Why I Am a Five Percenter Paperback – Illustrated, October 13, 2011

Good book.Still reading....

Very informative and edifying... Walked away with a strengthening of theories I've constructed as a student of society and philosophy.

Michael Muhammad Knight has created a masterpiece here. It is extremely honest and brilliant analysis of the many issues that come into play between religions and races here in America and elsewhere. When Knight, a (relatively) orthodox ("Sunni") Muslim writer, who is also white, starts getting drawn into the subculture of the Nation of Gods and Earths, a group that split off from the Nation of Islam, a group which claims in no uncertain terms that the black man is God (ALLAH - Arm Leg Leg Arm Head), that the white man is the devil, and teaches an esoteric way to analyze the world and gain knowledge of self, through the supreme alphabet and supreme mathematics. Knight leaves no stone unturned in analyzing what his duty to this group entails, as he becomes more and more a part of it, and identifies more and more as a Five Percenter himself. Knight analyzes very well the issues of race, gender, feminism, colonialism, and what exactly makes one an outsider or an insider. Knight learns many of the Five Percenters view him as one of their own, and a God in his own right (though he goes out of his way to not co-opt or disrespect the philosophy), while others view him as not, either because of his attachment to (relatively) orthodox Islam, his feminist views, or the color of his skin. Some of the most interesting parts of the book have to do with the history of the civil rights struggle both for African-Americans and for women, and how those struggles sometimes found themselves at odds, with black women caught in the middle. I think anyone interested in issues of race could get a lot from this, and anyone with any interest in Five Percenters (who have been influential in hip-hop since the 90s)would also enjoy it. There are some people who are bound to be offended even though Knight seems to (uncharacteristically?) try his hardest not to be offensive, but this is unavoidable with a subject like this. Peace to him, and although I don't identify with the NGE, peace to the Gods and the Earths, and all those who struggle for knowledge of self.

Great info. The brother takes you throughout the history and explains everything you may have been wanting to ask. I read this at least one or twice a year.

Fascinating, informative and all around great book.

This book is amazing. Unfortunately, whenever there is an Arabic name or word, kindle invariably replaces at least one letter with a little box symbol. This would never have happened in a print version at the same or lesser price. Very discouraged from kindle purchases

Great read loved the book

Great information, and very knowledgeable.

This was a really great book. MMK debunks a lot of misconceptions about the Five Percenters, and offers a refreshingly insightful take on their ideas. He doesn't just dismiss or accept things at face value, but really goes deep. A lot of the book is his own reflection upon topics such as race, power, gender, privilege and their intersection, and how this can be approached from a Five Percent perspective. And there is genuine spirituality in it too. It is very readable, but is not light reading!The Five Percenters as a movement, and MMK as a writer, really have a lot to offer.

Excellen

This is the second book by M.M. Knight about the 5%ers after his "The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-hop and the Gods of New York." While the previous book focused on the history of the group, its theology/culture, and connections with hip hop, this one takes a more personal-philosophical engagement with the 5%ers. The book does contain an introduction to the group and an overview of its historical and ideological evolution, but the focus on M.M.Knight's paradoxical position toward it. On the one hand, he is fascinated by Allah (the founder of the group, aka Clarence 13X) and the ideology he preached, but, on the other hand, he does not want be another white man who "conquests" a black/native culture from within and lecture its members from within how they should be politically and morally correct. On the "third" hand, M.M.Knight is a Muslim convert and he does not want to simply give up to become 5%er.M.M.Knight therefore explores various currents within Islam (orthodox, mystical, radical shi'i, etc.) jumping from Ibn Taymiyya; through al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, and al-Hallaj; to medieval Neoplatonist Ismaili thought in an attempt to find bridges between Islam and the 5%ers. He also examines some figures within the 5%er movement who were known to have a closer relationship with Islam, such as First Born Prince Allah. The final outcome, however, is not, as the book title may misleadingly suggest, is an unconditional declaration by the author that he is simply a 5%er instead of being Muslim. He is very ambivalent and cautious to maintain that he is both, but in his own way, as it is usual with M.M.Knight, which is in a way a 5%er position. Be whatever you want, but remember to be the master of you what you believe not the other way around.As with all Knight's books that I have read before, this is at once a very entertaining and insightful work that blends religion, pop culture, and biography very brilliantly.

I was expecting a book that made heavy reference to 90s Hip-Hop and all the Five Percenter references therein, and indeed there were quite a few. However, this book looked in depth at the Five Percent Nation and how its beliefs are - or indeed aren't - compatible with mainstream Islam. I didn't expect that at all, and I have actually never studied Islam in any way or form. However, I still found the passages about Muslim theology highly interesting on a spiritual and anthropological level. The author also makes some excellent points about race in this book, which are the parts of the book I enjoyed the most and will remember longest. I still find myself going back and reading passages from it now, more than 6 months later.