The campaign began in October 2023, the year of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israeli concertgoers and was continuing as late as October 2026, the report says. Its goal is to create anti-Islamic and anti- Muslim sentiments based on the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that argues the influx of immigrants from Muslim countries is aimed at becoming the majority population.

The campaign utilized platforms like Meta, YouTube, and TikTok. Forensic evidence points to Israel as the originator, the report claims.

The campaign named Qatar as the financier “directing migration, manipulating European institutions and seeking to ‘Islamize’ Europe.” The current Muslim presence in European countries is presented as evidence of an “Islamic takeover.” It is buttressed by imagery of Muslim conquests, inflammatory slogans and AI-generated parody songs.

The impact of the campaign resulted in 533 million exposures of “anti-Muslim, anti-migrant, racist and anti-Qatar” advertising in 30 countries, mostly in Europe. The total is “likely a massive undercount, and only accounts for advertising cost, as opposed to labor and commissioning costs.”

In addition to advertising, the campaign ran “branded and covert accounts” on Twitter/X and Telegram. A Change.org petition garnered 7,500 signatures in the name of a fake human rights organization and a “sockpuppet” network edited Wikipedia articles about Qatar, the report revealed.

Sockpuppet refers to a group of fake or misleading online accounts controlled by one person or organization, working together to look like independent people.

Calling the campaign a “multi-million-dollar machinery of hate,” Ibrahim Hooper, communications director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the ad campaign is a threat to democracy.

“Islamophobia is not just a domestic civil rights threat; it is being weaponized globally by bad actors and foreignlinked influence networks to manipulate elections, subvert democratic integrity, and target marginalized communities,” he said.

“This important investigation reveals the dark underbelly of transnational disinformation, showing how anti-Muslim bigotry and the xenophobic ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory are systematically manufactured and bankrolled to achieve geopolitical goals.”

Advertising was placed through accounts and companies recorded in Vietnam, Brazil, Belgium, and through German-named TikTok advertiser strings, none with a disclosed connection to the countries targeted.

Money spent on the campaign reached millions of dollars and deleted ads often found their way back. Meta, for example, reported a $1.2 million spend in the first phase of the three-phase campaign. That is the highest advertising spend Meta has disclosed for any operation targeting European Union member states, the report says.

Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, removed the phaseone network in about mid-May 2024; advertising resumed, however, under new identities in November 2024 and returned at scale in October 2025, highlighting the relative ease of bypassing platform legal requirements, the report says.

Phase-one buying in France ran through the months before the June 2024 European Parliament election, and United Kingdom (UK) buying stopped on May 17, 2024, days before the general election was called.

Phase-one focused mainly on Western Europe and the United States, with the U.S. accounting for 37% of the 266.8 million targeted exposures. As the campaign continued through phases 2 and 3, the U.S. was less of a target, the report says.

The campaign remains active in countries approaching major elections, including France and Italy in 2027. The campaign targeted the UK in the months leading up to the July/August 2024 anti-Muslim riots that occurred after the Southport murders, where the murders of three children were mistakenly reported as caused by a Muslim or an immigrant.

Marc Owen Jones, co-author of the report and an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, suspects Qatar was chosen as the originator of the “replacement” effort in Europe because of the country’s role as a negotiator to end the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

“Discrediting Qatar serves the interests of Israeli hardliners who oppose negotiated settlements and favor continued military confrontation, including with Iran,” Mr. Jones told The Final Call via email.

“The political logic is to make the mediator itself appear illegitimate. If Qatar can be portrayed as a dangerous sponsor of extremism, its efforts to facilitate negotiations involving Hamas or Iran become easier to dismiss as complicity with an enemy.”

Video ads in Europe include AI-generated Christmas messages like “Now Santa’s Name is Abu Baqar.” Another video stressed the Great Replacement narrative, opening with the warning “You are being replaced” and “Wake up!” over footage of Muslim crowds and public gatherings.

To appear credible, the campaign created three fake organizations, including “Citizens for Human Lives,” “European Extremism Monitoring Project,” and “One Peace Global.”

Pointing to an Israeli origin for the ad campaign, researchers found that one Wikipedia editing session in 2024 “included a fixed-line Israeli IP address” layered with campaign accounts and known German proxy exits “consistent with a proxy failure exposing an operator’s own presence in Israel.”

Edit metadata in the videos on the operation’s Telegram channel “puts their production on a Sunday-to-Thursday working week … on machines with Hebrew drive and folder names, and one machine’s clock moved back between 22 and 27 October 2024, the week Israel left daylight saving time.”

The Great Replacement theory relates to a White nationalist concept that non- White immigrants and certain ethnic groups are invading Europe and other nations with dominant White populations with an aim to “replace” them.

The answer, they propose, is remigration, which is the voluntary or forcible return of immigrants and often their descendants to the immigrants’ countries of origin.

President Donald Trump has weighed in on the concept, establishing an Office of Remigration in the State Department and implementing strong and often brutal deportation policies.

Anti-Muslim hate was rampant during the recent midterm elections, with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance targeting Muslim candidates like Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn,) with anti-Muslim remarks.

“None of this makes sense and none of it is true,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR deputy national communications director. Islamophobia and the term great replacement “are deliberate attempts to marginalize and sideline American Muslims as we become more active and visible participants in our democracy.”

In an email to The Final Call, Aftab Malik, in Australia’s Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, said scapegoating is often behind “replacement” movements.

In 2019, a White nationalist killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Prior to the shootings, he wrote a manifesto titled “The Great Replacement.”

And earlier this year in San Diego, Calif., three Muslims were slain at the Islamic Center of San Diego in a case that was investigated as a possible hate crime. According to police, it was believed that the two suspects in that shooting met online and exchanged radicalized ideology.

