Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.)

The Two-Faced Jewel

To the American public, Shriners International is an organization of potent and conflicting images: one of fun, the other of profound purpose. It is the public spectacle of grown men in tasseled red fezzes driving miniature cars in chaotic circles, and "pantomime Arabs" marching in community parades. It is also, simultaneously, the "World's Greatest Philanthropy"—a world-renowned, multi-billion-dollar pediatric healthcare system, Shriners Children's, that provides elite, life-altering specialty medical care to children in need.

This central dichotomy is not a contradiction; it is the core identity and survival mechanism of the organization. Shriners International is defined by this symbiotic duality. The "fun and fellowship" of the fraternity serves as the public relations and fundraising engine for the philanthropy. In turn, the unimpeachable moral gravity of the philanthropy provides a higher purpose and social license for the fraternity's otherwise anachronistic pageantry.

Let's analyze the 150-year evolution of this unique entity, tracing its origins from an exclusive 19th-century New York social club for Masons to a global institution. It will dissect the organization's two primary identities: the fraternity and the philanthropy. This analysis will examine its founding as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.), its intricate and non-negotiable connection to Freemasonry, its complex and controversial "Near Eastern" theme, its robust organizational structure, and its parallel organizations. Furthermore, it will provide a detailed financial and operational analysis of the Shriners Children's healthcare system and conclude with a nuanced assessment of the fraternity's modern evolution as it confronts contemporary challenges of cultural relevancy, racial history, and membership sustainability.

The "Fun" Fraternity

The Founding Context (1870)

The origins of Shriners International date to 1870 in post-Civil War New York City. A group of 13 men, all Master Masons, met regularly for lunch at a special table on the second floor of the Knickerbocker Cottage on Sixth Avenue. This group was known for their wit and good humor, and their discussions frequently turned to the idea of forming a new fraternity.

The core motivation was a shared dissatisfaction with the perceived solemnity of their Masonic lodges. They felt that traditional Masonry, while foundational, was too focused on ritual and that its meetings had become "stale" and "stuffy". These men wanted a new, exclusive body for Masons, but one that would be centered on "fun and fellowship" above all else.

The Founders: A Crucial Partnership

Two members of this group, Walter M. Fleming and William "Billy" Florence, translated this idea into reality.

• William J. "Billy" Florence: A world-famous, highly successful actor. According to organizational legend, Florence was on tour in Marseilles, France, where he was invited to an opulent, "Arabian-themed" party hosted by an Arabian diplomat. At a time when the "mystique of the near East was fashionable worldwide," Florence was impressed by the colorful pageantry and exotic style. He brought this "pomp-and-circumstance" concept back to New York as the creative spark for the new club.
• Dr. Walter M. Fleming: A prominent New York physician and surgeon. Fleming was the architect and ritualist. He took Florence's theatrical theme and gave it structure. Fleming, a devoted 33° Scottish Rite Mason, drafted the fraternity's name, rules, and initiation rites. He penned the first complete ritual in August 1870, designed the emblem, and declared that members would wear the red fez.

The Establishment (1872)

With Fleming as the ritualist and Florence as the creative force, the fraternity was formally established. The first chapter, or "Temple," was named Mecca Shriners and held its first meeting in New York City on September 26, 1872. The official name chosen by Fleming was the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.). This name was a clear nod to its Masonic exclusivity; A.A.O.N.M.S. is an anagram for "A MASON".

The Masonic Prerequisite

From its inception, the A.A.O.N.M.S. was established as an appendant body of Freemasonry, meaning its membership is drawn exclusively from the Masonic fraternity. This remains the organization's single, unalterable requirement. The central rule is: "all Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners".

To be eligible to join Shriners International, a man must first be a Master Mason in good standing. This means he must have completed the three initial degrees in a "Blue Lodge" or "Craft Lodge" that is recognized by the mainstream Grand Lodges of North America.

Historically, this prerequisite was even stricter. For most of its history, a Master Mason was also required to complete the advanced degrees of either the Scottish Rite or the York Rite bodies before he could "cross the sands" and become a Shriner. In a significant move to streamline the path to membership and address declining numbers, this "stepladder" requirement was removed at the Imperial Council Session in July 2000. Today, any Master Mason is eligible to petition for membership directly.

Rapid Growth

The new fraternity's focus on "fun and fellowship" was an immediate and potent success. The organization, which had only 43 members in 1875, grew exponentially. By 1878, there were 425 members in 13 temples. By 1888, membership had swelled to 7,210 in 48 temples across the U.S. and Canada. By the Imperial Session in 1900, Shriners International boasted 55,000 members and 82 temples, demonstrating the powerful appeal of its unique social mission.

