Fruit of Islam, Nation of Islam’s security
July 19, 2012 3:54AM
Updated: August 20, 2012 11:56AM
Whenever Louis Farrakhan travels, they go with him.
The Fruit of Islam are an all-male — predominantly young male — security force.
According to one Nation of Islam website: “The responsibility of the F.O.I. is that of head of the house: protection, provision and maintenance of the Nation of Islam.”
They typically wear dark suits with bow ties and wear their hair close cropped. This month’s mission isn’t the first time Fruit of Islam members have flooded a community to tackle crime.
In 1988, members — dubbed “Dopebusters” — chased drug dealers away from the Mayfair Mansions housing project in Washington D.C.
In 2010, Farrakhan’s security force was involved in a minor standoff with President Barack Obama’s Secret Service agents.
Obama was attending a barbecue at the house of a friend who lives near Farrakhan. As reporters and Secret Service agents stood around a news truck parked by Farrakhan’s home, two dozen or so of his security personnel arrived to stand guard outside of the minister’s home.
Stefano Esposito
