The nation has matured, and so has the Nation of Islam

The little girl, wearing her traditional Muslim hijab three-pleat robe and head scarf, stops dead in her tracks and points.

"Look, Mom. It's Muslim Barbie!," she squeals, pointing to a booth selling dolls wearing clothes like her.

"Our mission is to cater to the Muslim community," says Jamal Mahmoud, founder of Bee Islam, which sells the Fulaa doll now, but plans to release a new doll soon that will teach Muslim children how to pray and speak other languages. "Muslims do have a rich history of being merchants. I'm 32 and I never had a toy that was related to Islam."

About 140 vendors are in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont this weekend selling clothing, books, music, food, posters and that doll to the 10,000 African-American Muslims attending the workshops that are part of the Nation of Islam's annual convention.

Black men, all wearing suits and some sporting bow ties, and women in Muslim garb share the lobby with white men and women, donned in polo shirts and plaid, attending the Chicago Golf Show in pursuit of a better driver.

This peaceful commingling of people of different colors, religions and agendas isn't lost on Akbar Muhammad.

The 66-year-old aide to the controversial minister Louis Farrakhan was recruited to the Nation of Islam in 1960 by Malcolm X. In a room where the majority of people have taken the last name of Muhammad, he is greeted as "Brother Akbar."

Akbar Muhammad says the anger and fear that were part of most stories about the Nation of Islam in those days have dissipated. He doesn't anticipate this convention spawning any of the criticisms that erupted 25 years ago after Farrakhan, in an attempt to support Jesse Jackson, made comments offensive to Jews.

The Anti-Defamation League says Farrakhan has made "hateful statements targeting Jews, whites and gays" throughout the last three decades.

Muhammad says Farrakhan has said plenty of positive things about other races and other religions, but that people sometimes "are listening for evil, instead of listening for good." The Nation of Islam, he says, is not the same as it was when Malcolm X was alive, or when Farrakhan first came to power.

"We have definitely changed. The level of maturity - I think that has changed," Muhammad says, quickly adding that he isn't anti-white, anti-Semitic or anti-gay.

He compares his religious group to the Mormons, which also went through some ugly days and positive changes before becoming part of the U.S. landscape.

"People haven't been close enough to see the reality of who we are," Muhammad says. He says that is changing.

"White America has gone through growing pains, too," Muhammad says, noting that white people helped elect an African-American president with a Muslim name.

While Farrakhan hailed candidate Barack Obama as a "messiah" during the campaign, the soon-to-be president issued a strong condemnation of "the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan."

That's ancient history to Nation of Islam spokesman Toure Muhammad Sr., who also serves as press secretary to Congressman Bobby Rush of Chicago.

"It's a new day all across the country in many ways," Toure Muhammad says.

This convention focuses on self-improvement, with a free health screening and workshops such as "building a healthy family," "raising our girls," "importance of prenatal care," "human potential," "Amer-I-Can," "making love last," "5 ways to buy and keep your home," "arts and community building" and "reparations: our own responsibility."

"It's about individuals striving to achieve personal greatness and doing that for the improvement of ourselves, our community and our nation," Toure Muhammad Sr. says. "That responsibility rests with us - not just sitting around waiting for others to make changes."

Conventioneers, many from across the nation and beyond U.S. borders, greet each other by saying "as-salaam-alaikum," which is Arabic for "peace be unto you."

"This is a place where people from all over can find a wholesome, peaceful, respectful atmosphere," says Richard Muhammad, contribution editor of The Final Call, the Nation of Islam's newspaper.

On Sunday, the Saviours' Day holiday commemorating the birth of Nation of Islam founder Wallace Fard Muhammad, Farrakhan will address the convention. His words and tone will help define the Nation of Islam to the rest of America.

"If we've learned our lessons well," Akbar Muhammad says, "we will be fine."