Nation of Yahweh

The Nation of Yahweh is an offshoot of the Black Hebrew Israelite religious movement, which was founded by Hulon Mitchell Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. Its goal is to move Blacks, whom it believes are the original Israelites, to Israel. The group sees Yahweh ben Yahweh as the Son of God.

History

From 1990 until his release in 2001, Yahweh ben Yahweh served 11 years of an 18-year sentence on a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conviction after he and several other Nation of Yahweh members were convicted of conspiracy for their role in more than a dozen murders. A former NFL player and a devotee of Yahweh ben Yahweh confessed to seven murders. The indictment charged 18 specific instances of racketeering, including 14 killings, two attempted killings, extortion and arson. Yahweh ben Yahweh was acquitted of first degree murder charges and was convicted of only conspiracy to murder. A ruling on a failed appeal states:

"Violent crime cases are the exception in federal courts. The instant case is arguably the most violent case ever tried in a federal court: the indictment charges the sixteen defendants on trial with 14 murders by means such as beheading, stabbing, occasionally by pistol shots, plus severing of body parts such as ears to prove the worthiness of the killer. They were also charged with arson of a slumbering neighborhood using molotov cocktails. The perpetrators were ordered to wait outside the innocent victims' homes wearing ski masks and brandishing machetes to deter the victims from fleeing the flames."

Despite the death of its leader Yahweh ben Yahweh in 2007, the Nation of Yahweh is still active. It claim that its present literature downplays and has nearly erased all past racism.