Reies López Tijerina, June 19, 1968

EL PASO, Texas (FinalCall.com) – Family members and activists gathered here for a three-day celebration of the great life and legacy of revolutionary freedom fighter Reies López Tijerina.

Those who love him call him “El Tigre Del Norte” (The Tiger of the North) and all who spoke of him described him as a man of deep conviction and a man of action who led by example out of a profound love for the oppressed and disenfranchised. A self-taught man who used the Bible and this nation’s original documents, treaties and laws to obtain justice for his people.

“He was one of our prophets, but more than a prophet, he was one of our messiahs,” said Salvador Balcorta, executive director of the Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe. The center does great work with a health facility, school, and technology center serving thousands in El Paso.  

Eloy Garcia, an attorney, activist and PhD candidate in history at the University of Texas at El Paso, said Tijerina was a “shining example of self-sacrifice.”

“Brother Reies for us is a shining light. An example of what one person can do and give his whole life for a community. He gave his whole life for our cause–for our people. He’s a man who spoke truth to power and had the guts to do things that nobody else did or only talked about,” said Mr. Garcia.

Many were eager to share their reflections and memorable experiences involving Reies López Tijerina. Cries of “Viva El Tigre del Norte!” and “Que Viva La Raza!” rang out throughout the entire weekend as his strong and dignified wife of twenty-two years, Esperanza, spent moments in quiet reflection and took time to greet all who gathered to honor her husband’s life and sacrifice.

Tijerina and the Chicano movement

Born September 21, 1926 in San Antonio, Texas, Tijerina inspired many during the turbulent ‘60s and continued delivering wise counsel and advice to members of the various activist groups such as the Brown Berets until his last days.

Señor Tijerina was one of the “Four Horsemen” of the Chicano Movement. The others are César Chávez, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, and José Ángel Gutiérrez. Although Chávez may be the most well-known, many consider Tijerina to be the most militant and influential advocate for Chicano rights.

Chávez steadfastly promoted and engaged in non-violent protests, while Tijerina actually led an armed raid on New Mexico’s Tierra Amarilla county courthouse in 1967. Tijerina saw his actions simply as conducting a citizen’s arrest, and showing his people they no longer had to fear corrupt law enforcement officials. That raid is credited with bringing the issue of land rights to national attention.

In March 1968, Tijerina led the Chicano contingent of the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C., working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in preparation for the huge march planned for May. Although Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, Tijerina continued to organize and marched with other Chicano movement leaders, along with Coretta Scott King and Ralph Abernathy, who continued with the march as planned even after Dr. King’s death.

He was often harassed by law enforcement, his family threatened, his house fire bombed, and other leaders within the movement who preferred more of an assimilationist, non-confrontational approach used every opportunity to criticize and discredit him. He even spent some time in prison, as most radical rights activists do, but he continued on.

José Ángel Gutiérrez, an attorney and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, was a founding member of La Raza Unida Party, a Mexican-American third party movement that actually ran candidates for public offices as it expanded across the U.S. The last living member of the “Four Horsemen” of the Chicano movement.

Mr. Gutiérrez, said he sees something of a leadership void in the Chicano activist community. He recalled a time when Tijerina attempted to place Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger under citizen’s arrest in June of 1969. Justice Berger was so afraid, he exited quickly out a back door fearing Mr. Tijerina’s wrath. Leaders like that aren’t around now, he said.

Mr. Ángel Gutiérrez knew Reies had visited the Nation of Islam’s headquarters on more than one occasion. “Reies was very far reaching in terms of coalitions,” said Mr. Gutiérrez. “I thought it was a good thing.”

In fact, when Mr. Gutiérrez was 14-years-old, he heard a speech by Malcolm X in Chicago. He told The Final Call, he actually didn’t realize who it was until a decade later.

“I attended a rally of Malcolm X, not knowing who he was,” Mr. Gutiérrez recalled. “What I heard him say when I was 14 resonated with me. When I realized who he was and where I had heard those words, now that Reies was making connections, I felt a coming together and understood better what the plight of all of us has been and who the common enemy is and continues to be,”   he added.  

Tijerina’s connection to the Nation of Islam

Although he was a former Pentecostal preacher, and Catholicism is dominant amongst the Mexican people, Reies López Tijerina desired to have his body prepared for burial in the Muslim tradition. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sent Imam Sultan Rahman Muhammad to El Paso to conduct the special preparation for his burial. For many, a request like that would seem surprising, however, Reies López Tijerina’s relationship and interaction with the Nation of Islam goes back decades.

A deep connection and friendship existed between him and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. In fact, the relationship actually goes back to the time when the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was present. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad referred to Tijerina a “prince of his people.”

In the early ‘60s as an activist Tijerina through media, learned of the work of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and sought him out. Ultimately he was successful at having a meeting with him in Chicago. Some years passed, then later, other events unfolded, and the Hon. Elijah Muhammad sent for Tijerina bringing him to Chicago.

The Hon. Elijah Muhammad met with Tijerina at the National House for five straight days. Tijerina was introduced to top Nation of Islam officials by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and he also held private meetings only with Tijerina.

Tijerina first met the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in the early 1990s during a large gathering in Los Angeles, California dealing with the unity of the Original people. There is a picture of Reies with Minister Farrakhan that he carried with him, even at the hospital at the end of his days.

Reies Lopez was a part of the Saviours’ Day convention in 2011 and 2012. During those panel discussions, there was a lot shared about the historic relationship between Blacks and Latinos. Tijerina considered the members of the Nation of Islam the “cream of the crop” of Black people. “Reies had so much love for us because of our discipline and our dedication to Islam,” said Steven Muhammad of Phoenix, who is involved in bridging the gap between the Blacks and Latinos and secured Mr. Tijerina and his family on numerous occasions.

Many members of the Nation of Islam participated in the 2008 Sedona Mxodus Retreat organized by Mother Tynnetta Muhammad. They got a dose of the Mr. Tijerina’s passion and charisma.

David Muhammad, who worked to organize the workshops and panels Tijerina participated in during Saviours’ Day said Mr. Tijerina’s history should be known. He traveled from Milwaukee to participate in the weekend’s ceremonies.  

“This man was a hero not only for the Chicano people, but for those who desire justice and self-determination for the Original people here in this country. He represents the bridge in many respects to what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad desires in terms of the unity of the Black, the Brown and the Red,” he added.

At the funeral home on January 30, dozens viewed his body wrapped in the Islamic tradition. Many from the community gathered at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in El Paso’s Segundo Barrio for the funeral mass, January 31 and later that afternoon at the La Fe Culture and Technology Center.

Tijerina’s extensive research over decades led him to Spain and even to the return of confiscated lands for many Indo-Hispano descendants. He founded an organization called Alianza Federal de Mercedes, later known as simply La Alianza, specifically for the purpose of representing and educating those seeking to reclaim what was rightfully theirs as owners of the land. Tijerina preferred to use the term Indo-Hispano to refer to the Chicano people, however many use both interchangeably. The group was officially incorporated on February 2, 1963, the 115th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo–a key moment in Mexican and American history.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was officially signed on February 2, 1948 by the United States and Mexico ending the Mexican-American war and extending the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 square miles. Included in the land acquisition included land covering all or parts of   including the land covering all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Some history of the movement can be found in the PBS Documentary “Chicano!: Quest For A Homeland” as well as the book “They Called Me ‘King Tiger’: My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights.”

Patricia Roybal Caballero, a Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, was a young student activist who gained inspiration from Tijerina and considered him a great hero.  

“He was not afraid because he studied and he knew what the facts were. He armed himself with the knowledge to support his convictions.,” said Rep. Royabal Caballero “We were 17 and 18 year olds involved in the Chicano movement and this was a stand for self-determination and the right to that which was most precious to us and that is our ties to our land,” she added.

Many students aided the struggle by delivering supplies like food and water to those involved in the Chicano movement. Often, they were charged with crossing state lines to incite riots, a newly instituted directive enacted during the time of increased student activism nationwide. Later, the charges against many of the young students were dropped.  

She was involved in the 1967 siege that made news headlines. Until this very day, her 94-year-old father does not know she was involved.

“I was there,” said Rep. Royabal Caballero. “I was also a Brown Beret and so I had training, and my father was in the military so I’m not afraid of guns. That’s that strength of conviction that you have that is so very important because we believed in the fact that the true history is that this was our land and it was not for any government to negotiate.”

Referring to the states as the “magic four corners” consisting of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, Rep. Caballero said it was a “monumental change” in the movement. Although they were at times divided over the land grant issue, Native Americans–many from the American Indian Movement–and Chicano activists, converged to support the effort.

Those student activists also linked up to assist the Sioux Nation in their struggle and also found solidarity with those active in the Black Power student movement. To show how deep the ties between the people are, her former husband, Clifton “Chuck” Sutton, was a national Black student leader, and also the nephew of prominent Black civil-rights activist and lawyer who represented Malcolm X, Percy Sutton.

It was fitting that on February 2, the very same day of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Reies López Tijerina would be laid to rest. After a twenty-five minute drive down Paisano Street, with a 14 foot high Black gate along the border separating El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, the funeral procession crossed the border into Santa Teresa, New Mexico, stopping at the Memory Gardens of the Valley cemetery.

“He was always thinking, always reading, he was a great man,” said Joaquin Tijerina, son of Reies Lopez Tijerina.“I feel real sad that he’s gone but I know he’s here with everybody. He was a great man. I’ll miss him, but I’m basically just hurting right now,” he added.

Latino Representative of the Nation of Islam, Student Minister Abel Muhammad delivered the Al-Fatiha in Arabic, Spanish and English over the modest wooden casket holding   Reies López Tijerina’s remains paying tribute to the man who was a father, a husband, leader, mentor and prophet.

“We’re here today because God has blessed us with a beautiful man whose character is an example,” said Abel Muhammad. “Not just his eighty-eight years of life amongst us but, also his teachings, his character is an example that we need right now and into the future. We’re here to say good bye to the body but not to the man,” he added.

Tijerina’s wife and others cried and offered prayers as his body was lowered while family members and those who knew him best placed earth on top of the casket.

“We’re here to give thanks because we need these types of men, these types of examples today, more than ever,” said Abel Muhammad. “Although we’re here to lay to rest the body of our brother back in to the earth from whence it came, we can never say good bye to the reality of the man, the spirit of the man, that is present here and will be guiding us and helping us into the future,” he added.

Estela Lopez Reyes, a spokesperson for the Tijerina family said Minister Farrakhan’s aid, and comforting words helped a great deal during this painful time of loss.

