Building the Cypher: Moorish Science meets Bitcoin.
The African American community of the Moors fall into various schools of thought such as mathematics, astrology, and self-sovereignty. Bitcoins first principals are very similar as the magic internet
This essay encompasses a conversation with Brother D Miller-El, host of the MKD Podcast and frequent moderator on Black Bitcoin Billionaires. He gives a different approach to Bitcoin adoption in the African American community of the Moors that falls into various schools of thought such as mathematics, monetary policy, astrology, and self-sovereignty.
I have had the pleasure of building with Brother Miller-El, a Moor from the Moorish Science Temple of America. Still, the most exciting part of his story isn’t the religion based on founder Noble Drew Ali that he teaches. Almost verbatim, like he is reading from a book, his insight into Moorish Science in conjunction with Bitcoin makes him stand out. In a nutshell, the culture of Moorish Science is so multi-faceted and full of different perspectives; as a columnist, I found this particular school of thought quite engaging. The Moorish Science has a similar connection to the cypherpunk ethos. Many people deem the Moors to be an extremist group or a rebel faction living on society’s fringe. Bitcoiners and Moors have much more in common than one may think; they both strive for freedom from economic tyranny.
Moorish Science meets Bitcoin just uttering the title would make any curious intellectual want to learn more. Moorish Science means alchemy, and alchemists attempted to turn lead into gold. Well, Bitcoin is turning money into freedom. Could Moorish Science be connected to Bitcoin in ways people are unaware of? The Moors may find the digital asset a workshop of the mind from Bitcoin’s mathematics, sovereignty, and science origins. Bitcoin allows people who research it to be self-directed, and a lot of the principles-based around sovereignty connect with the Moorish approach.
Miller-El spoke on his origins in Moorish science in his early teens. He constantly questioned the status quo. The five percent nation captured his attention, especially supreme mathematics, so becoming a Moor was almost second nature. He reminisced on the various black power tribes that would litter the Harlem New York boulevards evangelizing teachings of the Moorish Science, The Black Hebrews, and 5% Nation. “We built the pyramids with mathematics, but they told you it was aliens,” some would shout while handing out lesson pamphlets or books. Each lesson was expected to expand the mind by forming profound relationships between the studies and significant experiences within life. Understanding the principles of Bitcoin expands the mind just as profoundly.
The Keys of Sovereignty
Keys are important. Keys can open doors, and keys can lock access to the other side of the entry. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The same year 700 years of Moorish Muslim rule was also ending. This dissolution of control was dismantled when the Moorish sultan of Granada and head of the Nasrid dynasty surrendered his city and handed over the keys of the Alhambra to the Spaniards. Along with these keys, the Spaniards gained access to the Moorish library housed in the castle, which had literature about the new world across the Atlantic. Brother Miller-El quickly elucidated on the connection of this with Bitcoin’s private keys and the importance of never handing over the keys to your sovereign wealth by decree or coercion.
In fighting between Christians and Muslims ultimately ended the Moor’s rulership of Spain. Bitcoin’s rulership is just beginning, and that rulership will cause disruption just like the Moors did during Europe’s dark ages. Bitcoin is also new technology, a global monetary equalizer, and confers equal rights to all users. Equal rights also correlate with the Moorish principles of Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom, and Justice.
The Moors have been getting a bad rap in the media lately as an anti-government group, but Bitcoin is designed to do the same thing once you remove the red tape. Bitcoin is anti centralization on your money, which weakens government control in theory. That same rhetoric is what the Moors have been teaching for decades, but sadly, their message receives some odd taboo. You buy Bitcoin, and inherently, it will buy you freedom. Simple. What becomes complex is anyone can lose their freedom because it has to be earned. The most significant omission to that freedom in the Bitcoin world is private critical security.
Amexem & Astrology
While delving into further conversation Brother, El kept bringing up a term Noble Drew Ali called Amexem. Amexem has many terms; it could be a destination, a landmass, or a storehouse. Some Moors consider this is to be the bank. The Amexem or the storehouse is nothing without a treasury. The Moors would go out into the community and try to convert people into a line of thinking that removes the beggar mentality. Bitcoin can be used to build a national treasure amongst the Moorish Community without oversight and control by others.
The Freedman’s bank was one of the first banks African American’s had coming out of slavery, and history will tell you how that played out and failed to uplift freed slaves out of poverty. Brother Miller-El wanted to make clear that it is not that people of color never could create the Amexem concept. Still, the major flaw was the bank being centrally planned and controlled by people outside of the community that it was designed for.
Until Bitcoin, human beings have never been able to own anything, especially African Americans. The advent of Bitcoin removes that stifling process of gaining wealth and capital flight. Everything else has a top-down, centralized power structure or can be seized and confiscated. If you don’t own Bitcoin, have fun not holding anything. This is the exact kind of conversation that is important to the Moorish Science Temple of America and humanity.
One of the most significant points said during the Amexem cipher was an idea that was uttered by Brother El in a matter factly tone. “There are 40 million or so African Americans in this country. If you just had one hundred dollars of savings in Bitcoin, that would be four billion bucks outside of anyone’s control.” This was his version of the Amexem, and a light bulb went off when he said it. Before I could say indubitably, he broke it down to an even deeper level of understanding. “Keep it 100 is the motto. I was telling folks never to get below 100 dollars of Bitcoin. That’s what the bank or treasury would look like for the diaspora if this is achieved” I found that take on Bitcoin adoption to be very intelligent and something anyone can achieve.
Superstition is the core of so many cultures. That is not to say the Moorish people are not magical. Astrology for centuries was considered as some form of magic. Divination and the nature of computer science through 0’s and 1’s can be connected to the numbers used in birth charts, mathematics, or important dates that need a record of account. As opposed to being governed by a zodiac sign or zodiac energy, the idea of Bitcoin, which the Moors fully understand, is to master your power. Astrology is a way to measure time, much like Bitcoin does. Brother El wants to clarify that Noble Drew Ali had to do magic tricks or use astrology to initially get ordinary people to believe in his message.
The MKD Podcast is a place where Brother El can express points on Moorish Science, and one of the things he speaks on is he sees Bitcoin as a discovery still being explored. He wanted to leave off the conversation with each one teach one approach. His message to the people is don’t talk about it be about it. Bitcoin will change the world, but it will require the real-world application of goals you want to see manifest in real-time.
I leave the reader with this quote Noble Drew Ali said about innovating something that causes disruption. “If I tell you that I am going to do a thing, I have done it already” Remember, the Bitcoin network has millions of people contributing to it in some way and a lot of those people remain anonymous and unspoken. Tirelessly, Ceaselessly and Globally, Bitcoin’s connection to people will grow. A subset of that connection is the Moorish Science Temple of America. Brother El will continue to do the work, and I gained some crucial insight into his contribution to making this asset inclusive and productive for all.