It is possible that Drew Ali did actually travel to Egypt and Morocco, but historians believe that after leaving North Carolina, he moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a train expressman.
In 1913, Drew Ali formed the Canaanite Temple in Newark.
Drew Ali and his followers migrated, while planting congregations in Philadelphia; Washington, D.C., and Detroit.
Finally, Drew Ali settled in Chicago in 1925, saying the Midwest was "closer to Islam."
The following year he officially registered Temple No.
9.

There he instructed followers not to be confrontational but to build up their people to be respected.
In this way, they might take their place in the United States of America by developing a cultural identity that was congruent with Drew Ali's beliefs on personhood.
In the late 1920s, journalists estimated the Moorish Science Temple had 35,000 members in 17 temples in cities across the Midwest and upper South.
The ushers of the Temple wore black fezzes.
The leader of a particular temple was known as a Grand Sheik, or Governor.
Noble Drew Ali was known to have had several wives.
 According to The Chicago Defender, he claimed the power to marry and divorce at will.
The Moorish Science movement was reportedly studied and watched by the Chicago police.

Drew Ali attended the 1929 inauguration of Illinois Governor Louis Lincoln Emmerson.
The Chicago Defender stated that his trip included "interviews with many distinguished citizens from Chicago, who greeted him on every hand."
With the growth in its population and membership, Chicago was established as the center of the Moorish Science movement.
It is possible that Drew Ali did actually travel to Egypt and Morocco, but historians believe that after leaving North Carolina, he moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a train expressman. In 1913, Drew Ali formed the Canaanite Temple in Newark. Drew Ali and his followers migrated, while planting congregations in Philadelphia; Washington, D.C., and Detroit. Finally, Drew Ali settled in Chicago in 1925, saying the Midwest was "closer to Islam." The following year he officially registered Temple No. 9.
There he instructed followers not to be confrontational but to build up their people to be respected. In this way, they might take their place in the United States of America by developing a cultural identity that was congruent with Drew Ali's beliefs on personhood. In the late 1920s, journalists estimated the Moorish Science Temple had 35,000 members in 17 temples in cities across the Midwest and upper South. The ushers of the Temple wore black fezzes. The leader of a particular temple was known as a Grand Sheik, or Governor. Noble Drew Ali was known to have had several wives.  According to The Chicago Defender, he claimed the power to marry and divorce at will. The Moorish Science movement was reportedly studied and watched by the Chicago police.
Drew Ali attended the 1929 inauguration of Illinois Governor Louis Lincoln Emmerson. The Chicago Defender stated that his trip included "interviews with many distinguished citizens from Chicago, who greeted him on every hand." With the growth in its population and membership, Chicago was established as the center of the Moorish Science movement.
Noble Drew Ali