“When I heard his words, not only did they soothe me in my moment of pain after having witnessed the physical death of a great man, I heard in Minister Farrakhan’s voice incredible serenity and I needed that at that point and time,” said Estela Lopez Reyes. “I was a person who had just lost a friend. I was a friend who was looking for healing and peace, not just for myself but healing and peace for Esperanza, his wife, his partner, at home, in the heart and on the battlefield. He gave me that with just a few simple words that went directly to the heart of the matter, that this was a noble man who had lived, who had fought, and who had died, an honorable man,” said Ms. Lopez Reyes.

“I found such solace in Minister Farrakhan’s words,” said Ms. Lopez Reyes. “He made me feel so at peace. The fact that he took the time to personally call me and offer that kindness, I will be forever grateful,” she added.

The Nation of Islam’s support was also invaluable, with members serving as honorary pallbearers, and creating a nurturing and protective hedge around the family members during their time of grief. Having a delegation present was a powerful demonstration of unity, countering the misrepresentations of Islam and Muslims by the “dark-minded media” and “evil intentioned people,” said Ms. Lopez Reyes.

“The fact that Abel shares our cultural roots and our language is a powerful bond,” said Ms. Lopez Reyes. “To send us one of our own gave such healing to this experience and also helped those who know not of the Nation of Islam, know not of what it means to be a true Muslim, what it means to pronounce the name of Allah with love and peace regardless of   your mother tongue. To do that created another opportunity for people to learn and understand.”

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(FinalCall.com) – Bombs were dropped in America in 1921 but they weren’t part of an aerial attack by a foreign invader, they were incendiary devices dropped by those intent on destroying a prosperous Black community in the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and removing any traces of what resourceful Black people had accomplished.

Black Wall Street commemorations were being held across the United States to mark racial assaults that began late May 31 and continued into June 1, 1921.

Because of the racial discrimination prevalent at the time, Blacks were relegated to limited areas for shopping and land ownership. According to the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, the area, also known as “Little Africa” encompassed over 400 businesses and housed 11,000 residents. Residents included well-educated Blacks who were doctors, lawyers and had earned advanced degrees.

However anyone desiring to obtain an education, start a business, raise a family or anything other than servitude was a threat to the existing White social, economic and political order.

In that environment and economic reality Black entrepreneurs, professionals and the poor aided and patronized one another in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said author and economist Cedric Muhammad.

“The Blacks who struggled and prospered in Oklahoma’s Black Wall Street knew an intense form of segregation which many of us today could not fathom,” said Mr. Muhammad. “That painful reality created a circumstance of suffering and limited freedom which forced a level of unity and social cohesion that laid a foundation for economic independence. The entire community–regardless of class, ideology or status–found itself bound together in the same condition,” he added.

During the violent attacks, a 35-square block area of Black-owned homes and thriving Black businesses were torched by a savage mobs of angry Whites, after rumors spread that a White woman, 17-year-old Sarah Page, was the victim of an attempted rape in the Drexel Building near the town center by 19-year-old Black man Dick Rowland.

On the morning of May 31, Mr. Rowland was arrested by Tulsa police and taken to jail. Things became even more dangerous for Mr. Rowland after the Tulsa Tribune–one of two newspapers in the city–reported the incident. What was printed was inflammatory given the racial climate and the journalistic style of the newspaper, however, what was exactly reported is a mystery. According to the official report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921:

“Precisely what the Tulsa Tribune printed in its May 31, 1921 editions about the Drexel Building incident is still a matter of some conjecture. The original bound volumes of the now defunct newspaper apparently no longer exist in their entirety.

A microfilm version is, however, available, but before the actual microfilming was done some years later, someone had deliberately torn out of the May 31, 1921 city edition both a front-page article and, in addition, nearly all of the editorial page.”

Anger began to rise; confusion grew in light of the growing racial standoff. Mr. Rowland’s adoptive mother, Damie Ford, immediately hired a prominent White attorney to defend him. According to the historical record, approximately 2,000 Whites assembled outside where he was held ready to lynch him. Black men, numbering approximately 75, showed up to protect the young man’s life. Ultimately, the teenager was declared innocent of the rape, but violence erupted that had been simmering just under the surface. Jealous and insecure Whites had been waiting for an opportunity to destroy Black progress.

While the official report of the riot at the time reported only 36 people killed, the Race Riot Commission said up to 300 were killed. Still others say the number of dead is much higher, perhaps more than 3,000 because many bodies of the Black victims were never recovered.

A still suffering community?  

Living in America and receiving the typical Western education, most have heard of business titans such as John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan. Between the Civil War through the Great Depression and on through the end of World War I, the American landscape was economically transformed. In addition to the oil, steel, shipping, automobile, and finance industries, America’s business titans governed, cotton was also a huge source of wealth.

At the start of the 20th century, Blacks had over 16 million acres of land. You don’t hear about how coming out of chattel slavery that 60 all-Black towns were set up in America.

Jim Crow laws did not simply keep Blacks and Whites from using the same facilities and eating in the same restaurants. Jim Crow laws prevented Blacks from obtaining property, starting businesses or involving themselves in trade and commerce to develop economic independence.

The painful and debilitating effects of Jim Crow are still being felt today, and the collective economic character of the Black community suffers as an unintended consequence of the strategy of integration.

“A primary difference between our communities today and those of that era is that now, the environment which would compel our economic  adjustment  and change of behavior is missing.  So, we truly are not  forced  to unite with one another.  

This is why integration was  especially  deceptive in economic terms.   When we integrated we traded financial independence for social liberty and when we did that our dollars no longer circulated within the economic body of our community,” said economist Cedric Muhammad.

In today’s rancorous political environment, it is common to hear calls for Blacks to “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.” The implication is those experiencing trouble starting businesses or establishing thriving economies in areas where Blacks hold demographic dominance is due to a lack of desire or perhaps lack of competence.

This is a mischaracterization of present day realities, said Paul Scott, a Durham-based writer, lecturer and activist. Durham N.C. is actually considered by many to be the first Black Wall Street business district up until 1920. The legacy of Black Wall Street has been diminished by the failed strategy of integration, urban neglect, with many areas marked for gentrification.

“I think we have constantly–in our righteous nature–underestimated the lengths that the European will go to stop our progress and to protect their self-interests,” Mr. Scott noted.

In the 1990s, Durham N.C. became a “ghost-town.” Then developers came in and began to buy up the land. Land speculators and business owners from outside the area labeled the community as drug-filled and crime infested, and unfortunately, many Black people bought into that notion, said Mr. Scott.

The Durham area once known as “Black Wall Street” is now filled with White tourists and by his estimate less than 10 percent of the businesses are owned by Blacks.

“Our trash became their treasure,” Mr. Scott said, “The proverbial ‘boys in the hood’ became the hipsters in the ‘hood.’ It is not gangsters with pit bulls, it is hipsters with poodles.”

Racism, discrimination and destruction

On January 26, 1877, and again on February 7, 1877 the American Banking Association met to discuss the country’s financial future. Part of that discussion focused on Black people “freed” from chattel slavery and how it disrupted profit making schemes.

After 12-years of “emancipation” Blacks were returned to an insidious form of virtual slavery and relegated to prolonged, persistent economic, political, and social inferiority that still exists. This is not a coincidence. Each time Black people worked to establish economic power; they were targeted for death and destruction.

Discriminatory practices by large financial institutions continue until this very day. Bank of America was recently fined $2.2 million for discriminating against Black job applicants over a period of two decades. Merrill Lynch also recently reached a settlement to pay $160 million after a federal class action lawsuit was brought by Black brokers in 2005 and there are many more instances of discrimination. Many Black business districts have suffered with huge corporations buying up land, displacing residents who once formed their customer base.

In addition to Black Wall Street in Oklahoma, there was Rosewood, Fla., where former slaves erected businesses and governed their political and economic affairs. What is historically known as the Rosewood Massacre took place in January 1923 when racist Whites–again behind spurious allegations that a White woman was raped–attacked the prosperous predominately Black area’s residents even lynching one man. The Blacks of Rosewood armed themselves to defend against attack from Whites who heavily outnumbered them.

In different parts of the United States, domestic terrorism by the Ku Klux Klan was sanctioned by economic and political leaders because many were members and had no qualms about destroying Black people or Black institutions. Black-owned businesses were regularly targeted for destruction causing massive loss of investment dollars, sales, and profits. Many times, Black-owned businesses were uninsured and because of the racist policies of American insurance companies, once a Black business was destroyed, that was it.      

Trying to heal in Oklahoma?

There have been efforts to promote some healing in the aftermath of the shameful episode in Oklahoma. In 1996 the Tulsa Race Riot Commission was formed to provide an historical account of the events which transpired. A report was delivered on February 28, 2001 with recommendations for sizeable restitution for Blacks who were victimized.

“It was a tragic, infamous moment in Oklahoma and the nation’s history. The worse civil disturbance since the Civil War,” wrote Tulsa State Representative Don Ross in the prologue of the report. “It happened. There was murder, false imprisonment, forced labor, a cover-up, and local precedence for restitution. While the official damage was estimated at $1.5 million, the black community filed more than $4 million in claims. All were denied.”

At the time, there was no effort to deliver restitution to Black landowners and business owners, nor were any Whites held responsible for the “reign of terror.” Rep. Ross said, “Justice demands a closure as it did with Japanese Americans and Holocaust victims of Germany. It is a moral obligation.”

Some of those recommended actions aimed at healing the racial wounds involved direct payments to survivors of the 1921 race riot as well as their descendants, the establishment of a scholarship fund and the creation of economic empowerment zones and public memorials for the victims in the Greenwood District, where much of the violence transpired and where fires burned.

In search of solutions for Black America

During a 2011 appearance in Pittsburgh, Penn., at an annual town hall meeting hosted by talk show host Bev Smith, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan addressed the problem of “The Disappearing Black Community and How We Can Get It Back.” Historically, when Blacks get together to discuss economics, meddling Jewish organizational leaders object, and this was no exception. Despite their anger, Min. Farrakhan forthrightly addressed the issue.

“We, as elders, have some fault in this matter: When we could integrate, when we could go into the finest establishments and eat wonderful meals and socialize, we took our minds off of the prize. I read that when the NAACP, the Urban League, and other Black organizations were established, the thought behind those who helped to found these organizations was for Blacks to have a benign economic liberalism,” Min. Farrakhan noted.

“In other words, even though Blacks could fight for rights, we could not become economically self-sufficient, because the benefit was for others to take our money for providing the services that we are not providing for ourselves,” he added.

