Brother Mouzone

Brother Mouzone is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Michael Potts. Character history Brother Mouzone (from Arabic موزون mawzūn, meaning "balanced,” "weighted") is a drug enforcer and hitman from New York City. "The Brother" does not fit the usual picture of drug-trade "muscle"; he always wears a suit, bowtie, and glasses, and speaks politely and precisely. He is also quite learned, reading magazines such as The Economist, Harper's, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The Nation. His dress, and extremely proper and pious persona resembles those associated with the Nation of Islam, more particularly its paramilitary wing, the Fruit of Islam, although it is never explicitly stated that he belongs to either organization. Also, his character might be inspired by the Black Mafia, a criminal organization comprising mainly Muslim African Americans that has close connections with the Nation of Islam, but unlike those affiliated with the Nation of Islam, is involved in drug trafficking. Upon first encountering him, the street dealer Cheese mocked Mouzone's formal style of dress by remarking that he must either be in "the Nation" or still let his mother pick out his clothes. Mouzone reveals he is a Muslim by mouthing "Allahu akbar" repeatedly after Omar shoots him, and Mouzone believes he is about to die. He is always accompanied by his "man" Lamar, who runs errands for him.