our headquarters home? Are we at the table or positioning ourselves to be at the table to help create, amend, or repeal these Policies (Laws) to help better serve our nation and community? If we are not at the table, that is evidence that we are on the menu, either as an appetizer, entrée or a dessert. I am unaware if any Five Percenters were actively involved in Mamdani's campaign or if any Five Percenters saw the election result signs in advance and made contact with his campaign to begin building those relationships. Are any Five Percenters striving to be a part of his new Department of Community Safety? Politicians use Politics to create, amend, or repeal Policies that are ultimately enforced by the Police. There are always financial and legal costs to this, which in many historically instances, have cost us our lives. Today is no different, and if we continue to be politically apathetic and unengaged, sitting back debating on social media and participating in empty monthly vent sessions instead of doing the actual work, we will find ourselves, and our legacy, displaced and erased. 

Peace,

Saladin

Are we winning the battle of Reputational Warfare?

Universal Parliament, 1982                                         Universal Parliament, 2025

     Reputational Warfare is the practice of deliberately damaging an adversary's reputation through malinformation and psychological tactics to influence public opinion, sow doubt, and destabilize trust. In order to engage those on the landscape of reputational warfare we must have the ability to defend our good character, status, or standing within our community in the face of that negative publicity or criticism. 

    Now more than ever before with the growth of social media, people are more open to reputational attacks. These attacks take the form of negative websites, articles, blogs, reviews of one's products/services, social media posts, tweets, podcasts, videos, online petitions and even fake content being attributed to the targets of these attacks. It is more insidious than trolling, as reputational warfare is designed to do more than just deliberately upset people online. If you take a moment to think about how certain people, organizations, or companies are depicted in the mainstream media, you can probably identify the reputational warfare they have been or are currently engaged in. You can also identify if they are winning or losing that battle based on how they are meeting this assault with counter-messages and credentials. You can also identify if they have supporters or 'force multipliers' that can increase or amplify their ability to attack or defend themselves. Concerning Allah's Five Percent, I am always considering the question: Are we winning or losing the reputational warfare currently taking place in the battleground of the public domain?

         Some people reading this may ask, "Why is this important to know? I am not a celebrity or in the public domain, and what I choose to do does not affect anybody." The problem with that mentality is that we are not islands. We are all connected and represent others by proxy. If we belong to a church, mosque, synagogue, organization, institution, etc., our actions in the public, and our character, represent the body that we are connected to. If it is a religious institution and a family member passes away, that institution will probably conduct the funeral/memorial. If we attend a college or university, our actions can get us expelled, lose a scholarship, access to resources, and support. We are a part of a family and a community, and we have a standing or status in that family and community, whether we know it or not. To believe that we can show up and say and do whatever we want without affecting anyone is a very immature, unevolved view of ourselves and the world. An important part of growth and development is learning to consider more than ourselves. Without that sense of awareness and interpersonal perspective, civilization is impossible. 

          In my culture, I have consistently heard the phrase "warrior" used and people "going to war" over our teachings. In my early days, I would often bomb [check] people for not teaching the correct way. I get it. Yet the same willingness that many of us had and have to check other Five Percenters, it is often not extended to outsiders who are incorrectly telling others who we are, misleading folks about our teachings, and selling merchandise with our universal flag on it. Because of this, we continue to suffer immeasurable losses on the public battleground of reputational warfare. There are many of us who either don't care or who truly believe that constant attacks on our identity in the public domain do not matter. Some of us simply don't know what to do. For example, a few years ago I shared the above image with nation members of Walmart's online store selling a Universal Flag pendant for $399.99 without our permission. Some of the responses that I received from folks ranged from, "They're not making much money from it anyway" to "We should find the person and teach them Supreme Mathematics." No one was able to offer a practical, coherent, legitimate response on how to actually address this. Still today, most people respond to problems like this with snarky tweets, long drawn-out Facebook status complaints, or video monologues. No one is doing anything to actually stop it.