We can create clean, economically viable progressive Black-controlled and owned communities, however there has to be an attitude adjustment, said experts and Black economic advocates.

Cedric Muhammad recommends studying the rotating savings and credit traditions of Chinese, Japanese, West African and Jamaican communities as well as the free-loan societies of the Jewish community. He also recommended a study of the success of Black communities in Durham, N.C., and Richmond, Va.   The Economic Blueprint of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and its re-introduction by Minister Farrakhan is a key factor that can make saving and pooling of resources not only an inter-generational activity but a lot of fun, Cedric Muhammad said.

“Intellectually, while we do know more today than 93-years-ago, that superior knowledge of self, others and technology has not been activated by a circumstance that compels us to do for self, as they, in Greenwood, Okla., once did,” said Mr. Muhammad. “Even the vast majority of us who know better won’t do better because our intellect and knowledge does not have the power to break the emotional attachment we have to integration.  Our love for another civilization’s political and cultural identity is connected to a denial of our independent economic identity.  There is still a psychological and emotional chain that has to be broken in order for us to change,” he added.

Whether in politics, economics or crime prevention, there is often a disconnect preventing collective advancement and properly dealing with these pressing issues, added Rev. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ. “We have not had a connection between strategy and implementation; practitioner and theorist. We’ve always had the separation,” said Rev. Moss. “There has to be a strong connection and coalition for those who are doing the work and also those who are doing the theory and those who are doing policy formation.”

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CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) – The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan will continue to teach and guide the next generation of Black leaders and thinkers in a message on the campus of Chicago State University, January 25.

Hosted by the Chicago State University African-American Studies Program and the African- American Male Resource Center, the Minister is scheduled to speak on the topic: “Education: Black People and the Future.”

According to the center’s director, Ronald “Kwesi” Harris, it promises to be memorable, with students and educators from Milwaukee and other areas around Illinois planning to travel to the event. The AAMRC specializes in recruitment, retention and support for Black male students at the university. Mr. Harris said the campus is buzzing in anticipation of the Minister’s appearance.

“This will be continuing and carrying on what we initiated by bringing a leader with presence on the world stage, not just nationally, but internationally, a world traveler to speak to the students,” said Mr. Harris. “It also shows the historic nature of it,” he added.

After being effectively banned from college campuses for over a decade, Minister Farrakhan spoke at several last year. He spoke at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi in March, at the historic Howard University in Washington, D.C. in April, and in November, he addressed students at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas.

Mr. Harris said he saw the message delivered to Prairie View A&M and immediately felt it was a model for what he desired the students to see and hear on his campus.

“Sometimes our great thinkers are not given an opportunity to share their thoughts. This will be with the young people, up close and personal,” said Mr. Harris.

In a November 2011 radio interview, Minister Farrakhan discussed his most recent college appearances.

“I have always been on college campuses now affecting almost three or four generations of our people, but in the last 10 or so years, it has been taboo for Louis Farrakhan to be on college campuses, particularly the college campuses of our Black students,” said the Minister. “This is because those forces that have seen me as anti-Semitic or anti-White or racist or however they wish to describe me–feel that it is not in their best interests that I speak to Black students, but thanks be to Allah, this past year, with Nation of Islam Student Associations on these campuses, the students have invited me and their professors and their chancellors and school presidents have agreed that I should come and I am so very grateful for the opportunity to talk to our young people.”

Leonard F. Muhammad, longtime aide to Minister Farrakhan worked closely with the faculty and staff of Chicago State University to make the event a reality. He said the Minister’s insightful guidance is critical at this time and especially thanked university president Wayne D. Watson, for his encouragement and support of the event.

“Our young people–even the ones on college campuses–are growing up without being sensitive to the real needs for the future of our people, and without a message such as what will come from Minister Farrakhan, we’ll have a generation of young people, only concerned with themselves and self-gratification,” Mr. Muhammad told The Final Call. “The Minister’s message of responsibility and the role of education in the rise of our people is absolutely critical at this time, and I believe that parents as well as city officials and church leaders should all salute the Minister and follow his lead to help sensitize our young people so we can do better than what we’ve been doing during the early part of this decade,” Mr. Muhammad added.

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(FinalCall.com) – On January 22, 2009, newly inaugurated President Barack H. Obama proudly issued his first three executive orders, one of them, a directive requiring the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison facility to be closed within one year.

Nearly three years later, Guantanamo Bay remains open with prisoners being held without trial, and a new law enacted with the stroke of his pen could mean more American citizens will be joining them soon.

With people partying worldwide in naïve bliss on New Year’s Eve, December 31, Pres. Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act giving the military extraordinary sweeping powers to detain United States citizens indefinitely without trial. The law has been widely condemned by civil libertarians, activists, and American citizens who see this as further evidence of the erosion human rights, which began post 9/11 under then-President George W. Bush.

“The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it. In particular, I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists,” said Pres. Obama in a statement.

Ironically, when Pres. Obama issued the order to close Guantanamo Bay in 2009, he said he desired to “restore the standards of due process and the core constitutional values that have made this country great even in the midst of war, even in dealing with terrorism.” His signing the NDAA into law does exactly the opposite, and critics believe America has witnessed one of the most tragic reversals of civil liberties in its history.

“President Obama’s action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield.”

During a Jan. 9 in studio interview with radio host Cliff Kelley of WVON 1690AM in Chicago, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered his thoughts on the NDAA in response to a question posed by a caller.

“That act signed into law by our president is an act that is destined to stop those of us who speak truth to power,” said Min. Farrakhan. “It’s aimed primarily at a man that they know they have not been able to control. So I warn the government–you can do what you want with me–but Farrakhan is going to be found being faithful to the truth that will free the minds of our people, and whatever the consequences, I warn you, when you come after me, God will come surely after you,” he added.

Despite the White House spin, there is no way around it, this law curtails freedoms, has disappointed his supporters, and opens the door further for abuse.

The xenophobic and islamophobic rhetoric spewed from the mouths of several leading Republican candidates for president has raised the possibility that while Pres. Obama claims he will not use the law to indefinitely detain American citizens, future presidents could use the act he signed into law, to do exactly that.

Critics cite this as a key concern because according to political analysts, Pres. Obama’s reelection in 2012 is not guaranteed.

Polling data from Real Clear Politics shows 70 percent of the American people think the country is on the wrong track. American displeasure with the economy could cause a majority of voters to vote for a change in direction. Additionally, many liberal voters who supported Mr. Obama as the candidate for “change” in 2008 have been disappointed as he has hawkishly increased America’s global militarism after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Attorney Abdul Arif Muhammad, General Counsel for the Nation of Islam and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan read the entire bill paying special attention to the wording in sections 1021 and 1022, the most controversial parts dealing with those subject to military detention. Although the wording seems to suggest American citizens would not be covered, it leaves the door open should another president come into office with another interpretation, he added.

“It is important to note that President Obama himself upon signing the bill, issued a three page presidential policy statement specifically raising concerns about the constitutionality of those provisions, especially as they relate to American citizens. As the commander-in-chief, the bill authorized him to promulgate regulations to implement the law. He specifically says in his presidential statement that he would not promulgate and implement any rules or regulations that would specifically impact American citizens and their constitutional rights,” Atty. Muhammad continued. “The mere fact that he had to make this statement upon signing the bill is clear evidence of problems with the law.”

What also has many disturbed is that after originally saying he would veto the bill, Pres. Obama quickly signed it into law, forcing critics to wonder if he will keep his word relating to not using the law to indefinitely detain citizens.

“It’s not that I believe that the president is disingenuous, but there’s been a number of times during his presidency where he has quickly changed his position based on minimal political pressure,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations. “If he said he was going to give people in Guantanamo Bay due process and civilian trials, and then backtracked on that, he’s already set a precedent for me to think that he could backtrack on his written promise regarding NDAA.”

In a recent opinion piece titled “Obama’s Failed Human Rights Moment,” Jonathan Hafetz, professor at Seton Hall School of Law and author of the book “Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System wrote : “The danger, however, is that the NDAA will embolden those who wish to argue that the next terrorism suspect arrested in the U.S. can be locked away in a military jail without charge or trial. The ramifications of domestic military detention should concern anyone concerned with abuse of government power,” Prof. Hafetz continued. “Could soldiers seize and imprison a person arrested at his home in say Lincoln, Nebraska, for writing a check to a group that supported al-Qaeda? Or a doctor in New York who sent medical supplies to an organization in Kenya that provided humanitarian aid to a group in that country deemed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda? Rather than making clear that the government does not have this power, the NDAA creates more uncertainty.”

A majority of the 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus voted against NDAA, but not all. Two Democratic CBC members from Texas, Rep. Shelia Jackson-Lee and Rep. Al Green both voted in favor of it. Inquires requesting comments from both were not returned by Final Call press time. Rep. Jackson-Lee sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-NY).

Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) told The Final Call he voted against it because in his opinion, the NDAA does not represent the country’s principles.

“There was a lot of conversation about whether this was ‘Act 2′ or ‘Phase 2′ of the Patriot Act which we thought trampled on the rights of the American citizens,” said Rep. Cleaver. “We all grew up with the belief based on the Constitution that we were innocent until proven guilty and to have people detained, whether it is in this country or another country–which is another issue with this legislation–without any kind of trial, and to detain people indefinitely is not what America stands for,” he added.

Though not discussed in the mainstream media, nor by Pres. Obama’s spokesmen, in the hundreds of sections of the bill totaling over 500 pages, the NDAA contains provisions for continued funding for the war in Afghanistan.

“That war–the longest in U.S. history–has cost thousands of American lives, untold Afghan civilian deaths, and hundreds of billions of dollars. As an original cosponsor of the Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act, I believe the only defense money we spend on Afghanistan should be for the safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces,” said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) in a statement after voting against the NDAA. “Second, we should not be codifying post-9/11 security measures that threaten civil liberties. Everyone from the ACLU to the FBI has expressed concerns about the bill. By preventing the military from transferring detainees to U.S. prisons, the bill essentially ensures that Guantanamo Bay will never be closed,” he added.

According to the worldwide human rights organization Amnesty International, 171 detainees remain held there.

Even foreign nations weighed in criticizing America’s human rights record. Also citing the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay, Russia’s Foreign Ministry harshly criticized the Obama administration’s human rights record accusing them of hypocritically scolding other nations about rights abuses, while curtailing the freedom of its own citizens. According to news reports, the 90-page report directly slammed Pres. Obama for “legalizing indefinite and extrajudicial custody and the return of court martials.”

