Why is it so important that we teach our own?

In Chapter 20 of Message to the Blackman Titled Understanding Self The Messenger says this:

"We must become aware of the knowledge of self and the time in which we are living. You must know these things weather you agree that Elijah Muhammad is on time or out of time. If what I say is out of season, it goes for nothing. If I am on time or in season, then all I say will bear fruit."

"There is much misunderstanding among us because of our inferior knowledge of self. We have been to the schools where they do not teach us the knowledge of self. We have been to the schools of our slave-master children. We have been to their schools and gone as far as they have allowed us to go. That was not far enough for us to learn a knowledge of self. The lack of knowledge of self is one of our main handicaps. It blocks us throughout the world. If you were the world and you were a part of the world, you would also turn a man down if he did not know who he actually was. If we, the so-called Negroes, do not know our own selves, how can we be accepted by a people who have a knowledge of self?"

In Chapter 90 Were Muslims Famed to Whitewash the Guilty? The Messenger says:

"In Detroit, Michigan, where we were first attacked outright by the Police Department in April, 1934 we were also unarmed. There was on deaths on the part of the Believers.  However, They fought back against policemen who attacked them for no just cause whatsoever but that they wanted our Muslim children to go to their own schools. We refused to let the children take their first course in the public school, although the high school children in their upper teens could do so. But let us shape our children first.

This was the cause of the attack at that time and Allah was with us and we had been peaceful there all the while. However, it was said after the battle with my followers who had nothing to fight with but their hands, that there was hospitalization on both sides.

There was no loss of lives on the side of the Muslims and not a gun was fired by them. The Lieutenant of police, the Captain and Commissioner of Police, had warned them to not use firearms against us because we were not armed– this was true. But when the battle was over there were more of them hospitalized than there were of us.

One year later, here in Chicago, Illinois, the Police Court on 11^th and State Streets, there was a complaint made against one of my followers, concerning his children going to our school, the University of Islam. As the courtroom began to fill with spectators, two court deputies showed disrespect for the Muslim women. They started, pushing them around and the Muslim brothers resented this harsh handling of the women. The police officers then began beating the men and almost within seconds the entire courtroom was in confusion and fight.

When the battle was over, the Police Captain lay dead from a heart attack and others were wounded by there own gun fire. They opened fire upon my followers point blank in the courtroom because of their (Muslims) seeking justice in the charge made against us as in Detroit, Michigan, the previous year.

In Detroit, Michigan, the police Department charged us with contributing to the delinquency of minors, involving one of our students, Sally Allah, who had left the public school and had come over to the University of Islam. They had charged us with going around to the various school grounds, begging our poor black children to leave the white schools and come over to their own.

This is when they made the charge of contributing to the delinquency of minors. The records are in Chicago to date for everyone to read. Now one year later (1935) here in Chicago, Illinois, they attack us on nearly the same charge. They wanted to school our children, they wanted them to go to their public schools.

We know that kindergarten children and first graders once in Islam cannot be taken into Christian schools without having to suffer mockery and attack from the Christian children and from Christian teachers who hate Islam, the God of Islam, and the Prophets of Islam.

Therefore, we believe that to keep peace with the Christian, we must teach our children in their schools although they may study the same textbooks. And this will prevent clashes between the Muslims and Christians over the truth of history of the people and spiritual guidance and message that Allah has revealed to me.

The Message of Islam is brining about one of the most greatest reform, for a better life to the American so-called Negroes, greater than it did ever to the Arabs fourteen hundred years ago. I would compare this reform here with that of the Israelites under Moses four thousand years ago, to prove the teachings of Almighty Allah (God) of the white race being made the devils from the beginning and that they are not ones who seek peace. Thy only use the word peace to deceive the black people, to get a chance at making mischief among them, and causing bloodshed."