The "Mystic Shrine": Theme, Symbol, and Controversy

The most defining characteristic of the Shriners, and its most controversial, is the "Near Eastern" theme conceived by Florence and Fleming.

The 19th-Century "Orientalist" Theme

The fraternity's official explanation for its theme is a product of its time. It was adopted in an era when the "mystique of the near East was fun and fashionable worldwide". The organization is explicit that this theme is purely for pageantry and has "no connection with the region nor with Islam". It was intended to provide a "fun, colorful and recognizable backdrop" for the fraternity's activities, much like college fraternities adopt Greek letters and motifs without any connection to ancient Greek religion.

This theme, however, was not superficial; it was woven into every aspect of the organization's identity:

• Nomenclature: Local chapters are called "Shrine Centers" or "Temples". Historically, many were explicitly called "Mosques". Temple names are almost exclusively "Arabic" or "Egyptian," such as Mecca, Medina, Al-Koran, Egypt, Sahara, and Morocco.
• Leadership Titles: The international governing body is the "Imperial Divan," a term for a Near Eastern council of state. The head of a local temple is the "Potentate".
• Ritual and Salutations: The official greeting, used since 1872, is "Es Selamu Aleikum!" (Arabic for "Peace be with you!"), with the prescribed response, "Aleikum Es Selamu" ("With you be peace").

Iconography and Semiotics (The Symbols of the Shrine)

The theme is most visibly represented by the fraternity's two core symbols.

• The Red Fez: Adopted in 1872, the red fez with a black tassel is the official headgear and "one of the fraternity's most distinctive symbols". Its name is derived from the city of Fez, Morocco, where it was originally manufactured. The fez is not uniform; it is personalized to display the member's temple, any offices held, and his memberships in various clubs or units.
• The Emblem (Crescent and Scimitar): Referred to as the "Jewel of the Order," the emblem is a complex piece of symbolism. It consists of the two claws of a tiger, joined at their base by the head of a sphinx. A scimitar is suspended behind the jewel, and a five-pointed star dangles from the sphinx. The emblem also bears the Latin motto, Robur et Furor—"Strength and Fury".

According to official Shriner explanations, the components of the emblem represent the organization's core characteristics:

• The Scimitar: Represents the "backbone of the fraternity, its members."
• The Two Claws: Represent the two pillars of the organization: the Shriners fraternity (fellowship) and its philanthropy (Shriners Children's).
• The Sphinx: Represents the "governing body of the Shriners" (the Imperial Divan).
• The Five-Pointed Star: Represents the "thousands of children helped by the philanthropy every year."

Critical Analysis and Cultural Controversy

While the fraternity frames its theme as harmless fun, modern and historical analysis presents a more critical view. The theme is a textbook example of 19th-century Orientalism—a Western, often colonial-era fascination with, and frequently patronizing or stereotypical depiction of, Middle Eastern, North African, and "Eastern" cultures.

This has led to significant accusations of cultural appropriation and historical racism.

• The theme has been described by critics as "Cultural Appropriation at its finest".
• One academic analysis of the fraternity's founding describes it as an "orientalist playground for partying and drinking" that held "distinct racism toward the Arab/Islamic world" and "non-Whites in general".
• This critique points to the "perverse fashion" of its adoptions: building "mosques" with Arabic inscriptions of Islamic phrases, using sacred names like "Mecca," "Medina," and "Al-Koran", and mimicking Islamic greetings—all while members consumed "generous amounts of alcohol" in direct contrast to the Islamic principles they were imitating.
• For decades, Shriner parades reinforced these stereotypes, featuring members dressed as "sword-swinging desert nomads" and, in some cases, "scantily clad harem girls," imagery drawn more from Hollywood than from cultural reality.

The organization has been forced to reckon with this anachronistic identity in the modern era. The events of September 11, 2001, and subsequent military conflicts in the Middle East made the "Ancient Arabic Order" name and its associated themes problematic.

This culminated in a formal resolution passed in 2010 to officially change the name from "Shriners of North America" (itself a previous update) to Shriners International. While officially explained as a move to "reflect the fraternity's worldwide presence", this rebranding was also a strategic pivot, deliberately de-emphasizing the problematic "Arabic" and "Orientalist" identity of its past in favor of a more neutral, 21st-century "Global" one.

Prince Hall Shrinedom (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.)

A "full complete" history of the Mystic Shrine requires an analysis of its parallel organization, which was born from the same racial segregation that defined 19th-century American Freemasonry. Because Black men were barred from joining the "mainstream" (white) Masonic lodges, they formed their own legitimate Masonic body, known as Prince Hall Freemasonry.