For months, troubling questions have been raised by Muslims as the net of those at risk of being labeled “domestic terrorists,” or having “ties to terrorists” is broadened to include just about anyone.

According to recent guidelines distributed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to military surplus stores in the state of Colorado, some legal activities could result in an overzealous, or fearful store owner reporting customers to the FBI. Under the heading: “What Should I Consider Suspicious?” things such as insisting on paying for purchases with cash, shaving off a beard or changing the color of one’s hair could warrant a phone call to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in that area.

With the terrible weather experienced in the year 2011, it would not be surprising to discover an increasing number of self-reliant and forward thinking people purchasing and storing food and supplies in the event of a weather emergency, however, according to the FBI’s guidelines, anyone purchasing weatherproof match containers, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), flashlights or gas masks could be suspect.

Furthermore, as it relates to Muslims, the well-publicized “foiled plots” and prejudicial trials appear to be energizing a well-financed “anti-Sharia” movement that opposes the building of mosques in the U.S. To the intellectually incurious, political operatives such as GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, and former candidates Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain give the movement a patina of legitimacy.

Fueled by the hate-filled Islamophobic writings and rhetoric espoused by those classified by the Center for American Progress as “misinformation experts,” many Americans are victims of the virulent anti-Muslim propaganda that has been allowed to spread unchecked.

Right-wing conservative writers like Daniel Pipes at the Middle East Forum, Jewish blogger Pamela Geller and her patron, Robert Spencer of JihadWatch, along with the bloviating rhetoric espoused by media personalities such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have created a dangerously xenophobic climate for Muslims in the U.S., and abroad.

When 32-year-old White blonde-hair blue-eyed Norwegian Anders Breivik gunned down dozens of youth in July, he saw himself as a soldier in the battle to prevent the “Islamic Colonization of Europe.” In his heavily footnoted manifesto, Mr. Breivik echoed the views of those spearheading the persecution of Muslims here. Mr. Spencer’s writings were cited 162 times, Ms. Geller’s blog was cited 12 times. Both denied responsibility for inciting Mr. Breivik to murder, while at the same time accusing Muslim writers, lecturers and scholars of inciting “terrorism plots” that have never even materialized.

A 2010 study released by Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill titled “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans” found that while a tiny number of Muslims may have been angered and possibly “radicalized” following the events of 9/11, “the vast majority of Muslim-Americans reject radical extremist ideology and violence.” The researchers did however, find a significant increase what they termed “anti-Muslim bias.”

Following the drone killing in Yemen of American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, Mr. Mohammed Shafiq, Chief Executive of the UK-based Ramadhan Foundation spoke out against Al-Qaeda but warned against the Obama administration’s escalating number of extrajudicial assassinations.

“Al Qaeda’s ideology of violence and killing is evil and has no justification in Islam and we in the Muslim community abhor this ideology as our Islamic duty,” said Mr. Shafiq. “Human rights should not be disregarded when it comes to alleged terrorists but the process of law should be followed,” he added.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union have monitored cases involving many individuals classified as “terrorist sympathizers” for their obvious First-Amendment implications as well as the potential for abuse.

Mr. Walid believes the “material support for terrorism” designation or accusing persons or groups of being “affiliates” of terrorist groups is “too ambiguous” and demonstrates a “lack of transparency” dealing with how individuals and groups are labeled by government and law enforcement officials.

“My concern in the language is in the ambiguous word ‘affilliates.’ Affiliates can be detained, and an affiliate is a very loose term like–what does that mean? That’s what really bothers me and this isn’t something that Muslims alone should be worried about–people of other faith traditions (also) because it’s very easy that someone could be put on a list and classified as a so-called ‘sympathizer,’” Mr. Walid added.

Could a scholar or researcher who has read “controversial” literature and published commentary regarding it or any author espousing views considered by some to be “radical” be snared in the net of being classified as a potential terrorist? Could an internet blogger posting what may be considered “unpopular” political views  find themselves in the same situation? Any American citizen who has attended an educational facility or even a seminar overseas–especially in one of the regions considered by the U.S. to be a “haven for terrorists”– could possibly find themselves on a terrorist watch list, even if they have not been involved in anything remotely related to terrorist acts.

Analysts say jailing people simply for the power of their ideas while using circumstantial evidence such as travel habits is a slippery slope unrepresentative of the noble ideals espoused by the Obama administration. It also ignores the role of America’s unpopular foreign policy related to the Muslim world as well as unpopular military action in Muslim lands as reasons for growing angry dissent domestically and internationally.

“The Muslim world is boiling,” said editor of The Arab Journal, Ali Baghdadi. “Obama went to Turkey–which is an Islamic country–and spoke in Istanbul, he went to Egypt and spoke at Cairo University, he told the entire Muslim world that the United States is not an enemy of Islam and he promised to have change, he promised to have hope, and everything was nothing but a lie. The man may have good intentions but he doesn’t have the strength to stand up to the Israeli lobby and he does not have the power to stand up to big business and the war industry,” he said.

In a recent interview while in Saint Kitts during his Caribbean Tour, Minister Farrakhan, said it was “unfortunate” that Pres. Obama is now seen by many as an “extension of George W. Bush” and his administration’s unpopular policies.

Mr. Walid agreed, saying not only is he disappointed in Pres. Obama, he is disappointed in many of the traditional Black civil rights leaders and organizations for their failure to challenge the president on this issue and others like it.

“I’m disappointed in our Black civil rights leaders and organizations that raised a number of concerns very vocally regarding President Bush and his administration’s erosion of civil liberties in America but they’ve been deafly silent on a number of these issues as it relates to Obama,” said Mr. Walid. “If we are to be a people about justice, we have to hold people accountable.”

Citing the Gulf War under George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and most recently, the U.S.-led NATO military aggression resulting in the removal and assassination of Col. Muammar Gadhafi, Atty. Muhammad said the Minister’s consistent outspokenness on behalf of the oppressed has placed him as the sole voice of justice and therefore, a possible target of this law.

“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has always been a person who has exercised his first amendment constitutional right to free speech to raise a voice of dissent against America’s foreign policies that are unjust to oppressed peoples,” said Atty. Muhammad. “The question becomes, whether or not his exercise of his right to express his dissent can be interpreted under this law to be a justifiable basis to detain him in military custody without benefit of his constitutional right to trial.”

Last February, during his Saviours’ Day 2011 keynote address, Minister Farrakhan presciently and prophetically spoke about this very subject relating to the history of his teacher, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, with direct references to events that he may experience in the near future in an attempt by the U.S. government to neutralize him.

“These are my words for our brother president, Barack Obama: In 1942, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was sent to prison because President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an Executive Order to take him off the streets when America was prosecuting a war, and America needed some Black bodies to go and fight a war even though there was no benefit for us in fighting such a war. And now, the Zionists are pushing President Obama to go to war with Iran over some suspected nuclear power that the Israelis have that Iran does not have,” said Minister Farrakhan. “Do you think that they’re afraid of my voice? Yes they are! I don’t have any guns. What I have is something in my mouth that’s more powerful than guns! While most of you with “guns” can’t shoot straight anyway, with The Truth that I speak, I don’t miss a soul! Allah’s Truth finds you wherever you are! If America goes to war, President Obama, like President Roosevelt, may be forced to sign an Executive Order that he’s not fully in agreement with, to take Farrakhan off the streets; and charge him with ‘sedition’ and ‘treason.’”

(Follow Ashahed Muhammad @ http://twitter.com/ashahedm)

Related News:

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ACLU challenges secret spying law  (FCN, 04-27-2010)

Congress Must Hold Hearings On Sweeping Surveillance  (FCN, 01-11-2010)

Cointelpro 2009: FBI up to old dirty tricks?   (FCN, 04-18-2009)

Secret ties between CIA, drugs revealed  (FCN, 1996)

Nation of Islam Targeted by Homeland Security  (FCN, 12-24-2009)

The post National Defense Authorization Act lays foundation for targeting political dissenters, activism appeared first on Final Call News.

(FinalCall.com) – The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan wrapped up 2011 with a tour of the Caribbean delivering a clarion call for unity, and independence through self-determination to the leaders of these nations as well as the youth.

This was a consistent theme throughout this year, beginning with his 2011 Saviours’ Day message. In it, he presciently warned the tumult being witnessed in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain was headed to America.

“You’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door, America,” Minister Farrakhan told a crowd of over 16,000 with thousands more watching globally via live Internet webcast. The year 2011 saw the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement begin in New York city, then spread across the United States. In many instances, the protesters were met with significant force by police. By all accounts, the movement was one of the most noteworthy events of the year.

During that message, the Minister also advised President Obama to remember his words to other nations concerning freedom of assembly and the freedom to protest. These disturbing events now seen on foreign shores are a sign that the Great Mahdi–God Himself, the Saviour–is in the world today and all tyrants will be sat down, the Muslim leader warned.

A few days later, with the conflict in Libya growing, Minister Farrakhan was interviewed by radio talk-show host Cliff Kelley of WVON 1690 AM in Chicago on March 10. The Minister again used the airwaves to warn Pres. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for their arrogance in meddling in Libya’s affairs.

Min. Farrakhan instructed Americans to look beneath the surface to see who stands to benefit from the unrest, and warned Pres. Obama to be careful of the words coming from advisors lobbying him to move in with military forces to depose Col. Gadhafi. One video snippet posted by The Final Call went viral gaining nearly 300,000 views in one day. The popular Google-owned YouTube removed the video at about the 400,000 mark due to “inappropriate content.” After numerous complaints and emails from Farrakhan supporters, the YouTube restored the video.

It was then on to Pittsburgh, where Minister Farrakhan would speak March 11 at a townhall meeting hosted by talk show host Bev Smith. During the days prior to the event, Ms. Smith received calls from Jewish leaders expressing their displeasure at her decision to invite Min. Farrakhan.

Despite their attempts the Minister was joined by Rep. James Clyburn, (D-S.C.) and longtime civil rights activist Dorothy Tillman, who gladly paid her own way and stepped in to fill the slot vacated by Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation who backed out just days before the townhall meeting fearing the loss of future funding, according to Ms. Smith.

Though saddened by the unnecessary controversy fomented by those determined to make mischief, Minister Farrakhan was unapologetic in his delivery of a clear message as a warner from God, and again pledged support for Ms. Smith, who received death threats in the days leading up to the event. There was also a reported bomb threat at the August Wilson Center the day of the townhall meeting.

