Understanding Abdul Hamid Suleiman's Canaanite Temple

Newark, 1923

Although it may not have been the original Canaanite Temple, Newark's "Caananites" Temple of 1923, led by Abdul Hamid Suleiman, reportedly had over 100 African American members. Part of the draw was undoubtedly the hope that joining this temple would help protect its Muslims from the KKK. In the early 1920s, black fear of the Klan was growing throughout America, but particularly in the North, where in cities like Newark the KKK was making new attempts to show off its power and recruit members.