     Sometimes we make matters worse because some of the content that we choose to share only contributes to those attacks on our reputation. For example, imagine if I created a YouTube Channel that is supposed to represent an entire culture. Yet when you go to my YouTube Channel, 98% of the content is androcentric and I rarely give family [women and children] a platform. They are an afterthought, if that. The vast majority of males that I show are simply talking and rarely share any culturally competent "tangible" work. Any thinking person would wonder how my YouTube Channel actually represents an entire culture by deliberately excluding women, children, positive/productive male representation, and actual community work. The mainstream media and non-mainstream content creators then use YouTube Channels like mine as a malinformation content farm. A farm where my low-quality content is harvested by others to reinforce negative public narratives and stereotypes that promote Black pathology, misogyny, and etc. I may be completely oblivious to the fact that I am participating in this malinformation by choosing to not share a well-rounded perspective of my entire culture. My lack of awareness puts me in a losing battle upon the landscape of reputational warfare. How? My YouTube Channel falls short of not providing consistent content that enables our men, women and children to defend our good character, status, or standing within our community in the face of that negative publicity or criticism. 

Gloria Velez speaks on dating an adult from Allah's Five Percent 

Nation at the age of 14.

       When it comes to reputational warfare, we should be willing and able to defend our good character, status, or standing within our community in the face of negative publicity or criticism. It is hard to do that if we have not consistently shown good character, status, or standing within our community. We cannot attack or defend ourselves from negative publicity or criticism if we are constantly involved in negativity that attracts bad publicity and criticism. There isn't anything to defend. If we continuously lose access to gathering spaces because of our reckless behavior, that becomes a part of our reputation which is indefensible. Whether some folks like it or not, my work within local, regional, national, and international communities has enabled me to positively represent the culture of Allah's Five Percent in the face of negative publicity or criticism. I have been referenced/cited in academic papers, film, television, articles, social media content, and numerous court cases to support incarcerated Five Percenters defending and securing their First Amendment rights. While I am extremely proud to informally represent us in this global capacity, sometimes I do get disappointed seeing news stories, political/religious talking points, social media posts/comments, podcast interviews, and short/longform content that doesn't show us in a positive light. Sometimes it feels like when we take three steps forward as a nation, we take five steps backwards. In my assessment, this is partly due to a widening gap between What We Teach and What We Will Achieve. 

Highest 2 Lowest film (2025)

     While you can find an abundance of what Five Percenters teach (or don't teach) online, you would be hard pressed to find an abundance of content emphasizing our positive achievements. Not because it does not exist, I think we overemphasize what we teach and fail to consistently highlight those positive achievements. On the landscape of reputational warfare, this has crippled our ability to defend ourselves in the face of negative publicity or criticism. For every Five Percent professional that we rarely promote, there are countless drug dealers, rappers bragging about crime, addicts, pedophiles, abusers, convicts, and gang members in the mainstream news with Five Percenter names, wearing the Universal Flag, and palling around with us like Phillip J. Graham in Norfolk, Virginia. Our historical association with crime, prison, juvenile delinquency, Black supremacy, misogyny, antisemitism and homophobia has been used to forge an uncivilized reputation of us that we have yet to overcome. It is unfair because this is not all of who we are. I know many of our nation members who are doing some amazing work in our name. It's just unfortunate that there are too many undeniable examples of negativity which often drowns out this amazing work. The only real response to this negativity is to 1.) intentionally amplify our individual and collective achievements and 2.) be more selective about who we associate with. These actions show the most consistent example of what we teach, not the bunch of talking that we are known for doing. What we are about is proven in what we actually do, and who we do it with. 

Gen Z tweet about Allah's Five Percent (October 4, 2025)

     Striving to achieve more, individually and collectively, may require us to be more intentional with how we appropriate our time and where we invest our finances and resources. Investing our time, finances and resources to create a tangible project to better serve our community is more valuable than sitting around recording 4-hour reaction videos about people. Being more selective about the company that we keep is equally important. This may require us to disassociate from folks who are clearly making us look bad, tarnish the reputation of our community, and destroy the positive relationships that we are striving to build. That disassociation may also need to carry over into the digital space. Being consistent about celebrating our achievements and disassociating from negativity will enable us to slowly course correct the Ghost Brand trajectory that we are currently on. Like with any defunct brand that lost its growing success yet still maintains some old loyal customers, Allah's Five Percent has been similarly falling out of significance yet still maintaining some old loyal adherents to what we teach. This is due to our lack of positive public facing representation, successful youth outreach, and real community development. Below are images of this Ghost Brand trajectory. A trajectory that we still have the power to change -through centering the progressive work of our nation's younger generations.