“I love the truth and I love you and I refuse to compromise my principles to get along,” said Min. Farrakhan. “My love of God makes me put my trust completely in Him.”

Ms. Smith told The Final Call the threats did not rattle her and her faith in God and love of the truth keeps her protected. “Honey, I’ve been shot at before. I’ve marched against the Ku Klux Klan before, and my daughter’s school was threatened and I had to have the FBI for six weeks put the key in my door here in Pittsburgh because I went into the prisons and talked about how White prison guards were treating Black inmates. I had my car stolen, I was shot at, and the hole is still in the window at the old radio studio–but do you see me?”

Next, the Minister would travel to Jackson, Mississippi as the keynote speaker at the 6th Annual Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement Conference on March 25.

A full media contingent was present including a film crew from France. Lines wrapped around the auditorium as a diverse crowd, packed the McCoy Auditorium on the campus of Jackson State University. Again, days prior to the event, a coalition led by Jewish rabbis publicly expressed their displeasure that Min. Farrakhan was chosen as the keynote speaker.

“Wherever I go, it seems as though there is controversy,” Minister Farrakhan said. “Have you ever seen Whites so afraid of something that a Black man is saying that they don’t want you to hear it? asked Min. Farrakhan. “A liar is always afraid when there is a bold person that is willing to speak the truth and give his life for that truth.”

Wasting no time, Allah moved Minister Farrakhan to speak publicly and boldly about his relationship with embattled leader Col. Muammar Gadhafi, his longtime brother and friend. Holding a press conference March 31 at Mosque Maryam, the international headquarters of the Nation of Islam, the Minister said the bombing of Libya ended hope in Africa and in the Middle East that President Obama would usher in a different type of U.S. policy. Col. Gadhafi has been hated by America for his revolutionary ideology and stand against imperialistic exploitation of poor nations. The media will never report the good Col. Gadhafi did for many across the globe, the Minister said.

“It’s a terrible thing for me to hear my brother called these ugly and filthy names when I cannot recognize him as that. So even though the current and the tide is moving against him, what kind of brother would I be if a man has been that way to me, and to us, and when he is in trouble, I refuse to raise my voice in his defense?” asked Min. Farrakhan as the audience exploded into cheers and applause. “I love Muammar Gadhafi and I love our president. It grieves me to see my brother president set a policy that would remove this man, not just from office, but from the earth,” he added.

Then, on Apr. 2, Minister Farrakhan delivered an historic message on the campus of Howard University. The campus hosted a four-day conference bringing together leaders from several historically Black colleges and universities to discuss the direction of student activism and their role in solving the problems plaguing the Black community.

Minister Farrakhan was very happy to have the opportunity to speak to the best and brightest young minds within the Black community.

“As an elder–if you will–I could not help but feel great joy over what I heard from these young giants of ours,” said the Minister after taking the stage to a rousing standing ovation at a packed Cramton Auditorium. “This probably is one of the sweetest moments that I have had in a long, long time,” he added.

At the close of his message, Minister Farrakhan gave copies of the book, The Secret Relationship Between Black and Jews Volumes One and Two as well as a DVD of the message he had just delivered on to all the conference participants.

In the month of May, Minister Farrakhan delivered two important messages to the members of the American Clergy Leadership Conference. On May 17 he spoke to them in Chicago at the Life Center Church of God in Christ led by Pastor T.L. Barrett Jr., and on May 28 he spoke to them again in Harlem, New York at the historic Salem United Methodist Church.

Minister Farrakhan said the “Death Angel” is already in America. This is shown by the devastating tornadoes that have destroyed towns across the land over the past few months and the winter storms that struck over the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. Even with a Black president, Barack H. Obama, Minister Farrakhan said, America will not escape God’s judgment.

“We voted for our brother Barack, a beautiful human being with a sweet heart, and now, he is an assassin. They’ve turned him into them,” said Min. Farrakhan. “America can sit down tyrants, but who will sit her down?”

Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, Jr., national president of the American Clergy Leadership Conference, told The Final Call he admires Minister Farrakhan because he leads by example, and is a man of principle, at a time when many spiritual leaders sacrifice principle for popularity.

“The sterling quality that I appreciate most about the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is that he is uncompromising when it comes to spiritual principles and he does not base his message on what will tickle the ear or what is popular to receive an applause,” Archbishop Stallings said. “What is more important to him is principle rather than power. It is service rather than being served.”

On June 8, Minister Farrakhan came to the aid of longtime friend and civil rights activist Dorothy Wright Tillman and her daughter Jimalita, as they fought the City of Chicago to maintain control of the Harold Washington Cultural Center in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

The Minister said Dorothy Wright Tillman has always been an outspoken defender of the people.

“I’m here to defend the honor, the integrity, the warrior spirit of a woman and to defend her legacy because this cultural center represents what’s deep within her being for us,” he said.

In a June 15 press conference at the Millennium United Nations Plaza Hotel in New York, Minister Farrakhan lambasted NATO, the U.S. government and all those who had joined in the military operation to kill Col. Muammar Gadhafi as a “coalition of demons”

“I am happy to see the press, but it’s irrelevant to me if you print one word, or no words. I’m here to make a statement,” he told the international media contingent gathered there.

Minister Farrakhan’s words were translated into Arabic and viewed internationally live via Internet webcast in several African nations, including Libya.

During his remarks lasting a little over 45 minutes, the Minister announced to the world that God’s period of grace and time for America to repent is over. The United Nations has also embarked on a destructive course by supporting deadly U.S. and Western-instigated aggression against Libya, he added.

On August 6, in remarks wrapping up the Nation of Islam’s 4th Annual Educational Conference themed: “Developing A Nation of Readers” Minister Farrakhan told parents, students and educators that the time is now to create a new educational reality, rendering the old White supremacist educational system and its curriculum irrelevant. “If a curriculum does not prepare a student for life itself, then it is a worthless curriculum,” said Min. Farrakhan.

Minister Farrakhan returned to Harlem on August 13 to deliver the keynote address at the Millions March in Harlem, where a crowd stretched for blocks down Malcolm X Boulevard. The gathering in the historic Mecca for Black culture and political thought was organized by the December 12th Movement to demand an end to the U.S.-NATO military assault on Libya, to denounce imperialist moves to recolonize Africa.

“We must speak truth to power or die! We must not be afraid to tell the truth even if it means we lose our lives because there is nothing more precious in this universe than truth,” said the Minister. “We are in great trouble as we speak and if our leaders will not tell us and guide us properly then they’re going down and they’ll take us down with them. This is why the Bible says ‘if the blind lead the blind both fall in the ditch’ and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said the ditch represents hell and destruction. Right now as a people we’re in hell and we are being destroyed and there are forces that are planning our destruction.”

On September 11, Minister Farrakhan delivered a special message at Mosque Maryam to those who attended the three-day 2011 National Vanguard Retreat. Wrapping up three days of spiritual and physical renewal for young women of the Nation of Islam as Muslim women and girls from all across the United States and as far away as Montreal, Canada, the Minister said the enemy’s aim has been to devalue the woman transforming her into a sexual plaything instead of treating her with the reverence and honor she deserves as a serious co-creator with God.

“No matter what your race, color or ethnicity, you have never looked at yourself as a part of The Divine. That will change today,” Min. Farrakhan told the packed auditorium and those viewing live via internet webcast. “God cannot make us the head if the woman is not lifted. If God does not lift the woman, the man will never come up, so if God is going to make a new world and a better world, He is going to make that world coming through a woman,” he added.

Several powerful events took place in Philadelphia, the city hosting the 16-year anniversary commemoration of the Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement.

In his October 9, keynote address, Minister Farrakhan served notice to leaders still selling the failed promise of America and warned Black people to accept responsibility for their own destiny or face chastisement from God–and ultimately complete elimination.

“Whether you know it or not, we are at war! Our survival as a people is at stake and no weak-kneed, cowardly leaders need to stand in front of Black people today! This is a time for real men! Men that understand that in order for people to be free, sacrifice has to be made, the loss of life has to take place, blood must flow in order for people who are enslaved to be free!” declared Min. Farrakhan.

He followed up with another passionate message delivered Oct. 16 at Mosque Maryam. He again warned Black America was in a struggle for her very survival and offered a stirring call for separation inside America. Create clean, economically viable, progressive, Black-controlled and Black-owned communities, starting with the purchase of land, he said, and get acquainted with the Program of The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who offered solutions to these problems decades ago.

On Oct. 19, Minister Farrakhan joined the members of Christ Universal Temple as they celebrated 55 years of service within the community. He also delivered encouragement and guidance to 41-year-old Rev. Derrick Wells, the senior minister for the church, taking over for its legendary founder, the Rev. Dr. Johnnie Colemon.

On Oct. 20 it was widely reported by national and international media that longtime Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gadhafi had been killed. Minister Farrakhan waited several days to speak publicly about the events transpiring in Libya and returned to the familiar setting of WVON 1690AM for an in-studio interview with host Cliff Kelley.

Minister Farrakhan entered the studio October 25 with a focused and extremely serious look on his face as Mr. Kelley asked him how he was feeling.

“I feel like I have lost a very, very important member of my own family. I can’t take the assassination of Muammar Gadhafi lightly, as I could not take the assassination of my brother, or my mother, or my wife or my children lightly. That’s the kind of relationship that we had and that we have,” Min. Farrakhan responded. “I’ve come to say to the world that the Nation of Islam mourns the loss of a great brother, leader, the Lion of the Desert, the Lion of Africa, and those who rejoice at his death, your laughter will turn to tears and your joy will turn to sorrow and great pain because of what the Western world and those collaborators will lose as a result of his betrayal and his ultimate assassination.”

Mr. Kelley invited Minister Farrakhan back again Nov. 3 to discuss issues of Black survival during this critical time. Minister Farrakhan again emphasized unity, cooperative economic action, investment and acquisition of land.

Speaking at Prairie View A&M University for the first time since December 1988, Minister Farrakhan addressed nearly 4,000 students in the William “Billy” Nicks arena Nov. 9.

The audience sat and listened attentively for nearly two hours as the Minister in his unique way, gave instruction from the Bible, the Holy Qur’an and historical anecdotes, to prepare the minds of the next generation of Black leaders. Prairie View A&M offered him a $5,000 honorarium to appear, however, he turned it down and asked them to give a scholarship instead.

In his remarks, the Minister challenged the “bourgeoisie” thinking that often infects the minds of the Black community’s educated class.

“What is the purpose of education? Are we just in school to get an education so that we can go out and get a job and make some money, ride in a car, live in a nice home, abandon the ghetto and leave your brothers and sisters behind and think that we’ve made progress in the world? Is this what God intended when he asked us to go after knowledge from the cradle to the grave?” he asked the audience.

