In the early decades of the 20th century, a North Carolinian named Timothy Drew, established a political and religious organization known today as the Moorish Science Temple of America Inc (M.S.T.A.). Later referred to as 'Prophet' Noble Drew Ali, he would teach the so-called 'Negro' ('Black') public of the 1910's and 20's, that they were specifically 'Moors,' and that they needed to publicly declare their Moorish nationality and Islamic faith. Drew Ali insisted upon the designation of 'Moor,' while relatively few of his contemporaries understood or appreciated the logic of placing such emphasis upon a 'Moorish' nationality. With the exception of Shakespeare's fictional 'Othello,' few 'mainstream' Americans knew anything of consequence concerning 'Moors' in any Western society.