The Founding (1893)

As Prince Hall Masons were ineligible to join the A.A.O.N.M.S., they founded their own version. On June 10, 1893, in Chicago, John G. Jones and 13 other Prince Hall Masons organized the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America and Its Jurisdictions, Inc. (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.).

The origin story of the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. (also known as Prince Hall Shriners) states that Jones was introduced to the rituals by "one Ali Rofelt Pasha, Deputy" and a representative from the Grand Council of Arabia, during the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Jones was designated as the Imperial Grand Potentate and immediately began organizing Prince Hall Shrine Temples across the United States. After a period of internal growing pains, the organization was formally reorganized on December 12, 1900, in Philadelphia.

A History of Animosity and Legal War

The mainstream, white A.A.O.N.M.S. did not recognize the legitimacy of the Black A.E.A.O.N.M.S. and actively sought to dissolve it. Beginning in 1919, "a string of lawsuits" was filed against the Prince Hall Shriners by temples affiliated with the mainstream organization, challenging their right to exist and to use the Shrine name, emblems, and regalia.

This protracted legal battle culminated in a landmark unanimous decision by the United States Supreme Court on June 3, 1929. The court's decision affirmed the legal right of the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. to exist, use its chosen name, and practice its rituals. This was a monumental victory for Prince Hall Freemasonry, and the date is celebrated annually within the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. as "Jubilee Day".

Modern Relationship: From Lawsuits to Integration

Today, Shriners International and the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. remain two separate, distinct, and international organizations. They have different primary philanthropies: Shriners International's sole philanthropy is Shriners Children's, while the A.E.A.O.N.M.S. provides annual grants to the NAACP, the Legal Defense Fund, the Urban League, and the United Negro College Fund, among other programs benefiting the African-American community.

However, the 20th-century animosity has largely disappeared. As the parent Grand Lodges of mainstream Masonry and Prince Hall Masonry have increasingly extended "mutual recognition" to one another, this amity has trickled up to the appendant bodies. In many jurisdictions, the racial barriers have been eliminated. A clear example of this modern integration exists at Tangier Shriners in Omaha, Nebraska. The sitting Grand Master of the (mainstream) Grand Lodge AF&AM of Nebraska and the sitting Grand Master of the (Black) Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Nebraska are both members of that same Shriners International temple. This demonstrates a profound evolution from segregation and legal warfare to fraternal unity and, in many cases, full integration.

The Birth of Shriners Children's

For the first 50 years of its existence (1872-1922), the Shrine was purely a social club. Its motto was "Fun, Frolic, and Fellowship," and its purpose was to provide an outlet for Masons seeking entertainment. Philanthropy was an ad-hoc and localized affair. Members aided victims of the 1888 yellow fever epidemic in Florida and the 1889 Johnstown Flood. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Shrine sent $25,000 in aid. But the fraternity lacked a unified, official charitable purpose.

The 1920 Proposal

This changed forever in 1920, driven by Freeland Kendrick, the Imperial Potentate from Lu Lu Temple in Philadelphia. Kendrick had visited a Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Atlanta, which made him acutely aware of the "overwhelming need to care for children with orthopaedic disorders". This was an era before the polio vaccine, when children with such conditions faced grim futures.

During his 1919-1920 term, Kendrick traveled over 150,000 miles, visiting a majority of the Shrine temples and campaigning for the establishment of an official, fraternity-wide philanthropy. At the 1920 Imperial Session in Portland, Oregon, he formally proposed the creation of a "Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children".

To fund this ambitious undertaking, he proposed a $2 yearly assessment from every member (approximately $2 from each of the 520,000 Shriners at the time). The proposal was met with unanimous approval.

The First Hospital (1922)

A committee was formed to select a site, initially considering a single hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. However, after further research, the committee concluded that a network of hospitals was needed to serve children across North America.

The city of Shreveport, Louisiana, which had a relatively new Shrine temple, campaigned heavily for the first hospital. Their efforts were successful. The cornerstone for the first Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children was laid in Shreveport in May 1922. On September 16, 1922, the hospital saw its first patient: a young girl with a clubfoot, who was treated in a physician's office while the building was still under construction.

This event marked the "great philanthropic pivot" that would come to define the organization. The fraternity's "fun" now had a profound "purpose." The parades, clowns, and public antics were reframed, becoming the public-facing fundraising arm for their new, noble cause: healing children.