“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s visit has focused the believers and conscious community on self sufficiency. There has been a greater willingness among leaders to have serious discussions about setting a local Black agenda to clearly define our self interests and thereby create a metric to measure the quality of service of public officials and institutions,” said Southwestern Regional Student Minister Robert S. Muhammad.

On Nov. 19, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Minister Farrakhan. There are many members of the Nation of Islam who are also members of Omega Psi Phi, all of whom shared their happiness at hearing that the Minister would be honored in such a manner.

On Nov. 23, Minister Farrakhan delivered analysis of national and international affairs in light of history, scripture, and prophecy for the radio listeners and those tuning in nationwide via internet in an interview with Southwestern Regional Student Minister Robert Muhammad, host of “Connect the Dots” radio show on 90.1 KPFT FM in Houston.

The post Minister Farrakhan’s faithful warnings in 2011 appeared first on Final Call News.

America Hijacked! Who loses when the country’s political reality, finances and foreign policy are dictated by lobbyists?

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in a recent message to nearly 4,000 on the campus of Prairie View A&M told the naked truth about America’s corrupt political system.

“When you become a governor or a senator–somebody in political power, you don’t see the power behind the power,” the Minister said. “The real power is not what you see. The real power is the unseen reality that moves what you see.”

The unseen powers in America’s political system are the advisers and lobbyists operating in the shadowy corridors near decision-makers in Washington D.C.

In 2007, Professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer’s groundbreaking work titled, “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” opened many eyes to the powerful influence of the Israel lobby in America. Since then, more have come to the realization that like-minded groups of wealthy donors pour money into the political system with the goal of electing officials that will govern in the best interests of the moneyed few.

The rapacious greed and fraud committed by highly placed members of the global financial services industry within America’s economic hierarchy has been revealed and the Occupy Wall Street movement is a sign of the anger and dissatisfaction that is boiling just under the surface.

Recent polling data from Real Clear Politics shows that nearly 82 percent disapprove of the job being done by the U.S. Congress and over 73 percent believe the country is on the wrong track. Much of this dissatisfaction seems to arise from feelings that the American political system only benefits wealthy campaign donors and only responds to powerful lobbying groups.

One of the groups accused of hijacking the American political system is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Leading the Israel-first lobby, AIPAC with its 100,000 members uses political leverage to shape American foreign policy. According to its website, AIPAC believes: “These efforts are critical to Israel’s security and to American interests in the Middle East and around the world.”

AIPAC also relies heavily on its contacts with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group composed of 52 national Jewish organizations working on Israel’s behalf.

To AIPAC, it doesn’t matter whether the president is a Democrat or a Republican, or which political party dominates the U.S. Congress. At AIPAC’s annual conference, both parties bow in deference to the powerful lobby and will kowtow to its demands. Republicans and Democrats have been engaged in political gridlock during President Barack Obama’s entire tenure in office, but when it comes to Israel, there is total agreement. To use the president’s words, the relationship between America and Israel is “sacrosanct.”

Some activists have called for shutting down powerful lobbying groups like AIPAC and its tax-exempt appendage, the American Israel Educational Foundation (AIEF) which sponsors annual trips to Israel.

During this year’s summer recess–with congressional approval ratings in the teens–instead of going back to their districts to deal with the needs of their constituents, 81 members of Congress went on a trip to Israel.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) led the Democrats and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) led Republicans straight to Israel. Among those making the journey was Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Illinois) along with 47 freshman congressmen who were just voted into office in 2010. Some question whether the time and resources could be better used.

According to the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the total amount of military aid to Israel, for fiscal years 2009-2018 will reach $30 billion. The share of that financial burden for the state of Illinois is approximately $1.47 billion. In the state, that amount of money could provide 17,916 households per year with affordable housing grants, or 24,493 job seekers per year with green jobs training or, 43,627 children per year with early reading education or 1,194,940 people per year with primary health care.

In an article titled “Robbing Peter to Pay Israel,” Josh Ruebner, national advocacy director for the group took Rep. Jackson to task for the trip.

“Nearly 20 percent of the constituents of Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Illinois) live under the poverty line, and nearly 15 percent are unemployed. Jackson’s congressional district, covering parts of the south side of Chicago and its southern suburbs, has been hit harder than many others by the crises plaguing the economy. Many of his constituents are looking at even more cutbacks in social services, higher prices for food and fuel, and ever scarcer jobs,” wrote Mr. Ruebner. “Constituents should be irate that members of Congress accept fancy trips from AIPAC-affiliates and contributions from AIPAC-inspired political action committee (PACs) that result in the United States prioritizing weapons to Israel above our basic economic rights,” he continued.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in America hovers near 9 percent. Black unemployment stands at nearly 16 percent.

By contrast, according to Bloomberg, Israel’s unemployment rate has reached historically low levels declining to 5.5 percent in the second quarter.

America’s national debt is heading speedily towards $16 trillion. According to economists, each U.S. citizen’s share of the national debt is approximately $48,300. The total U.S. debt, which includes households, businesses, state and local governments, financial institutions and the federal government is close to $60 trillion–approximately $180,201 per citizen, $682,827 per family.

At a recent fundraiser in Manhattan, speaking before wealthy campaign donors at the residence of Jack Rosen, chairman of the American Jewish Congress, Pres. Obama defended his administration’s policy towards Israel, and pledged his commitment to Israel’s security.

“No ally is more important than the state of Israel,” Pres. Obama was quoted as saying in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “We don’t compromise when it comes to Israel’s security,” he added.

In 2008 Mr. Obama got over 80 percent of the Jewish vote and needs support on that level to win re-election in 2012. Despite winning the Nobel Peace Prize, critics describe Pres. Obama as being hawkish after ramping up drone attacks in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. All of the Republican obstructionism seems to have pulled the “change candidate” to the political right while the conservatives have become even more xenophobic and militaristic.

Alison Weir, president of the Washington D.C.-based Council for the National Interest, told The Final Call Pres. Obama’s extrajudicial assassinations, inability to obtain justice for the Palestinians, and Iran are perfect examples of how the Israel lobby–using its shadowy influence through political operatives–hinders conflict resolution and causes war.

“Obama was elected because people wanted a candidate of change. They wanted what he represented–an unbigoted nation where an intelligent African American could be and would be president without race preventing it. That’s what people voted for, but then we have that person who got that mandate then continuing policies or increasing policies that were unacceptable,” said Ms. Weir.

The same groups that pushed America towards war in Iraq have now set their sights on the Islamic Republic of Iran, she said.

“They are no threat to Israel, they don’t have any nuclear weapons and I think it’s unlikely they’re trying to develop them, (but) it’s plausible, there’s every motivation to develop them when you’ve got a neighbor (Israel) that has nuclear weapons and has a history of invading,” said Ms. Weir. “Think if you had a neighbor that had a hundred machine guns and had a habit of invading all his neighbors you’d think ‘I’d better get at least one machine gun.’”

It appears as if the efforts of the Israel-first lobby and the gay rights lobby have been successful, as many of their talking points have become central pillars of America’s foreign policy.

Pres. Obama recently issued a directive through his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordering U.S. agencies located internationally to use foreign aid on behalf of gay rights.

In a Dec. 6 speech by Sec. Clinton delivered at the European headquarters of the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland , she also announced that $3 million would go to establish a Global Equity Fund that would be used along with the considerable diplomatic power of the U.S. to work on behalf of LGBT rights.

The Republican Jewish Coalition held a Dec. 7 forum at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. with six of the Republican presidential candidates all doing their best to prove they will be “Israel’s best friend” in the White House, maintaining America’s “unwavering and unshakeable” support.

Of the Republican candidates for president, only Rep. Ron Paul said he would cut all foreign aid, including aid to Israel.

“On foreign aid, that should be the easiest thing to cut,” said Rep. Paul in a televised debate two months ago. “To me, foreign aid is taking money from poor people in this country and giving it to rich people in poor countries.” As a form of retaliation, Rep. Paul was not invited to participate in the forum sponsored by the RJC.

All the other Republican presidential hopefuls are trying to outdo themselves in pledging fealty to Israel, described as America’s “special ally” and “only friend” in the Middle East.

During this time of American economic insecurity, skyrocketing debt and rising income inequality, hard questions are being asked regarding whether this “relationship” with Israel has now become a liability.

At a recent forum discussing the topic, Dr. Norton Mezvinsky, president of the Washington D.C.-based think-tank, the International Council for Middle East Studies, said the “exclusive and discriminatory” nature of Israel has a detrimental effect on America in terms of diplomacy and national security. This is especially clear when looking at the Palestinian conflict, he said.

“The Zionist character of the state of Israel is the central conflict of the Palestinian problem,” said Dr. Mezvinsky.

Many Muslim countries disagree with America’s one-sided policies designed to protect the interests of Israel, and others reject America’s global expansion and military actions. Some outspoken leaders such as Hezbollah’s popular leader Hassan Nasrallah refers to Israel as the “American project in the Middle East.”

An increasing number of foreign affairs analysts believe Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu wants the U.S. to conduct a strike on Iran’s nuclear development facilities, which they insist are being used to create nuclear weapons. Though he has taken a strong rhetorical stance against Iran, Pres. Obama’s reticence to act militarily–in this particular case–could be another reason for tense relations between the two leaders.

More than fearing attack from Iran, Dr. Mezvinsky said, Israelis should be concerned about the demographic shift taking place resulting from their low birth rates, and the high birth rates of the Palestinians.

Zionism is a political movement which began in the late 1800s with the goal of creating a Jewish homeland. In 1897, Theodor Herzl brought together the First Zionist World Congress in Basel, Switzerland and out of that came the group known as the World Zionist Organization. Through ardent advocacy, influence peddling, violence and dispossession of the indigenous people of the land, what is now known as modern Israel came into existence in 1948.

Dr. Mezvinsky says Herzlian political Zionism–“a secular brand of Jewish nationalism”–visibly manifests itself in the powerful political sway of evangelical Christian Zionists, and the lengths to which candidates will go to appease the Israel-first lobby.

For example, borrowing rhetoric from intolerant Zionist settlers in Israel, surging Republican presidential hopeful Newt Ginrich referred to the Palestinians as an “invented” people in an interview with Steven Weiss of The Jewish Channel. Despite widespread international condemnation, when questioned at a Dec. 10 GOP presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Mr. Gingrich stood by his comments.

