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B.. * Membership eee A me +: pes "ys zg (as mentioned in the Preface, public estimates of total membership. + in the Nor have been excessive, ranging between 70, 000 and 250, 000 members. The secret nature of the cult makes an accurate estimate very difficult. Many casual visitors attend various cult gatherings out of curiosity; others attend rallies and only a few meetings. However, persons considered to be members are those individuals who have attended regular meetings, written their letters of application to the "Messenger of Allah," answered the required questions, given up their "slave" names, and received their “original” X names, These procedures will be discussed more fully later in this study. ' Even the leaders of the NOI itself would have difficulty in ascertaining accurate membership figures at any given time because of the constant turnover of the membership. Between many of the individual temples and the Chicago headquarters, there is a lack of close communication. The ministers of the individual temples are in complete control of the members within their own temples. They suspend or expel members for numerous 2 ate sé to Elijah Muhammad and as long as the required monetary contributions from aigples are forwarded to Chicago, fhe natianst heaawmiocvecre ener wo Therefore, changes in the number of active members are not readily apparent. -7-