The "World's Greatest Philanthropy"

The philanthropic endeavor that began in a small Louisiana clinic evolved into one of the largest and most respected pediatric healthcare systems in the world. Today, the organization, rebranded as Shriners Children's, is a sophisticated network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics, and telehealth sites across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Mission and Its Evolution

The foundational creed of the healthcare system, established in 1922, is that all care is provided "regardless of the families' ability to pay or insurance status". For 89 years, this was interpreted as "free care" for all patients.

However, this model proved unsustainable in the 21st century. By 2011, the system faced a financial crisis driven by "rising health care costs, flat donations and declines in a multibillion-dollar endowment" in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. To ensure its long-term survival, the organization's leadership made a critical business model shift: it ended its "free care for all" policy and began billing insurance companies for the first time.

This was not an abandonment of the mission. The "no-cost" guarantee to families was preserved through a new mechanism. Today, Shriners Children's accepts and bills private and public insurance. However, for any child, any medical costs not covered by their insurance plan—including deductibles, co-pays, or the entire cost of care for uninsured families—are covered by the system's vast endowment and charitable funds. The patient's family never receives a bill for medical services. This professionalized financial model stabilized the system, allowing it to maintain its core philanthropic promise while ensuring long-term sustainability.

The Pillars of Pediatric Care

The healthcare system's three-part mission is patient care, research, and medical education. Its clinical services are concentrated in four primary pillars of pediatric specialty care:

• Orthopedic Conditions: The original 1922 mission, this remains the largest service line. It covers a vast range of conditions including scoliosis, limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, and sports medicine.
• Burn Care: Added in the mid-1960s, Shriners Children's operates some of the world's most advanced pediatric burn centers, providing acute and rehabilitative burn care.
• Spinal Cord Injury: The system is internationally known for its expertise in pediatric spinal cord injury, offering acute surgical stabilization, long-term rehabilitation, and advanced treatments like phrenic nerve pacer implants.
• Cleft Lip and Palate: Shriners Children's provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary craniofacial care, guiding families through the entire process from infancy to adulthood, including plastic surgery, speech therapy, and 3D surgical planning.

This scope of services is summarized in the table below.

Shriners Children's Core Specialties and Services

Financial Power and Stewardship

Shriners Children's operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is financially supported by several streams: an annual assessment from every Shriner, public donations, and, most critically, the income from its massive endowment fund. This endowment, managed by a Board of Trustees, is designed to provide a "predictable stream of funding" for the hospital system in perpetuity.

The system's financial health is exceptionally strong, earning a 98% "Four-Star" rating from Charity Navigator, which praises its high level of accountability and financial transparency. Audited financial statements quantify the immense scale of this philanthropic enterprise.

Shriners Children's Financial Snapshot (Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2024)

(Data derived from audited 2024 financial statements)

This $11.3 billion asset base, powered by a $10.2 billion endowment, is what makes the "no-cost" care model sustainable. The organization uses the investment income from this endowment to cover the gaps in patient insurance, ensuring no family ever has to pay for their child's medical care.

Governance, Culture, and Affiliates

The fraternity of Shriners International operates with a formal, representative governance structure that is inextricably linked with the hospital system it supports.

A Representative Government

The fraternity is organized on three levels: local, international, and executive.

• Local Level (Temples/Shrine Centers): The fraternity's foundation consists of nearly 200 local chapters, or "Temples," across several countries. Each Temple is run by an elected panel of officers known as the "Divan," which is headed by an "Illustrious Potentate" who serves as the temple's president for one year.
• International Level (Imperial Council): This is the international governing body, or legislature, for the entire fraternity. It is a large representative body, with nearly 900 representatives elected from the various temples based on their membership size. These representatives meet once per year at the "Imperial Council Session" to set policy and legislation for both the fraternity and the hospitals.
• Executive Level (Imperial Divan): This is the 12-member elected board of directors for Shriners International.
• The Imperial Potentate: This is the highest-ranking officer in Shriners International, equivalent to a CEO and President, who is elected for a one-year term. The structure of this position legally and functionally solidifies the organization's dual identity. The Imperial Potentate serves simultaneously as the President and CEO of the fraternity (Shriners International) and as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the philanthropy (Shriners Children's).

The Social Fabric (Units and Clubs)

The "fun and fellowship" promised to new members is delivered through a vast network of smaller groups organized within each local temple.