Experts like Dr. Mezvinsky are not surprised by anything that comes out of the mouths of American politicians concerning Israel.

“Especially in a presidential election year, candidates go as far as they think they can–there’s almost no limit to how far they will go–with praise and support for the State of Israel.”

Related links:

College students disrupt pro-Israel political events (FCN, 11-29-2011)

Picking on AIPAC?  (Philip Giraldi, 05-19-2009)

Media controversy highlights rift in Jewish community  (FCN, 08-14-2008)

Pledging Allegiance to AIPAC   (FCN, 06-11-2008)

Pro-Israel lobby dictates U.S. policy, study charges  (FCN, 04-05-2006)

Harvard Study on Israeli Lobby’s Stranglehold on U.S. Policy  (03-13-2006)  

The post America Hijacked! Billions go to Israel and other nations abroad while we suffer at home appeared first on Final Call News.

Empowerment through education and action

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The American Muslims for Palestine, a national grassroots organization dedicated to raising awareness about Palestine and its rich cultural and historical heritage, held their 4th national conference here recently bringing together students, activists, religious leaders and scholars from across the country to discuss all aspects of the Palestinian struggle.

The three-day gathering themed, “The Conference for Palestine in the U.S.: A New Era of Activism” equipped attendees with important information, especially at this critical stage of the movement when it appears the long-time goals of ending the Israeli occupation and achieving Palestinian statehood are within reach. (See related article.)

“Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the longest-lasting occupation in modern history–and it is supported by the United States financially, politically and diplomatically,” said Dr. Hatem Bazian, AMP national chairman and professor of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies at University of California, Berkeley. “This conference is designed to educate people and then empower them to take action,” he added.

Some popular workshops included “Zionism and the Roots of the Conflict”; “Israel to the United States: A Strategic Ally or Liability?”; and “United and Together for Jerusalem and Palestine.” Other workshops analyzed the “Arab Spring” and the changing political and economic landscape of North Africa and parts of the Middle East.

A session titled “Criminalizing Palestine in the U.S.” explored civil liberties for Muslims in the context of 9/11 and the so-called “War on Terror.” Strategies to combat the well-orchestrated and heavily financed Islamophobic crusade spreading across the United States and Europe were also outlined.

In a concurrent Campus Activism Track, organizers from colleges and universities across the U.S. discussed media outreach strategies and new developments in the very effective “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” movement sweeping the country. One particularly active group–Students for Justice in Palestine–exists on nearly 130 college campuses across America. Anna Baltzer, national organizer for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and journalist Max Blumenthal shared their experienced guidance with the young students in attendance.

In a particularly poignant moment during the opening plenary session, Archbishop Atallah Hanna, of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem delivered a special gift to the AMP. He unfurled panoramic photographs of Jerusalem that included Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“This is a gift from the people of Palestine to those who dedicate their lives to the cause of Palestine in the United States,” said Archbishop Hanna.

Other speakers throughout the three-day conference were Sheikh Jamal Said of the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Sheikh Amin Al-Ali of the Islamic Community Center of Illinois; Dr. Zaher Sahloul, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organization of Greater Chicago; Safaa Zarzour, secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America; and Khalil Meek, executive director of the Muslim Legal Fund of America.

Dr. Norman Finkelstein participated in two lively panel discussions and is currently working on a book dealing with the various reasons why in his opinion, the “American Jewish love affair with Israel is coming to an end.” Alison Weir, president of the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group Council for the National Interest participated in a panel discussion and took time to speak with many attendees arming them with information needed to better understand the economic realities and diminished moral standing caused by America’s symbiotic relationship with Israel.

In just four years, the AMP has grown from a small yet committed group of volunteers into one of the country’s leading organizations working for the cause of justice for Palestinians. With 13 chapters and a budget of nearly $800,000, AMP national vice-president and conference chairman Munjed Ahmad told The Final Call much has been accomplished and the tide appears to be turning, however, there is still much more to do in the way of education and advocacy regarding Palestine.

“There’s no question that we are seeing a shift in the issue of Palestine. We’re seeing a shift from people who may have been turning a blind eye to the cause of Palestine to them now shifting and starting to say we have to speak truth to power; we have to start seeing justice for the Palestinians,” said Mr. Ahmad. “I think the world realizes that the Palestinian issue is really truly the single most volatile issue in the world right now and it’s an issue that’s not going to go away. The Palestinian people have shown their steadfastness, have shown their ability to be patient and have shown their ability to continue their fight for freedom and now the world is starting to stand up and say ‘you know what they deserve it and they’re going to get it.’ It’s a matter of time. I think in this country alone we’re starting to see a shift in the way people think of the issue and in time–we don’t know how long–but with God’s help, in time, the Palestinian people will be free and they will be holding their heads high for this steadfastness,” he added.

The final session of the conference featured Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College. Thousands of booklets, brochures and fact sheets were distributed aimed at countering the misinformation circulated by pro-Israel organizations. The AMP’s research division released a new publication titled “The Anti-Defamation League: A Protector of Civil Rights or Silencer of Free Speech?” Hundreds were distributed to those in attendance and for later distribution through student organizations.

“The ADL was founded in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism in the United States, which is a laudable goal,” said Kristin Szremski, AMP director of media and communications, “but there have been so many examples throughout its history–especially under the long-time directorship of Abraham Foxman–where it has used its vast resources to intimidate Americans and stifle their constitutionally protected right of free speech.”

Mr. Ahmad agreed saying dissemination of factual data is critical in the fight for Palestinian justice.

“We’ve been dealing of course quite a bit with the other side and they’ve been around for much longer than we have. They’re obviously much more well-funded then we are. The amount of money that they spend in one month probably equals our entire budget for the entire year, but we believe strongly at AMP that the money won’t be the issue. The issue is going through the message and we believe that Palestine is a just cause and it is for that reason that AMP has been so successful because the message is a message of justice and because of that people have been receptive,” he said.

The post Activists continue fight for justice for the Palestinian people appeared first on Final Call News.

(FinalCall.com) – Recently, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Two prominent Omegas, author, entertainer, and radio host Steve Harvey and NBA great Shaquille O’Neal both sent words of congratulations.

“There are no words great enough to capture the spirit nor depict the greatness of the legacy of Minister Louis Farrakhan. Minister Farrakhan is a man of courage and conviction; a man of integrity and strength; a man who is fully committed to serving God through the service of mankind. He knows that his life is not his own but that (it) has been shaped, molded, and determined by The Creator.

We have had the privilege and honor of being taught by this great man, Minister Farrakhan. He has so graciously shared with us the ways in which we can live a life of integrity and valor. Minister Farrakhan has assisted in preparing us for the complex and complicated path to manhood. He has shown us how we can learn from our errors and still stay on course, gain through selfless giving, forgive when wronged, and persevere despite unfavorable circumstances. Minister Farrakhan has given us the pattern for unconditional love,” said Mr. O’Neal and his assistant Mark E. Stevens, also an Omega.

“There is no man that’s more deserving the honor that is being bestowed today. Yet despite all his great accomplishments, Minister Farrakhan is a man of humility and modesty. In those qualities lie his greatness. We are so proud today to congratulate Minister Louis Farrakhan, spiritual leader, husband, father and friend,” they added.

Their message was signed, “Lovingly submitted by your ‘sons.’ ”

Steve Harvey said, “The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has been my friend and mentor for many years now. … His advice and wisdom has guided me through some dark and confusing times…If we as Omega men are honoring him, it is because he embodies the principles of our fraternity as well as anyone living today… His courage is second to none,” said Mr. Harvey. “He is MANHOOD, SCHOLARSHIP, PERSEVERANCE, AND UPLIFT. He is my friend. HE IS ONE OF US!”

“I love you, sir!” Mr. Harvey added.

There are many members of the Nation of Islam who are also members of Omega Psi Phi, all of whom shared their happiness at hearing that the Minister would be honored in such a manner. Several spoke with The Final Call Nov. 19 following the banquet.

“He put what Omega means in perspective,” said Brother James Muhammad, former Editor-in-Chief of The Final Call. Bro. James pledged in 1973 at the Delta Epsilon chapter located on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “He looks at things from a higher spiritual level while we may look at things from a lower level and he put into perspective what manhood was really about for me personally,” he added.

Brother Jimmy Muhammad pledged in the Spring of 2000 at Pi Kappa chapter on the campus of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He gave away highly coveted tickets to the Arkansas football game as well as an entire table he had purchased for his home chapter’s Omega centennial celebration just to be present to see and hear the Minister on this special evening.

“I used to always get on my fraternity for not honoring Minister Farrakhan for the stances he takes,” said Bro. Jimmy. “I said if they ever recognized him for it, I had to be there and tonight, I had to be here.”

Atty. Athill Muhammad, who pledged at Lincoln University’s Beta chapter in 1983 agreed saying, “One of the most beautiful things that I’ve ever done in my life was join a fraternity. That was only second because obviously the first thing was joining the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” said Bro. Athill. “To have both of my worlds come together so to speak with the fraternity honoring the Minister, it was very humbling to me because he means so much. He is the most important person in my life.”

Brother Dennis Muhammad joined the fraternity in 1971 at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale’s Omicron Theta chapter.

“He summed up in his speech to the brothers what we need to do as a people, and the only thing that keeps us from being successful is our lack of unity,” said Bro. Dennis. “I think he gave marching orders to the brothers in the fraternity to stop standing on principles and actually put those principles into action by doing what it is we profess and say we believe,” he added.

Khalil Muhammad joined the fraternity in the Spring of 1989 while a student in Arkansas and now, is now with the Mu Xi chapter in Illinois. He said the Minister is “always on time, all the time and for any occasion.”

“I think it shows the growth and maturity that our fraternity has,” said Bro. Khalil. “To see Minister Farrakhan coming to a diverse crowd that may have been majority Christian but deliver a message that is universal, means a whole lot to me.”

“I’m glad that my brothers got a chance to hear that life-giving message,” said Brother Jesse Muhammad, who joined the fraternity in 1977 at the Epsilon Beta chapter on the campus of Western Illinois University.

The post Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Harvey join Omega Psi Phi’s tribute to Minister Farrakhan appeared first on Final Call News.

Click here to listen to the  full interview (FCN, 11-23-2011)

(FinalCall.com) – The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered analysis of national and international affairs in light of history, scripture, and prophecy for the radio listeners and those tuning in nationwide via internet in an interview with Robert Muhammad, host of “Connect the Dots” radio show on 90.1 KPFT FM in Houston Nov. 23.