Writings found in a vehicle reportedly used by the suspects described hatred toward various religions, including Islam, and races, police said. (See The Final Call, Vol. 45, No. 34)

“Some people may feel uncertainty about their identity, security, or future,” Mr. Malik wrote. “Unfortunately, such narratives can simplify complex social challenges by attributing them to communities, migrants, or religious groups. Rather than encouraging understanding and constructive solutions, these claims can deepen division, fear, and mistrust.”

The post A manufactured threat? Report: Ad campaign sought to spark anti-Muslim hate appeared first on Final Call News.

The 2026 U.S. midterms are over, but Americans now face the aftermath of a contentious campaign season. Attack ads in Michigan spent weeks telling voters to fear Abdul El-Sayed’s faith. Black Detroit answered at the ballot box. Mr. El-Sayed is now set to become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate, and he was not the night’s only first.

In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state. If the incoming House elects him in January, Hakeem Jeffries will become its first Black Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Voters handed Democrats control of both the House and the Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. As of press time, Democrats hold at least 54 Senate seats, including the two independents who caucus with them. Frustration over the cost of living and the war in Iran shaped the vote. Many analysts and observers view the so-called “blue wave” as a rebuke of President Trump and his administration.

When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will decide which bills reach the floor. Their committees can also investigate the Trump administration. However, President Trump still holds veto power.

For families already struggling to buy groceries or pay for a doctor’s visit, one question matters most. What can or will Democrat lawmakers actually get done with the power voters just gave them?

Black women on the ballot and a first in Florida

A record 72 Black women appeared on ballots nationwide for Congress, governorships and other statewide offices, Essence reported, citing data from Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics and Higher Heights. Ms. Lance Bottoms’ win in Georgia gave that record its national milestone.

In Washington, D.C., Janeese Lewis George won the race and will become the District’s first new mayor in more than a decade.

In Illinois, Julianna Stratton, the former lieutenant governor, defeated her opponent for U.S. Senate and will become the second Black woman to hold that office.

The night also produced a first in Florida, from the other side of the aisle. The Associated Press called the governor’s race for Republican Byron Donalds, who is set to become Florida’s first Black governor. “I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red,” Mr. Donalds told the crowd on election night. He also thanked President Trump for his support and for “being in my corner.”

Faith on the ballot

In Michigan, campaign attacks went after Senator-elect El- Sayed’s Muslim faith. Student Minister Troy Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No.1 in Detroit said the frequent commercials he saw dwelled on Mr. El-Sayed’s religion, name called, and gave little attention to his policies.

The Black vote was the test. “I was very interested to see what the Black community in particular would do, and praise be to Allah (God), the Black community came out,” Student Minister Muhammad told The Final Call. “They didn’t allow that anti-Muslim hate to go down.”

He credited relationships the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has built over decades with helping Black Detroiters see past the attacks. “Those relationships that the Minister has established reminded Black people that ‘the Muslims that I know aren’t like that’” he said, referring to the racist stereotypes spewed by El- Sayed’s opponent and from others.

A preliminary survey commissioned by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and CAIR Action widened the lens. Seventy percent of Muslim respondents said rising Islamophobia motivated them to vote. Eighty percent called the economy a major influence on their vote, and 80 percent said the same about what the survey called the genocide in Gaza.

Seventy-six percent cited the U.S.-Israel war on Iran as a major influence. Community Pulse conducted the survey by text from Nov. 2 to 4, gathering responses from 522 self-identified Muslim registered voters.

“Muslims, like our fellow Americans, are fed up with wars that destroy lives abroad while making it harder to feed our families at home,” CAIR and CAIR Action said in a joint statement. The organizations called on Congress to lower costs, improve health care and education, protect civil rights and end U.S. support for Israel’s military actions against Palestinians.

Loyalty at the polls did not mean trust. Among respondents who voted and answered the question about party choice, 80% said they primarily voted for Democrats. Yet 33% said neither party was more responsive to Muslim concerns.

The group also found at least 97 confirmed American Muslim electoral victories at the federal, state, and local levels across 21 states, including 38 state legislative wins.

Another 15 Muslims are leading in races that have not yet been called as of presstime, six Muslim candidates are running in races that are too close to call, and 50 Muslim candidates ran in races they did not win.

“Michigan, we did it. My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, and I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan. Up until right about now, you might have noticed, I always say ‘Inshallah’ or ‘God-willing’ whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned.

But today, tonight, we can turn that Inshallah into a ‘Alhamdulillah.’ For the right-wing ops, that just means praise be to God,” Senator-elect El-Sayed said during his Nov. 4 victory speech.

Money and the map

The cycle’s biggest donor spent like no one before him and still lost where it counted. Tech billionaire and former Trump administration figure Elon Musk contributed about $474 million to federal and state political groups through mid- October, according to a New York Times analysis of disclosures. That money paid for advertising and voter outreach.

In Texas, voters chose James Talarico for the U.S. Senate despite a costly effort by Musk-funded groups to elect Republican Ken Paxton. In Michigan, Musk’s America PAC spent about $9.2 million on ads supporting Republican Mike Rogers or opposing El-Sayed, according to WIRED. Voters went the other way in both states.

According to MSN, GOP groups spent $46 million on attack ads invoking terrorism, 9/11, and referencing Islam or Muslim groups against the Michigan Democrat. The influential AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) also spent millions backing candidates in both parties.

What can Congress deliver?

“Well, first, we have to be clear on what they are to deliver on,” Student Minister Abdul Arif Muhammad, a member of the Nation of Islam Shura Executive Council and Student General Counsel, told The Final Call. He pointed to many concerns: the price of gas, food, and health insurance, along with demands for accountability and an end to the war in Iran.

Rep. Jeffries gave House Democrats a timetable. “During the first 100 days, House Democrats must act to reverse the Medicaid cuts, restore SNAP funding, extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits … ,” he wrote in his Nov. 4 letter announcing his candidacy for speaker. He also called for eliminating Trump’s tariffs and ending the war in Iran.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said voters had told Democrats about “costs above all, chaos, and corruption.” The two leaders share broad priorities on affordability and accountability. Which House proposals the Senate takes up first remain open.

