Western fraternal organizations frequently used Eastern characteristics to connote secret wisdom and knowledge. Use of an Orientalist aesthetic that incorporated commodified, often racist imagery from Asian, North African and Middle Eastern cultures was part of a wider colonial trend during the 19th century. Jason Kaufman, an independent scholar and author who previously taught sociology at Harvard and studied the role of secret societies and fraternal organizations, said the Shriners are not unique in the appropriation of their aesthetic. From the book ‘100 Years of Love: Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Desert of Illinois, Oasis of Chicago.’ Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum Abakanowicz Research Center (They can be of any faith, though Freemasonry is mostly associated with European Protestantism.) Longtime member Paul Barber described the Medinah Shriners as a non-religious organization, “but Masons are religious men.” Masons in good standing must perform several additional rites and rituals in order to join a Shrine.Ī portrait of officers in 1893. Freemasons require new members to meet several criteria, including being adult men and being religious in some capacity. In order to become a Shriner, members must first be Freemasons. The Shriners came to Chicago not long after the organization’s founding, creating their first permanent home in the city in 1883.

They called their fraternal order the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Soon afterwards, according to the Shriners’ own historical accounts, the two men brought together a small group of Masons to create a new organization based loosely on the “glamour, pageantry and mystic splendor” Florence had seen during his travels. Fleming created a ritual incorporating symbols and motifs from Florence’s notes. Florence returned from a trip to Cairo and Algiers and shared notes and drawings from his travels with another member of his fraternity, Walter M.

From the book ‘100 Years of Love: Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Desert of Illinois, Oasis of Chicago.’ Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum Abakanowicz Research CenterIn 1870, a New York Freemason named William J.

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