Walk down certain streets in urban communities across the U.S. and you might see t-shirts, artwork, and graffiti displaying striking ancient Egyptian symbols and imagery. This is the visible expression of the emerging “Hotep” subculture, predominantly embraced by some African American men.
While celebrating ancient Egyptian roots and promoting Black pride seem laudable on the surface, a deeper look reveals that some of the core ideologies fueling the Hotep movement are deeply troubling – and even dangerous.
What Exactly Is Hotep?
The term “Hotep” originated in the 1930s through the teachings of Wallace Fard Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam. It derives from the ancient Egyptian word “Hotep” meaning peace.
Hoteps embrace a philosophy that ancient Egypt and its Kemetic culture represents the origins of humanity and the highest expression of civilization, to which all other cultures are inferior derivatives. This pseudo-historical ideology fuels a sense of Black empowerment by claiming ancient Egyptians as the first “Black” people on earth.
A Nexus of Intolerance
On its face, celebrating one’s heritage seems positive. But dig deeper into the belief systems and rhetoric of the modern-day Hotep movement, and you’ll uncover an unsettling nexus of intolerance:
Rampant Anti-Feminism Perhaps the most visible and noxious strain of Hotep ideology is outright misogyny. Hotep thought fetishizes traditional gender roles, with women cast as subservient birth-givers, and men as unquestioned patriarchal rulers. Rhetoric denigrating feminism and women’s rights as “anti-family” is rampant.
Virulent Homophobia
Since Hotep principles are rooted in hyper-masculine dogma about traditional gender roles, the subculture is a breeding ground for extreme homophobia. LGBTQ identities are overtly condemned.
Anti-Semitism and Other Racist Intolerance While celebrating African origins, Hoteps often promote racist tropes against Jewish people through anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about societal control. Hotep circles have also embraced hateful ideology positioning ancient Egyptians as the original race that created all other “inferior” races and cultures.
Pseudoscience and Myth as Truth A disturbing undercurrent of the Hotep movement is its embrace of pseudoscience and revisionist mythmaking to validate its ideological beliefs about Egypt and racial origins. Provable facts take a back seat to confirmation bias and misinformation that aligns with the subculture’s warped historical narratives.
The Real-World Dangers of This Ideology
While Hotep symbolism and imagery may seem rooted in cultural appreciation, the hateful ideologies it breeds pose tangible threats of discrimination and even violence.
The rampant misogyny fuels domestic violence and femicide against Black women. The virulent homophobia enables further marginalization of LGBTQ African Americans. The seeding of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories emboldens extremism. And the denial of established science and history erodes critical thinking in entire communities.
Celebrating Culture vs. Promoting Hatred
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking immense pride in ancient Egyptian roots and cultural identities. The richness of that heritage has inspired generations and offers a profound sense of belonging for the Black diaspora.
But the Hotep movement has gone far beyond mere cultural appreciation. Its toxic stew of misogyny, homophobia, racism, and pseudoscience represents a deeply troubling underbelly that must be called out – not celebrated.
One can honor incredible ancient civilizations without promoting hatred, discrimination, and misinformation in the modern day. Our shared human family deserves far better.
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