• Parade Units: These are the most visible "uniformed units," which serve as the public face of the fraternity. Their purpose is threefold: to provide entertainment for the community, to raise brand awareness for the fraternity, and to promote their philanthropy, Shriners Children's.
  • Clowns: Often called the "ambassadors of the Shrine," these units are dedicated to "putting smiles on everyone's faces" at parades and hospital visits.
  • Motor Patrols: This is the most famous unit, comprised of the men in miniature cars. The cars themselves have "no big history or ritual behind them"; they are "purely entertainment" designed to "delight children" and distinguish the Shriners in a parade.
  • Other Units: Temples also feature Oriental Bands, Horse Patrols, Chanters (choral groups), and Legions of Honor (for military veterans).
• Clubs: Temples also host non-uniformed clubs based on geography (for members who live far from the temple) or shared interests. This has become a key strategy for modern relevance. While traditional clubs focused on golf or boating, Shriners International now encourages the formation of clubs for any hobby, including hiking, motorcycles, tech, professional development, and investing. This "big tent" approach allows the fraternity to adapt to the interests of new generations, offering a customized experience for members.

The Extended Family (Women's Affiliated Organizations)

While Shriners International membership is open only to men, several independent organizations exist for women who are related to a Shriner or Master Mason. These groups are crucial partners in the philanthropic mission.

• Daughters of the Nile (f. 1913): This international organization is open to women 18 or older who are related by birth or marriage to a Master Mason or Shriner. Their sole philanthropy is Shriners Children's. They are a major financial contributor to the hospital system, having donated over $77 million to the Shriners Children's endowment funds and for patient care.
• Ladies' Oriental Shrine of North America (LOSNA) (f. 1903): This organization, also for women, is similarly dedicated to supporting the hospitals. LOSNA contributes over half a million dollars annually to Shriners Children's, funding special projects and equipment. The materials for LOSNA notably emphasize that it is "not an auxiliary" of Shriners International but a "separate and distinct Order". This distinction is significant, reflecting an independent, female-led organization that partners with the Shrine rather than being subordinate to it.

The 21st Century Shrine, Membership, Identity, and Future Trajectory

The Impact of Fame

During the 20th century, the Shriners' cultural dominance was reinforced by its high-profile and powerful membership. The organization's roster was a "who's who" of American life, including U.S. Presidents (Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding), Hollywood legends (John Wayne, Clark Gable, Mel Blanc, Ernest Borgnine), music icons (Roy Rogers, Count Basie, Duke Ellington), military heroes (General Douglas MacArthur), and judicial leaders (Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren). This high-profile membership cemented the Shriners' image as a premier, all-American institution of benevolence and establishment power.

Decline and Rebirth

Like virtually all American fraternal organizations and service clubs (such as Rotary, Kiwanis, and the Masons), Shriners International experienced a significant membership decline in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This trend has been widely documented by sociologists like Robert Putnam and attributed to a broad decline in "social capital" and community engagement.

However, this decline is not the complete story. Recent data indicates the fraternity is experiencing a significant modern resurgence.

• The 2023 Annual Report noted that, for the first time in 20 years, Shriners International experienced a net positive membership growth over a six-month period.
• This momentum continued, as the first quarter of 2023 produced the highest number of new Shriners in the past decade.

This rebound is not accidental; it is the result of concrete, modern strategies implemented by the organization's leadership:

• Adoption of New Technology: The fraternity has streamlined its recruitment process with tools like electronic petitions (ePetitions), the WebFez membership database, and the recruitment-focused beashrinernow.com website.
• Leadership and Education: The Shriners International Education Foundation (SIEF), established in 2016, is dedicated to providing modern education, training, and leadership development skills to local chapter leaders, including nearly 400 new leaders under age 45.
• Modernizing "Fun": The organization has actively encouraged the creation of new, diverse clubs and units. In 2022 alone, over 110 new clubs were created, allowing the fraternity to appeal to men with a wide array of interests and empowering them to "build their own membership experience".

The Enduring Duality

Shriners International stands as a remarkable case study in organizational adaptation. It survived the 20th century by successfully yoking its 19th-century "fun" fraternity to an unimpeachable 20th-century philanthropic mission. The analysis indicates the organization is navigating the complex cultural and economic landscape of the 21st century by executing three parallel strategies:

• Professionalizing its Philanthropy: It transitioned its healthcare system from a "free care" charity model to a sustainable, multi-billion-dollar, "no-cost" business model that bills insurance but fully covers all patient families.
• Sanitizing its Identity: It has actively deemphasized its problematic 19th-century "Arabic" Orientalist theme, rebranding as "Shriners International" to reflect a modern, global identity.
• Broadening its Fraternal Appeal: It has diversified its definition of "fun" beyond parades and clowns, creating a "big tent" of hobby-based and professional clubs to attract new generations of Masons.

The future success of the "Mystic Shrine" will depend on its continued ability to manage this delicate, 150-year-old balance: honoring its traditions while decisively adapting its business model, public image, and fraternal offerings to the realities of a new century.

Article By Antony R.B. Augay P∴M∴