Noble Drew Ali, Timothy: - Moorish Science Temple of America, U.S. religious movement founded in Newark, N.J., in 1913 by Timothy Drew (1886-1929), known to followers as Noble Drew Ali and also as the Prophet. Drew Ali taught that all blacks were of Moorish origins but had their Muslim identity taken away from them through slavery and racial segregation. He advocated that they should "return" to the Islam of their Moorish forefathers, redeeming themselves from racial oppression by reclaiming their historical spiritual heritage. He also encouraged use of the term "Moor" rather than "black" in self-identification.