Atty. Abdul Arif Muhammad raised the question that will matter the moment President Trump rejects a bill. Does Congress have the votes to override him? An override requires two-thirds of those voting in each chamber, with a quorum present. With every member voting, that means 290 votes in the House and 67 in the Senate.

“The numbers tell the story,” he said. “In conclusion I would say what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said on February 25, 2024, during his Saviours’ Day Message, entitled: ‘What Does Allah The Great Mahdi and The Great Messiah Have To Say About The War in the Middle East?’

Minister Farrakhan said, ‘So go on and vote for who you want to. If I were you, I would vote for God. If I were you, and I am you, I’d vote for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the God that HE represents,’” Atty. Abdul Arif Muhammad stated.

Two Senate races remained uncalled as of Nov. 5. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde- Smith were separated by a thin margin, with absentee and affidavit ballots still to be processed, The Associated Press reported. If Mr. Colom’s lead holds, he would become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.

In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola, Alaska Native/Indigenous, of Yup’ik heritage, held a narrow lead over Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, with ranked-choice tabulation scheduled for mid-November.

Alaska’s governor’s race also remained uncalled, with Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leading the unofficial first-choice count. Even if Democrats win both seats and reach 56, they would remain 11 votes short of an override in the Senate with all members voting. Before a bill reaches President Trump, most major legislation must clear a separate 60-vote hurdle in the Senate.

Congress can still act without a vetoproof majority. Lawmakers can hold hearings on how the Medicaid cuts affect patients and use spending negotiations to press for relief.

For Black families who rely on Medicaid or SNAP, progress has a plain measure: whether they keep their coverage and get help buying food. A vote shows where lawmakers stand. Restoring benefits takes a bill that becomes law.

D.C. community activist Luci Murphy doubts either party will make the economic changes she believes people need. “But I’m really clear about the Democrats and Republicans being a duopoly,” she told The Final Call. Ms. Murphy praised El- Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguing that the country needs to move away from capitalism.

Her challenge cuts deeper than the fight over votes and vetoes. How much are elected officials willing to change about the conditions that leave families struggling in the first place?

What can communities do now?

Senator-elect Talarico described love of neighbor as an obligation to serve Texans who voted against him as well as those who voted for him. Other winners also spoke about the importance of helping and serving their constituents, not being beholden to their political party but to the people.

Economist Julianne Malveaux was one of many panelists present on the midterm election night show of journalist and media personality Roland Martin. “Voting is the least we can do. After voting, we have to go to our communities and make the changes we need, hold community town halls, and meet with officials,” she said.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, speaking in a different context, placed a parallel responsibility on Black people for the places where they live and not relying on politicians or the government to solve our problems.

“We have to make our own community a decent place to live and make it safe and habitable for our people,” Minister Farrakhan said in a January 2016 interview with The Final Call.

He spoke about ending senseless violence, developing education in Black communities and preparing people for self-governance. His charge puts the work of building safer communities in the hands of the people who live in them.

That work does not wait on Washington. It can go on while residents press their representatives to act on the local, state or national level. A family facing the loss of Medicaid can bring its story to a district office or a town hall. Neighbors can help one another navigate benefits and organize around the conditions they want changed on their own blocks.

When the new Congress convenes in January, voters will hold specific promises in hand. They can measure those promises against the bills their representatives introduce, the votes they cast, and the relief that actually reaches their communities.

The post Voters made history and shifted power in Washington. appeared first on Final Call News.

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

Riz Khan (RK): Hello and welcome. Tensions are rising and divisions growing, but what is fueling hostility to Muslims in America? A new survey reveals that 40 percent of people in the U.S. have a negative perception of Muslims something that’s being highlighted in the media by the latest controversies.

The pastor of a small church in Gainesville, Florida threatened to burn copies of the Qur’an on September the 11th as a message to, quote: “radical Muslims.” Pastor Terry Jones did eventually back down after intense global pressure, including an appeal from the U.S. President Barack Obama.

But copies of the Qur’an were desecrated in Tennessee and New York City, where another issue is dividing the population:

Tensions remain high over the proposal to build an Islamic center in Manhattan near the site of the 9/11 attacks by Muslim extremists nine years ago. So today we ask: “Is there an organized effort to fan the flames of ‘Islamophobia’ in the United States?”

Joining me from Chicago is Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam; a controversial sect for the Muslim faith in the United States. Minister Farrakhan, I welcome you to the show. It’s good to speak with you again, sir.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan (HMLF): Thank you. It’s a pleasure and honor to be with you again.

RK: I have to start by asking, sir: What sort of reaction has there been among the Muslims you know, and members of the Nation of Islam as well, to these incidents; especially the Qur’an burning over the weekends? Has there been an effort to reach out to non-Muslims to promote better understanding rather than perhaps react in anger?

HMLF: Yes, there has been. We had a press conference at the National Press Club, where a coalition of African American Muslims came together to dialogue and allow our voices to be heard in this very serious time of increasing anger, fear and hatred of the presence of Islam in America.

If I might say, Brother Riz: We have been in America—the Nation of Islam—now for 80 years. And in the beginning of our journey toward Islam in the ‘30s, we were persecuted because our names were changed from our former slave names to Islamic names.

And our women who changed their form of dress, and covered their hair and their bodies, were mocked and scorned as they walked the streets of Detroit and Chicago. This mainly was the followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and Fard Muhammad, who is the Founder of the Nation of Islam.

In 1941, when Japan attacked the United States of America, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was arrested; sent to prison. Not because he was a “criminal,” but America, the president of the United States, did not want him on the streets of America preaching Islam during a time that America was prosecuting a war.

The early Muslims who set up the University of Islam were arrested because we took our children out of the public schools, and put them in an Islamic school to be taught by their own teachers.

RK: What the interesting thing about what’s been going on recently is I know there have been comparisons made about the burning of the Qur’an with what many see in the media from overseas, and some other Muslim countries where there are people burning the American flag. And I wonder if there’s anything to even equate the two?

