The Nation of Islam (NOI), the oldest Black Nationalist organization in the U.S., has maintained a consistent record of racism and anti-Semitism under the guise of instilling African-Americans with a sense of empowerment since its founding in the 1930s.

Under the guidance of Louis Farrakhan, who has expressed anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric for nearly 30 years as NOI leader, the organization has used its programs, institutions and publications to disseminate its message of hate. Despite this record, the NOI has been given a measure of legitimacy by some political and media figures.

The NOI is currently run by its Executive Board of Directors, a group of NOI officials to whom Farrakhan relinquished his leadership role in September 2006 due to illness. Farrakhan's role, however, remains unclear; he delivered the keynote address at the NOI's annual Saviours' Day convention on February 25, 2007.

While some observers suggest that the NOI might fold if Farrakhan dies, it seems more likely that a battle for succession would develop among top ranking NOI officials. Ishmael Muhammad, Farrakhan's assistant minister at Mosque Maryam in Chicago (and son of former NOI leader Elijah Muhammad), is among the most likely contenders for NOI leadership.