Accept Your Own and Be Yourself!

By Messenger Elijah Muhammad

We are now seeking the respect of the Nations of the Earth. To get
this respect or recognition, we must lay aside many old ignorant habits
practiced from birth. Being loud to self or in the public is not good
manners.

Too much joking, yelling at one another in public, using ugly,
indecent language, swearing at each other, calling each other names,
singing foolish and filthy songs, dancing and shaking, twisting the body
in public, lusting and looking with wanting eyes at each other, smoking,
drinking the fire spirits is no good.

Chewing or using tobacco in any form, form fitting clothes, the
wearing of shorts by women or men in public is indecent. Going barelegged
in the public, gambling, games of chance, and whistling is forbidden.

Keep the body and mind clean. Take frequent baths. A total bath
should be taken daily. Stop eating swine flesh. It is a Divine
prohibition flesh. Two thirds of our ailments can be traced to the eating
of this poisonous animal called the swine (Hog).

Go cleanly dressed. If you only have one suit, keep it clean. Keep your house clean.

The woman should never invite or allow strange men to come into her home in the
absence of her father, brother (son of her father) or husband.

Show respect to self and others. Respect and honor men in authority,
whether they respect you or not. Provoke no one. Do not steal nor take
advantage of one another, because of the freedom to do so. Do not quarrel
and fight each other, for we are brothers – same flesh and blood. Would
you like to continue destroying your own flesh and blood?

Protect your daughters and women from doing evil and filth. Protect
them from the love of strange men.

Rid yourself of laziness – be smart and industrious. Do good and righteousness regardless to whom or where.

Be not wasteful, help to build a better future for self and kind.

Patronize your own people’s business. Spend your dollars among your
own kind. Serve One God, Allah, One religion – Be not divided, have love
and unity of brotherhood first among yourselves.

Help to secure a home on this earth that we can call our own. Do
something for self and kind in the way of building a better future where
we can enjoy peace and security, free from the shadow of death of our
enemies.