HMLF: No, there’s not. But, in finishing that point: We have suffered in America because we wanted to practice Islam.

You know that Muhammad Ali was called “Cassius Clay.” And when his name was changed to “Muhammad Ali,” although he was loved in the Muslim world, he was hated for his change of name.

Now you can look at basketball games, football games, and you can see the names of Allah on the jersey of many Black American athletes. And there is no persecution for them, but we suffered that.

Now, since 9/11: Yes, the flames of hatred for Islam are being fanned. And even though we have a Black president, who has spoken out very forcefully, that America will not go to war with Islam; that it is not Islam that is the problem, it is those who are fanatic in their zeal, supposedly for Islam, that America sees, and the Islamic world sees, as the problem.

But under President Barack Obama, there’s the FBI that have been planting agents in mosques around the country, stimulating those who are hateful of Israel, hateful of Jewish people; inspiring them to acts of terror. And then capturing them, and putting that on the television as though this is the “norm” in mosques throughout this country.

RK: Sir, I’ll put an email about that issue of the media that we got in from Louisiana in the U.S.A. here. “Amy Luna” wrote in, saying, “I believe the U.S. mainstream media holds some responsibility in the Qur’an burning issue as this is the type of story that brings ratings.”

Now, of course, the media has been blamed for giving too much attention to that Qur’an burning proposal by Pastor Terry Jones. And I wonder, even though he did back down after some high-level intervention, how much do you feel the media played a part in this?

HMLF: Well, first of all, the gentleman, or, the pastor is a non-descript person that did not deserve the media attention that he received. So, when the media catapulted this man’s thinking of burning Qur’ans to the entire world, this is provoking an Islamic reaction because of our deep love and devotion for Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Our deep love and devotion for this book, Qur’an: That raised the Arabs from a state of ignominy to eminence; and Muslims ruled the known world from the 7th to the 11th century based on the wisdom of this Qur’an.

And this Qur’an is what sparked the Renaissance in Europe. So, to burn a book that has meant so much to so many is an act of sacrilege. That, of course, would stimulate and provoke serious reaction in the Islamic world.

RK: Now, of course, Pastor Terry Jones, as you say, wasn’t known at all before this incident. You, yourself, have always been in the media for a long time; you’re often a controversial figure to many. And I wonder how much pressure there’s been on you not to say too much; to keep a low profile in order perhaps not to inflame either side?

HMLF: Well, it’s time for Muslims, especially African American Muslims, to make our voices heard.

Many of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are immigrant Muslims may be somewhat timid, because they have a “Green Card,” and they’ve been spied on by the FBI, and they don’t want to be deported. They have been good, upstanding American citizens.

We were born here! We live here! We’ve suffered here! We’ve bled here! We’ve died here! So, it is our time, now, to speak up for the hurt and the pain of the Islamic community. But I would say, Riz, to all Muslims: Don’t overreact, because, to harm people; because in their ignorance they burned a book that they may never have read, I caution you the 48th Surah of the Qur’an is called “The Victory.”

And what made it a victory? Because, at Hudaibiya, three miles from Mecca, when the Prophet and his Companions were trying to go to Mecca, an Accord was struck with the members of the Quraish who ruled Mecca;

And on that piece of paper it said “Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Messenger of Allah.” And, the members of the Quraish said, “If we had believed that you were in fact the Messenger of God, we never would have attacked you, so strike that from the Accord.”

None of the Companions would strike his title from the Accord, so the Prophet himself took the Accord, and struck the title “Messenger of Allah” from that Accord. Why? Because he’s the Messenger of God whether it is on paper, or not, Allah is a Witness!

So you can burn the Qur’an, but you cannot burn the zeal that the Qur’an has burned into the hearts of 1.6 billion Muslims around the Earth. And all it did was give the Muslims a victory; and when you burn our Holy Book, more Americans who don’t know anything about the Qur’an, want to know, “What’s in this book? Let me study this book.”

So, in the end, we’re the winner.

RK: “Guilty until proven innocent”—that appears to be the plight of millions of Muslims living in the United States. Many say they’ve been living under constant suspicion since the attacks of 9/11 which were carried out by Arab Muslim men. So, what can the Islamic community in the U.S. do to reach out to Americans of other faiths?

Minister, one of the issues that’s been ongoing is the Park 51 Islamic Center that’s being proposed for to be built very close to the Ground Zero location in New York City. We had an email from a viewer in Israel, if I can put this to you, sir. From

“Karina Robbins-Bronstein,” who wrote in saying: “What would Muslims do if, in Saudi Arabia, if a church was to be built next to the site of an attack carried out by a Westerner?

There is very little tolerance in Arab countries for other religions.” Now, how valid do you think that is as a point about the lack of tolerance there is in some Muslim countries to other religions?

HMLF: Maybe in some, but I was in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was its president. And I visited Shiite mosques, I visited Sunni mosques. There [were] Christian churches that I didn’t visit, but I saw; and there were Jewish synagogues. And there never was violence between Christians and Jews and various Islamic sects.

There have been Jews and Muslims and Christians living together in the Middle East for hundreds of years, and they have not killed each other. But this is a recent phenomenon by Europeans who accepted Judaism, and then used their view of this Holy Land as theirs.

And since in [19]48, the United Nations, mainly European countries—with only Ethiopia representing the Black Africa—giving Israel a home in Palestine. So now you have Europeans coming into Palestine, who are not Semitic—they are “Europeans.” And in Israel, they are persecuting the Semitic Jews who have been there for thousands of years, and they’re persecuting the Falasha, the Ethiopian Jews.

And in fact, just about a month ago I read where some European Jews did not even want darker-skinned Jews to go to school with them. This is not “Judaism,” this is racism masquerading under the name of Judaism!

RK: Minister, a caller from Saudi Arabia; “Omar” is on the line.

Omar: Sir, as an American working, or being in Saudi Arabia, what can I do to improve relations between our people and the Muslim world?

