INTRODUCTION
Outside of scholarly Masonic milieus and select religious movements, very little is known about Moorish Freemasonry. Incidentally, even the word Moor seems to be limited to intellectual circles, perhaps strictly associated with Shakespearean literature. On this wise, we must acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the courageous faculty of Moors who diligently labor to salvage our didactic institutions and the myriad discarded truths concerning our history.
So, whence comes Moorish Freemasonry? Well, Moorish Rite Freemasonry (or Freemasonry as was practiced by ancient Moors), owes its present day existence to Ill. Bro. Clifford E. Hazel Bey 33°/96°, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern and Western Hemisphere. According to this Illustrious Teacher, Pioneer Mason, Religious Scholar, Spiritualist, Angelologist, Activist, etc., Moorish Rite Freemasonry is a “Big picture” encompassing all humanity in a universal brotherhood. Moorish Rite Freemasonry today, is the evolved reemergence of an ancient Moorish Fraternal and didactic legacy. In addition, contrary to whatever perceptions exist, Moorish Rite Freemasonry is not an innovation on any contemporary Masonic Rite; its roots anchor in remote antiquity.
With mystifying sagacity, Clifford E. Hazel Bey is patiently engineering the pioneering efforts of Moorish Masons to re-establish Moorish Freemasonry in America and throuout the world. He has inspired us to move forward on the conviction that we are summoned forth by the decree of the Most High as the sons and daughters of light. Having braved the darkness and horrors of race relations in America, we are now divinely prepared for diversity and hold fast to the vestiges of our forefathers to shine the light of truth. This truth is rising rapidly today, as its halo hovers above the heads of Moorish Rite Freemasons in America and abroad.
Harvesting tangible potent fertilizers from a vast reservoir of spiritual and educational resources, Hazel Bey, like a passionate gardener, is cultivating the soil of Moorish history and sowing the seeds of truth for our future flowering. “Truth crushed to the earth will rise again,” forewarned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For Moors in America, this is the age of our maturation. We are self-dependent. We control our own destiny. We have reclaimed our spiritual tools and continue to fashion new instruments of industry. As Moorish Freemasons, we are the custodians of our history, the architects of our future, and the supreme navigators of our destiny. We settle today for nothing less than the erection of the true temple of Solomon at the hands of tried and true craftsman.
This Constitution, Rules & Regulations and Bylaws (called The Moorish Code) is hereby established to promote harmony amongst Moorish Rite Freemasons, strengthen the bonds of our brotherhood, cultivate respect for authority, facilitate organizational order and discipline, and inculcate the principal Masonic tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Moreover, we pray to the Grand Architect of the Universe and invoke the spirit of the Supreme Navigator of the Universe to allow this Moorish Code to serve as a standard in the course of establishing Moorish Rite Freemasonry in America and throughout the world, and to uphold the efforts which assure the perpetuity of this venerable institution.
This work began in the winter of 1999 when Ill. Brother Clifford E. Hazel suggested that a Constitution and by-laws with edicts of the Supreme Council, adopted from a Moorish perspective for governing the laws of Moorish Lodges, would be invaluable to its constituents. After some preliminary sketches, the final draft was rendered to the Sovereign Grand Commander in the spring of 2000. Suggesting some minor revisions, Grand Commander Hazel approved and recommended this work for adoption of the Moorish Rite.
Therefore, on the recommendation of the Sovereign Grand Commander and the Supreme Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of the Southern and Western Hemisphere: With my most solemn honor, I now present to the Craft this first edition of The Moorish Code.
Aalim Bey Al Dey
May 2000