27-year-old Phillip J. Graham attending a Universal Parliament of Allah's Five Percent in Virginia and his mugshot after being arrested and charged in connection with multiple sexual assaults and robberies in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

     In addition to outright warfare and genocide, reputational warfare has also been historically used in America against Black/Brown people, women, the poor, the unhoused, people with a disability, etc. to create and maintain the inequitable power dynamics that control this country's economy, its institutions, and its resources. These diverse groups have always been considered a threat to America's white, Christian, patriarchal, able-bodied racial hierarchy. Through this hierarchy's media apparatus, these identities have been constantly under attack and our reputations deliberately damaged through disinformation and psychological tactics to influence public opinion, sow doubt, and destabilize trust in who we are. We only make these narratives credible by amplifying negativity offline and online, especially as Allah's Five Percent. The more credible these narratives appear to be, it becomes the society's justification for our erasure and eventual extermination. These are the same tactics that were used to commit genocide against human families such as the Indigenous People of North America, Aboriginal Tasmanians, Ashkenazi Jews, present-day Palestinians and others. Most of the people within these groups didn't think that this would happen, until it did. The same way that many Five Percenters didn't think that the need to legally control/protect our cultural identity in the public domain would happen, until it did. We are moving into a dangerous space of being even more vulnerable to attacks on our cultural identity. This requires us to better control our own narrative as opposed to being slow moving reactionaries. Ignoring, minimizing, and being cynical about these words won't make this problem go away. 

Peace,

Saladin

It's Violent American Culture, Not Just Political Violence

The Gnadenhutten Massacre, 1782. (Credit: Archive Photos/Getty Images)

 

"The dominant media narrative is pushing the tired, hollow chorus, 'there's no place for political violence in America' as if centuries of racism, lynchings, assassinations, coups, and insurrections aren’t already the bedrock of American politics." -Dr. Stacey Patton

     In response to the recent Georgia and Colorado school shootings, the Charlotte subway stabbing, and the Utah Valley University shooting I wrote on Facebook:

"America was founded with violent warfare. America’s foundational economy was built and maintained through a system of inherent violence and tyranny. America’s identity and historical timeline is written and marked by warfare and centers violence: The American Revolution, the Civil War, WWI, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War, etc. The patriotism many Americans embrace originates in the violence of "Patriots.” The American Flag is rooted in warfare and is a unifying military symbol beginning with the Revolutionary War. July 4th is a celebration of violent military conquest and fireworks symbolize cannons and gunfire. America is 249 years old and all 249 years it has either been in conflict with a foreign nation or in conflict with its own citizens. America has never experienced a year of peace. America has even been in constant conflict with the land, water, air and other life forms with pollution and ecocide. America prides itself on warfare and military might; its Defense Budget is nearly $1 trillion dollars. No nation owns more guns than America. No nation has more people incarcerated than America. No nation has experienced more school shootings than America. America has always been violent and millions of people have died on this land, many for simply existing and desiring peace.

What you have been watching is a society born and baptized in violence. America’s psychopathic culture of violence needs to change. How America writes its historical timeline in blood, and marks its most significant events with blood, has to change. If this does not change, children are going to continue being born immunized against peace."

     Whether you agree or not, violence is a core part of America's DNA. It is impossible to separate violence and imperialism from what it means to be an American and simultaneously embrace American history and culture. In fact, there is no nation that is considered more historically violent than America and U.S. History is proudly taught from the point of view of 'centering' violence and warfare. This means that there is a primary focus on violence and warfare as the main subjects of American history while excluding other factors as less important. Children in school are not primarily learning that America's most significant events are moments centered in love, peace, and happiness. They are learning about struggle, conflict and turmoil from Colonial Era warfare to the War in Afghanistan. 