HMLF: You know, dear brother, our people are going through what the Arabs went through prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him.

We are in a state of jahiliyya: We are in a state of mass ignorance. And as the Bible teaches, “My people are destroyed”—not because they’re Black, but they’re destroyed “for the lack of knowledge.” So the more we improve our growth in knowledge; and as you know, the first words that the Holy Prophet heard [were] Iqra—“Read.”

And when reading becomes the standard in America, we’ll grow from being the ugliness of a clot to the beauty of an embryo and a fetus, ready to be embraced by the entire world.

It’s our growth, and our development; and the banishment of ignorance from our words and our deeds that will make us accepted and acceptable among the civilized nations of the Earth.

RK: Let me get your view on the issue of the Islamic Center near Ground Zero; the Park 51 issue. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf had this comment to make about the way that the situation has been handled.

“The events of the past few weeks have truly saddened me to my very core. I regret that some have misunderstood our intentions. I’m deeply distressed that in this heated political season some have exploited this issue for their own agendas. And I’m deeply disappointed that so many of the arguments have been based on deliberate misinformation and harmful stereotypes.”

—Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf during a Sept. 13, 2010, press conference held at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York

RK: Minister Farrakhan, I wonder to what degree you feel what the imam is saying there reflects what’s happening in the U.S. to some degree with the midterm elections coming up. And how much, I guess, Muslims are caught in the middle of this political wrangling that’s occurring.

HMLF: I agree with Imam Rauf. I think he handled himself magnificently on CNN. He has shown that he is a Muslim. He is “Moderate”; he’s seeking peace between Jews and Christians and others, and he has every right to build a cultural center where they have that building.

And he has every right to feel that the constitutional guarantees of “freedom of religion” and “freedom of assembly” should prevail over the sensitivity of people who lost lives.

Muslims lost their lives! Christians, Jews, people from all over the world lost their lives in that tragic event! So, it should not be that Islam is held hostage for the acts of some who are claimed to be Muslims.

I put this before the world: Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader of Afghanistan, said to President George W. Bush while Osama Bin Laden was living in Afghanistan; he said, “Show me the proof that this man is guilty of this heinous act, and I will turn him over to you.”

What proof have we heard from these wicked deceivers that in fact it was Osama Bin Laden?!

As a Muslim, we should force them to show us the proof!!

RK: I’m sorry to have to stop you.

There’s so much more I’d like to discuss, but we’re out of time. Minister Farrakhan, thank you very much for being on the show.

HMLF: We are out of time?

RK: Yes sir. I’m sorry.

HMLF: The world is too. Thank you.

RK: Thank you for being with us.

The post Al-Jazeera’s Riz Khan Interviews the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan appeared first on Final Call News.

Nevada Pierre fell in love with soccer at one year old. His father, Don Pierre, continued to nurture that love. “Soccer is more than an activity for him. It is something that brings him joy and excitement and gives him a chance to learn and be part of a team,” Nevada’s mother, Martasia Griffin, said on a GoFundMe page launched to support the now-three-year-old’s soccer journey.

Dressed in his red, white and blue soccer outfit, the young, gifted Black soccer player watched from a distance as his parents spoke to police officers on Oct. 24.

“At just three years old, Nevada could not understand why he was being taken away from a game he loved. What should have been a happy childhood moment became heartbreaking and distressing for him and deeply painful for our family to witness,” Ms. Griffin said on the GoFundMe page, which at presstime had raised more than $66,000.

What started as an alleged dispute between the parents and a soccer league director, who is also Black, has ended with the preschooler becoming a viral sensation, touching the hearts of professional soccer players, celebrities and supporters around the world.

On Oct. 24, the i9 Sports soccer league director in Winter Park, Florida, called police to report an alleged disturbance involving Nevada’s parents during a youth soccer game, according to body camera footage released by the Winter Park Police Department.

The police department published a press release following the incident, which reads: “The Winter Park Police Department was contacted by a soccer league official who requested response to a disturbance between league officials and the parents of a player.

The league requested the family leave and offered to refund the league cost to family. Shortly after arrival, the officers were requested by the league official to communicate with the family as he did not want to further a disturbance. The family stated the game was over and they were leaving.

The family was cooperative with the officers and were provided with an event number for the incident at their request. The incident was a civil matter between those parties and not criminal. No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park.”

To police, the soccer league director acknowledged Nevada’s skill, saying he’s “very advanced,” but he said the preschooler “pushes” other children to score goals. Online videos reviewed by The Final Call do not show Nevada pushing other children.

The league director also told police that Nevada’s parents had previously objected when he substituted their son to give other children an opportunity to play. After speaking to the parents, one of the police officers commented: “I want to see him play. I bet he’s good.” The other responded: “I know. He’s gotta be better than me.”

Nevada’s parents maintained that police were called because their son was too good at soccer. “They’re mad at my son because he actually plays soccer,” Ms. Griffin, Nevada’s mother, told the police.

“I signed my kid up for soccer, so they’re literally kicking him out of this place because he’s good at soccer.” She added: “First they said he’s not passing, but nobody is catching the ball when he’s passing.”

Nevada’s father, Don Pierre, who filmed the interaction, also weighed in. “They called the police on a three-year-old because he’s too good. They called the police on a three-year-old because he had the ball for too long, and nobody else could get the ball,” he said.

In a video of the Oct. 24 game, posted to the Instagram account @nevadaney10, other parents can be heard on the sidelines saying, “Pass it, pass it, pass it.” Another video posted after the incident shows Nevada successfully passing the ball to older players, with his father encouraging him, “Beautiful pass!”

In an emailed statement to The Final Call, a representative for i9 Sports said the company reviewed what happened and said the 911 call “was not related to the child.”

“The family asked for a refund. It was processed immediately, and confirmation was sent to the family on October 24. Following the incident, the league asked the adults involved not to continue as participants in the program,” the statement said.