There were no technical disruptions, no commercial interruptions and Mr. Muhammad’s questions were clear and concise as the Minister delivered guidance dealing with pressing economic, political, and social ills plaguing the country through answers rooted in the teachings of the eternal leader of the Nation of Islam, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

Robert Muhammad, who is also Nation of Islam Southwest student regional minister leading Muhammad Mosque No. 45 in Houston, asked about the Minister’s recent return to college campuses, specifically, his Nov. 9 appearance at Prairie View A&M University and messages delivered earlier this year at Jackson State University and Howard University.

“I have always been on college campuses now affecting almost three or four generations of our people, but in the last 10 or so years, it has been taboo for Louis Farrakhan to be on college campuses, particularly the college campuses of our Black students,” said the Minister. “This is because those forces that have seen me as anti-Semitic or anti-White or racist or however they wish to describe me–feel that it is not in their best interests that I speak to Black students, but thanks be to Allah, this past year, with Nation of Islam Student Associations on these campuses, the students have invited me and their professors and their chancellors and school presidents have agreed that I should come and I am so very grateful for the opportunity to talk to our young people.”

Mr. Muhammad asked the Minister about America’s economic plight, and its often rancorous and contentious political discourse.

“In the Book of Daniel it talks about a time of trouble like there never was since there was a time and a nation. We have arrived at that time when of course, the leadership of the world ­–particularly in America–there’s so much confusion that they can’t agree, even though the country is in such economic trouble,” said Min. Farrakhan.

The Minister said the confusion of the political leaders is a “sign of the end of this particular world and system of things.”

“If democracy is to survive, partisan politics must die, and as you are witnessing, partisan politics is killing democracy and killing the United States of America as a world power,” he continued. “This is the end of this present world and its power and authority to mis-teach, mislead and misgovern the people. This is over with! God is coming to take the rule of the nations and the people to himself.”

Referring to the recently released book “Defending Farrakhan,” Mr. Muhammad asked if there had been any response to Minister Farrakhan’s June 2010 letter to Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. The letter was sent not only to Mr. Foxman but also to the leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, all levels of the U.S. government, Black religious leaders, professors, and media personalities, many of whom have known of this battle with members of the Jewish community for decades.

One recipient was Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, and the Minister told the listeners some of the feedback he got from Rev. Wright once he read the letter.

“When he (Rev. Wright) read the contents of the letter, in the letter was a threat, and when he read the threat he said ‘well, there goes the dialogue.’ I said to my brother, when God sends His messenger to give a message to the people, in the message is a warning and an implied threat, and even an overt threat,” the Minister stated forthrightly.

“I warned Mr. Foxman that there’s an opportunity for us to sit down together and discuss a way forward in spite of the history of the Jews selling Blacks, the Jews enslaving Blacks, the Jews becoming rich on the backs of Blacks. That’s what was. Now we can continue to live the pain of yesterday or, since we are alive today and the Jews are alive today and they are in a great position of wealth, power and influence, and we as a result of what has happened to us are in a very weakened position, if they wish to find the favor of God in this hour when every man must reap what he has sown, then it would be wise for us to sit down and chart a way forward.” Minister Farrakhan continued.

“I said to Mr. Foxman, now, we can either do that in a way that will be mutually beneficial, or if you continue to malign me, to work to destroy the work that I’m doing to free our people and to guide our people, then God will ruin them not only here but all over the world. And it was that threat in the letter that maybe they were taken aback by it, but I have not heard from them and it’s okay, but the threat is real. I’m not just talking of myself. I believe that we are backed by God and His Christ and what we say not only has come to pass, but what we say in the name of Allah will come to pass and the ruin is already going on for them inside America and outside America,” the Minister added.

In the studio with Robert Muhammad, was Final Call staff writer Jesse Muhammad, who fielded questions received via Minister Farrakhan’s very active Twitter feed, which is growing in popularity.

The Minister said the rulers of the earth whom he called “Architects of Death” have now determined that it is “easier to kill than to control.”

“They, the architects of death, the ones that the Bible in the book of Revelations refers to as the blood shedder–these people have become scientists of death and destruction, so it is easier for them to kill a million people with disease, with AIDS with other things we are unsuspecting of (such as) the poisoning of the food, the air, the water. We are dying of all kinds of diseases.”

When asked about the “The Arab Spring” and the “Occupy Wall Street Movement,” the Minister said the two uprisings “are twins of each other.” He has repeatedly cautioned President Barack Obama and the U.S. government that the unrest in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria would come to the streets of America.

“What we are witnessing all over the earth is the rise of the masses of the people. When you see that government can no longer control the masses by the propaganda of a controlled media, or through mis-education or though weak religious leadership, now the people are rising, they cannot be contained,” said the Minister.

“As these young people peacefully protest the robbery of the freedom that they were promised, the freedom that they were willing to shed their lifeblood on foreign battlefields for, as they stand up on these college campuses to say away with these international robber barons called international bankers, yes, now they are being beaten by the police in a vicious way, and it is going to get worse and soon, some of these young people will lose their lives and it will lead to riots and rebellions,” the Minister lamented.

“Yes, what you see overseas is now here and it soon will spread throughout America, and soon when the workers cannot get anymore unemployment benefits, when those benefits run out and you look at people who cannot find food to feed their children, you will see the civilized behavior of the human being degenerate into outright savagery and the respect for law and order will go out the window and anarchy will be the order of the day,” he warned.

In one final admonition, when asked about the increasingly bellicose rhetoric by those seeking war against Iran, the Minister said it would be “a tragic mistake” if President Obama was used by the Zionists to attack the Islamic nation.

The post Min. Farrakhan ‘Connects the Dots’ in wide-ranging radio interview appeared first on Final Call News.

ORLAND PARK, Ill. (FinalCall.com) – The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. at an elegant Black-tie dinner here November 19.

The Chicago Area Omega Coalition composed of nine chapters of the fraternity covering the entire Chicago metropolitan area and its surrounding suburbs, came together to celebrate their 100-year centennial anniversary.

Calling Omega Psi Phi a “great institution,” the Minister called on members of the group to be leaders in bringing all the Black Greek letter organizations together to provide business and services to those in the neighborhoods and regions in which they live.

“Some of the brightest minds in Black Chicago are in this room, and you are achievers, because that’s what Omega encourages us to be,” said the Minister. “I hear how great Omega is–and it is–but the God that we serve said He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”

The Minister said the different Black fraternities and sororities wear Greek letters, and many members achieve much as individuals, however, more could be accomplished if they would unify.

“Letters cannot of themselves make a word, and words cannot of themselves make a sentence, and sentences of themselves may make a paragraph but it takes a lot of words to tell a story,” said the Minister.

While not the first Black fraternity in existence, Omega Psi Phi does hold the distinction of being the first Black fraternity founded at a historically Black college, Howard University in 1911. The group has more than 700 chapters nationally and internationally and counts among its ranks a long line of prominent men such as actor and radio host Steve Harvey, Dr. Charles Drew, publisher Earl Graves, actor and entertainer Bill Cosby and NBA-greats Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

Though he has spoken about it several times, Minister Farrakhan went into detail discussing the circumstances that led to his movement towards joining Omega Psi Phi, and why he never became an actual member.

He wanted to go to the South to feel what his brothers and sisters were living under. In 1951, while on an 8-hour layover in Washington, D.C., during a train trip, he thought he would go see a movie to pass the time. When he approached the ticket window and attempted to pay for admittance, he was told by a White man, “we don’t sell tickets to Negroes.”

“That was my first encounter with racist America personally,” said the Minister.

A close friend of his had just died fighting in Korea, and with the sting of the discrimination he had directly experienced, the Minister expressed his anger by writing a calypso song called “Why America is No Democracy.”

As a freshman from the North, he said he did not like what he saw taking place in the South, and was seen as a “rebel” by many on campus. At a freshman talent show, he even performed the protest song he composed.

He told those gathered that sixty years ago while a student at Winston-Salem Teachers College, he pledged Omega Psi Phi and with the legendary basketball coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines mentoring him, and made it through the first week.

“Boy they beat the hell out of me,” said Min. Farrakhan. “I wanted to be an Omega so bad, the whipping didn’t matter.”

However, when it was time to go the next stage of the process, somebody in one of the graduate chapters spoke a negative word regarding the young student, thus preventing his entrance into the organization.

“Because I was then, a smaller version of what I am now,” said Min. Farrakhan. “A lot of people are not comfortable with me. A lot of people will talk to me behind the door, but don’t want to be seen with me in the public because there are forces in this country and in this world that I have to speak truth against, even if it costs me my life and friendship.”

The Minister said the men of Omega Psi Phi should not be sending their children off to college only to come out begging for jobs from someone else, when the men of the fraternity could create jobs and industry with the knowledge and connections they have gained during the 100-year history of the organization.

“We’ve got to grow up and stop being consumers and start being producers of what we consume,” said Minister Farrakhan. “We should walk kind of heavy on this earth because nobody paid a price like you and I paid.

“For us to be standing in line looking for handouts when we built the country and made America rich, think about it! They owe us big time, but we’re not in any position to take it, but … they like seeing their face on green. America is for sale. How much of it do we own?” asked Minister Farrakhan holding up U.S. currency.

“What about the country full of Omegas? The best in the country, but we are all going in our personal directions while the country is sinking and taking us down with it,” said the Minister. “God wants to bless us, and we ought to put ourselves in a position to be blessed by God. Let’s really be men.”

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel both sent letters of congratulations to the members of the fraternal organization. Unable to attend in person, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and member of Omega Psi Phi, was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award, which was accepted by his son Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.

“If Jesse Jackson was standing here, yes, he would pay respect to our founders and the last one-hundred years, but Jesse Jackson would say the last one hundred years–men of Omega–is not enough, it’s the next hundred years for which we will change humankind and its destiny in this fraternity,” said Rep. Jackson.

Michael J. Ward, Centennial Gala Committee Chairman, told The Final Call he was happy with the way the event turned out, and the unified display of the Chicago-area chapters of the fraternity.

“I think it turned out fantastic, I think it was a great affair. It was just a great event. A perfect way to celebrate our one-hundred year centennial,” he said.

Mr. Ward added that even though there is a National Pan-Hellenic Council comprised of the nine historically Black Greek letter organizations, the groups could engage in more collaborative efforts, as the Minister suggested.

“We do work together, but he’s right, we do not work together as much as we should. Blacks have to learn how to empower themselves so we can get into a better situation and a better station in life,” said Mr. Ward.

(Look for more coverage of the Centennial Gala Celebration for the members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in the next edition of The Final Call.)

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