U.S. History Classroom Poster of highlighting major American events

Some would argue that all nations were born through violent conflict, which is untrue. People seem to confuse a nation with a country or a state. A nation is a group of people who have a shared identity, history and culture which is often indigenous to a specific territory, regardless of so-called country or state-imposed borders. A country or state is a geopolitical entity with defined borders and a government that was oftentimes established through some form of conflict and ecocide. In other words, a country or state only exists by engaging a nation of people and superimposing defined borders and a government on the lands that this nation inhabits. That engagement, as in some African/Indigenous nations, could have happened through peaceful unification of shared values among groups. Imperialistic engagement has always been marked by violent warfare and ecocide against nations. There are nations of people who were founded in peace, who lived in peace, until that peace was disrupted by White American ancestors welding a Doctrine of Discovery; the legal and religious "right" that justified Christian explorers and colonists to take the land and murder Indigenous peoples. While you can find some nations, countries, and states founded in peace and living in peace, America is not that country, nor has it ever been. And because America is not, and some Americans have accepted its violent history as normal, that does not make it normal for the rest of the world. America's violent history that it celebrates and pridefully teaches to American children is not normal. 

     2026 will mark the 250th Anniversary of America's violent founding. People around the country will be bombarded with patriotism and reminded of its violent wars and struggles of genocidal enslavers to be independent. Children in elementary school will read books about colonizers who murdered indigenous people, and complete coloring sheets honoring men who enslaved African people. The Social Studies curriculum that middle schoolers and high schoolers will learn will be U.S. History, Geography, Civics, Government, Economics, and even World History centered in violence. There is no way that these students can accurately learn about capitalism without conflict, government without turmoil, and America's timeline without war. As adults, we will be pressured into being patriotic; proud American citizens who are grateful for the bloodshed of millions for us to enjoy the privilege to not even think about, talk about, or care about it. 

The KKK marches down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in 1926

     Some may read this and accuse me of being Anti-American. No, there are many things that I enjoy about this country, yet I am also anti-devilishment, which means I am against evil and wrongdoing, regardless who is doing. With the recent deaths that we have seen, people appear to cherry pick which lives are worthy of celebrating and which lives are not. Many of us have normalized American violence to the point where we are selective about whose death saddens us. We selectively care, using a sliding scale of empathy regarding others humanity. Violence to them is rationalized by race, religion, politics, gender, age, and/or socioeconomic status. This is how KKK members were rationalized as a protected class of American Patriots and a film about their imagined heroism was screened at the White House, while they domestically terrorized Black people. For some people, the talking point “there is no place for political violence” does not mean that they categorically condemn political violence. What they really mean is “there are 'other places' for political violence, for other people.” People will express being sad and heartbroken about the death of a conservative influencer yet be silent about children dying in a school shooting, Black people being murdered in a grocery store or church, or women dying from sexual violence. They will tweet and post about no political violence when it comes to certain people... and places... in America... but completely ignore the political violence against other Americans and America's political violence on foreign lands. Some people have normalized American violence to the point where they cannot even imagine a world of peace and consider nothing more than an unattainable, unrealistic, utopian dream. The violence that we see is homegrown and as American as apple pie. They are not senseless or without reason. The reason is America has created a psychopathic culture of violence where these acts have occurred within the context of American history, upon an American sociopolitical landscape, and within an American framework of violence and warfare. It's where we live, what we celebrate, and what we do, as Americans. If we want to see different, we have to teach and show children that love, peace and happiness is of the highest value. We have to redefine what it means to be American and rewrite/retell its history to reflect that identity without negating the conflicts, turmoil, and struggles. Its conflicts, turmoil and struggles need to be decentered and not the highlight reel of who we are. That is, if that is not who we are or what we desire to be as a country. The problem is that is the source of pride for many Americans and exactly who they want to be. It's in their blood, like the red on their flags that they mount to their vehicles and fly in front of their homes. 

     I typically greet people and depart with the word "PEACE." It is a fundamental part of my language and culture to begin things in peace and to end them in peace. Whatever happens in-between exists within that fundamental framework of "PEACE." Yes, I get upset, yes things may not go right, and yes, I experience conflict and turmoil at times yet at the end of the day my orientation is peace. America's orientation is and has always been violence and war, since its 1776 inception to modern day. Whatever good history that has happened in-between exists within that fundamental framework of violence and war. If this does not change, we will continue to see the same violence.

Peace,

Saladin