But the parents’ removal from the program only highlighted Nevada’s gift on the field, which has been featured in videos posted to the Instagram account @nevadaney10. In the account’s first video, a two-year-old Nevada is shown scoring against a five-year-old.

Now, former U.S. men’s national soccer team player Eddie Johnson plans to train Nevada at his EJE7 Soccer Academy in Orlando, Florida. The incident also prompted Mr. Johnson to reflect on his own experiences in professional soccer. In one comment on Instagram, he shared how others attempt to diminish the gift God gives.

“This is sad and shouldn’t be tolerated at all in youth sports. Coaches and parents jealous bc this little Haitian kid is better than all their kids is crazy. Don’t worry nephew we gotta spot for you in the lab soon. A safe place where you can be you and enjoy the gift [God] has blessed you with,” he said.

Nevada’s father is reportedly Haitian, with roots in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In an Oct. 27 post, Mr. Johnson shared that Nevada’s father brought his son to him a year ago, when he was two. He allowed Nevada to train but asked Mr. Pierre to let him develop further and then bring him back.

He further expressed that Nevada’s situation brought to light “a lot of the things that still exist in youth soccer in this country. Entitlement, Jealousy, Envy, Nepotism, Gatekeeping and profiling especially against people of color.”

Mr. Johnson also posted a video showcasing Nevada’s ability. He issued the following commands: “Right scissors, left scissors, push with your right, control with your right, push with your left, control with your left, push with your right, stop with your right.” Nevada listened and executed.

“It’s not even about control. It’s the comprehending,” Mr. Johnson said in the video. “I’m giving instructions and he’s being able to process it … with everything going on. That’s deep.” He described Nevada as a “star in the making.”

According to World Atlas, soccer, or fútbol (also known as association football), is the most popular sport in the world, with 3.5 billion fans. It is highly popular in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Nevada has also gained the support of Roc Nation Sports, the sports division of Roc Nation, founded by rapper, businessman and record executive Jay-Z. The company posted on Instagram, “Nevada, you’re a shining star! We support you and your amazing talents. Keep being great.”

Loren LoRosa of The Breakfast Club reported on X that she was told Roc Nation Sports plans to send Nevada to Spain in December. She said Nevada’s family “has openly discussed moving to Spain previously because this is where he can really immerse himself into the sport.” Roc Nation has not independently confirmed the travel plans.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior appeared in a video message addressed to Nevada, encouraging him to continue playing soccer despite criticism.

“Hello Nevada, Neymar speaking. I want to send you a hug,” he said, according to the video’s translated captions. “I’d like to continue to motivate you to keep playing football, no matter what the people say. If they say that you can’t do this or that, keep your head at ease. Because this is football. It’s joy.”

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Anisah Muhammad — Staff Writer

“The So-Called Negro Must Do Something for Himself.”

That is a chapter title in the book, “Message to the Blackman in America,” by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam. On page 61, He writes, “There is no need for us, millions through the country, spending our money for the joy and happiness of others.

As a result, as soon as they throw us out of a job we are back at their doors begging for bread and soup.” The Honorable Elijah Muhammad questions, “Should we not sell our people everything they want or need?”

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, has, like his teacher, constantly taught on the importance of Black people spending their money in Black businesses.

“It appears that integration has only meant the surrendering of our dollars to others so that they can enhance their lives while our businesses close and our problems remain unattended.

We must look like a very foolish people in the eyes of others who nurse themselves to economic strength on our earnings and then abandon us and ridicule us as they advance and leave us further behind,” Minister Farrakhan said in an article published in The Final Call, titled,

“Rethink the Old Slavemaster-Slave Relationship.”

“We need to turn constructively inward, pool our resources intellectually and financially, and begin to build a future for ourselves and our children. We must patronize ourselves, as others patronize themselves. This is the way to build a viable economy and earn the respect of self and others,” Minister Farrakhan said.

Today, there are more than 4.5 million Black businesses in the U.S., according to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization and think tank. But what is the state of Black businesses as 2026 comes to a close?

“It’s growing. I think Black businesses and Black economics are actually growing. There’s more opportunities and more education given out there for Black businesses,” restaurateur Sister Nahla Muhammad, founder and owner of Let’s Eat to Live restaurant in Chicago, said to The Final Call.

As an example, she pointed to FoodLab Chicago, a program where Black restaurant owners can get trained on finances, budgeting, how to run their business, menu engineering, how to do inventory and the best point-of-sale systems.

Most Black businesses are owner-operated firms without employees. According to the latest available 2023 Census data, Black-owned firms accounted for 14.4% of nonemployer businesses.

Approximately 201,000 Black-owned businesses are employer firms with at least one employee other than the owner, according to a U.S. Census Bureau infographic published in February. The businesses employed approximately 1.9 million people and paid nearly $70 billion in annual payroll.

Researchers with the Brookings Institution looked more closely at those numbers. They found that Black-owned employer businesses grew by 62% from 2017 to 2023. Yet Black-owned firms accounted for just 3.4% of employer businesses in 2023, while Black people represented 13.5% of the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau.

Dr. Ken Harris, president and chief executive officer of the National Business League, founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900 to promote economic sovereignty and self-reliance among Black people, said to The Final Call that while Black businesses have expanded significantly, Black economic sovereignty has not grown at the same pace.

The challenges

Black businesses often face a litany of challenges that are exacerbated by systemic anti-Black racism. Those challenges include lack of access to capital, unequal lending outcomes, inflation, tariffs, operating expenses, low profitability, and difficulty attracting customers.

In a June 2025 research report on “How Racial Disparities in Small Business Ownership Affect Black Wealth and Economic Prosperity,” the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, shared, “Racial inequalities prevail at each stage of business outcomes, however, contributing to the lack of wealth among Black individuals and communities.

Black individuals are less likely to form businesses, and the businesses they do form tend to be smaller in terms of size and commercial activity. In addition, Black families are less likely to hold any business equity.”

The National Bankers Association, an organization representing non-White-owned and women-owned financial institutions, analyzed findings from the Federal Reserve’s 2026 Small Business Credit Survey report on employer firms. The data further illustrated the significant financial strain Black-owned firms are experiencing.

The National Bankers Association highlighted key findings from the report: 34% of Black-owned firms rated their condition as poor, and 42% rated it as fair; 47% reported operating at a loss; and 50% cited credit availability as a financial challenge.

Many large banks are not lending Black applicants the money they request. The National Bankers Association pointed out that “at large banks, only 16% of Black applicants received the full amount they sought, compared to 48% of White applicants. And nearly half (48%) of Black applicants at large banks received nothing at all.”

Between 1888 and 1934, 134 Black-owned banks were established in the United States, according to a Library of Congress resource guide. As of June 2026, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recognized only 24 federally insured Black-owned banks.

Those interviewed by The Final Call agreed that access to capital is one of the major challenges Black business owners face.

“Black businesses are starting to get some level of traction, but there needs to be a lot more work done. I think the biggest issue is the same: lack of access to capital and the lack of us as business providers to be able to work with one another to control our vertical aspect of business,” said Chicago-based entrepreneur and businessman Brother Abdul Akbar Muhammad.

“That is, if we’re in the restaurant business, some of our counterparts, such as the Arabs or the immigrants, they control the supply side because they have their own farms, the butcher shops, and all the way from farm to table,” he added.

Dr. Harris pointed out the need for Black businesses to scale. For him, simply owning a business is not enough. “If it doesn’t equal freedom or liberation but, most importantly, sovereignty, then why are we doing it?” he questioned.

“We have to move into true ownership because as of 2026, … post the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, 62 years later, we find ourselves basically at the bottom of the economic spectrum in just about every single economic quality of life indicator,” he added.

He advised against being “solo entrepreneurs” and painted a picture of the landscape Black businesses exist in.

“Companies have dropped their supplier diversity programs, so we’re going to have to find new ways to position our businesses to be able to get contracts with major companies or small businesses that are purchasing in the community,” he said. “We have to create working capital, collateral, creditworthiness, cash flow management. Those all remain central constraints on Black-owned businesses.”

Dr. Harris also noted the importance of Black business owners owning and controlling their own data. “Would you rather have someone else controlling your infrastructure and information and data, or should our community control that information, especially when it comes to our personal information, fees, customer data, cybersecurity, platform dependency, etc.?” he said.

The power of the Black consumer

On page 174 of “Message to the Blackman in America,” in a chapter titled “An Economic Blueprint,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad lists five points for Black people to follow:

One, “recognize the necessity for unity and group operation (activities)” two, “pool your resources, physically as well as financially”; three, “stop wanton criticisms of everything that is Black-owned and Black-operated”; four, “keep in mind, jealousy destroys from within,”

And five, “Observe the operations of the White man. He is successful. He makes no excuses for his failures. He works hard in a collective manner. You do the same.”

“Without the Black consumer, we have no real business,” Brother Abdul Akbar said. He added that Black people need to work through envy, jealousy and backbiting and “realize that without us being able to rely on one another, we won’t be able to advance.”

“I can go pretty fast, but we can go far as a whole. We can go far, and I witnessed that. I put together a distributorship. I can buy it directly from the manufacturer, and I didn’t do it by myself. It was a group of us that helped pull it all together.

So, it’s just a necessity for us to realize the importance of self-reliance, and the self that I’m speaking about is not just the individual. Us as a whole is the self,” Brother Abdul Akbar said.

Black buying power was projected to reach $2.1 trillion this year, according to Nielsen. For Dr. Harris, circulating those dollars with Black businesses is critical. He recommended organizations create online shopping directories of businesses in their neighborhoods to bolster community support.

“It needs to become more of a culture for us to be able to support our own as a first, as opposed to it being a last option,” Dr. Harris said. He challenged Black people: if just a percentage spent $100, $200, $500 or $1,000 on a particular day to support local Black-owned businesses, “could you imagine what that impact would be financially?”

“Let’s get proud about promoting how much money we spend with Black businesses, how many referrals we make, and from a corporate procurement standpoint, supporting companies that support us,” he said. “Why are we going to spend money with companies that don’t support Black-owned businesses?”

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad raised a poignant point. “You, the Black man, are the only members of the human race that deliberately walk past the place of business of one of your own kind—a Black man—and spend your dollars with your natural enemy. The so-called American Negro has never in the history of America been known to boycott or criticize the White man as he does his own kind.

He thus shows love for his enemy and hatred for his own kind,” he wrote in the chapter, “An Economic Blueprint.”

“We cannot demand economic power while overlooking the businesses that are in our communities and we don’t support those businesses. Shame on us,” Dr. Harris said.

The take-home message

Brother Abdul Akbar left the following message to Black business owners and consumers: “We as a people have to realize that we are all we got. … We have to realize that now is our time to be able to do it because others are pulling out.

And that’s the message for the Black consumer and the message for the entrepreneur. We have to be able to work together, and if we can’t, we will definitely suffer major consequences.”

Dr. Harris’ message? “Let’s take it back to the basics. Booker T. Washington had it right,” he said. “To Black business owners: Stop thinking small. Build institutions, not just businesses.

Compete for contracts, create jobs, own technology, control your supply chain and build enterprises that can survive beyond your lifetime and can be transferable to your children and grandchildren’s children.

To Black consumers: Your dollar is your economic vote. Every purchase is a decision of how a business grows, whose employees get paid and whose children inherit the wealth.”

He concluded: “Follow the sage words of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, as he has preached for his entire life ownership and economic independence as a people, and I think his leadership has gotten us this far. But he has also provided us with a vision for the future.”

Minister Farrakhan has continued his teacher’s warning: “Do for self or suffer the consequences.”

“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad lifted up a mighty example of doing for self for the Black man of America. Many said the Muslims operated mom-and-pop stores and made mockery of our humble beginnings. However, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad lifted up a light for all to see.

He was not working with the best minds in the country, but with those that society labeled as social misfits, the outcasts and the prisoners,” Minister Farrakhan said in an article published in The Final Call, titled, “The Key to Success: Do For Self.”

“There were very few people who worked with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who were highly trained and highly learned. Yet, he showed us how to pool our resources, go to the earth and farm, thereby giving us the ability to do that which would one day enable us to be independent and gain the respect of the civilized people of the world,” he added.

He concluded the article with the words: “No one respects a beggar, and up until now we are beggars for a job, clothing, and education from the White man. No, Black man, the time has now arrived where you must beg no man. You must get up and do it for yourself.”

The post Black dollars and Black business appeared first on Final Call News.

“Effective immediately, I establish FORTRESS America as a program of the Department of War,” Sec. Hegseth wrote in a memo to senior Pentagon leadership, commanders within the combatant commands, and agency and field activity directors. “The program aligns basing and infrastructure projects to ensure they are collectively advancing toward greater independence. It puts America first, and it does what should have been done long ago,” he said.

FORTRESS (Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability) is a Pentagon program to harden major military bases through an initiative to operate independently for at least 90 days with its own power, food, water, fuel, communications and supplies in the event of cyberattacks, wartime disruption, sabotage or other emergency situations.

“All Military Departments, Defense Agencies, and Field Activities shall support its execution without reservation,” Sec. Hegseth said. “We will put America first, we will defend the American homeland, and we will build a permanent structure equal to the moment. We begin today,” the memorandum said in part.

In his subsequent State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, also September 30, he told the officers and non-commissioned officers present that FORTRESS America would require every military base to generate its own power independent of the civilian grid, that rare earths and other strategic minerals would be mined and processed in the U.S. and that other supplies, from food, water, medicines and munitions, would be stored and maintained on those bases. This would let them continue operating uninterrupted by crises or shortages outside their gates.

“We are hardening every installation on American soil against cyber intrusion, sabotage, and drones,” Sec. Hegseth said during his address. “And we are securing the high ground and the airwaves. Our satellites. Our spectrum. Our ability to see, to navigate, and to talk to one another,” he said. He also said their plans include the building of new military bases inside the United States.

As cuts to federal spending, rising prices, and inflation continue to ill-effect the poor, the elderly, and place additional stressors upon the middle class, the National Defense budget estimate for Fiscal Year 2027 is projected to top $1.03 trillion or more, according to a recent report from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller. In the face of this, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) announced that the burden of providing aid during times of national, regional, or local crises will be shifted from the federal government to the individual states.

According to an October 20 online article by Politico: “FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own,” the agency’s administrator, Cameron Hamilton, “told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help,” during a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he described the Trump Administration’s “long-planned shift of disaster responsibilities to states.”

“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other abilities “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process,” the article quoted the FEMA head as saying.

“The agency will face substantial challenges—both logistically and politically—preparing states to take a lead role in disaster prevention and recovery,” POLITICO continued, adding that many state disaster agencies are often underfunded and understaffed while heavily dependent on federal dollars and resources.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan cautioned about America’s military budget, its cuts to FEMA, and the potential fallout during crises. On page 31 of his book, “A Torchlight for America,” published in 1993, Minister Farrakhan writes in part, “The military budget is as great as during war time, yet senators in states with strong weapons industries fight for military budget increases so that contracts can remain in their states—in effect saying to hell with the country and its budget woes.”

He warned, “Allah (God) has a way of showing His disapproval to those who are wise enough to read the signs. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Act, was enacted to finance emergencies and recoveries from national disasters. Natural disasters are God’s way of indicating His displeasure and are a sign of impending doom. FEMA doesn’t have enough money to pay for the earthquakes that hit San Francisco during the World Series a few years ago. FEMA does not have enough money to pay for Hurricane Hugo, Cyclone Omar, the hurricanes in Hawaii, the tornadoes that have torn up Tampa Bay, and Hurricane Andrew. All of these catastrophes increase the budget deficit. And more of these catastrophes are on the way to America with ever-increasing rapidity. This is God’s way of nudging or forcing government leadership to accept real solutions to the country’s problems. Jehovah used 10 plagues against Pharaoh. Those 10 plagues, including natural calamity from snow, rain, hail and earthquakes, are seen in the world today, particularly in America.”

Dr. Wilmer Leon is a lecturer in the political science department at Morgan State University and a radio talk show host. He told The Final Call that the Trump Administration is preparing the United States for a perpetual state of war, shifting federal priorities away from the general welfare of the people and toward the interests of the military-industrial complex.

“I think in the near term for the American citizen, it’s evident that the focus on the social safety net and the focus on investing in American infrastructure or the improving of the quality of life for the American people is secondary,” Dr. Leon explained.

“This is following the very same pattern as every other empire in the history of the world. We’ve seen this movie before,” he said. “We’ve seen it in Rome, we saw in it Greece, we saw it in Türkiye with the Ottoman Empire. We’ve seen it in Britain with the British Empire,” he said.

“Every empire comes to an end, and it seems to center around overreach, militarization that it can’t afford to sustain, and changing technology that it is not prepared to adapt to,” Dr. Leon insisted. “I think that they are desperately trying to stay afloat, understanding that they are really drowning and they are drowning as a result of their own arrogance and they’re drowning as a result of their inability to understand reality and adapt to it as they need to adapt to it and the American people are going to suffer,” he warned.

“What FEMA’s move signals to me is more evidence that the government is running out of money because of all the money that’s been shifted to the military-industrial complex,” Dr. Leon added. He noted that the American people must accept that, during times of emergency, little or no help will come for them and that solutions must come from the bottom up.

“The landscape is shifting and we’re not prepared for that,” Dr. Leon explained. “I was telling my students (that) America hasn’t begun to suffer and because the economic stratum in this country is such that the folks on the bottom are catching hell and the middle-class is starting to catch hell.”

—William P. Muhammad, Contributing Writer
Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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To help preserve that legacy, Muhammad Mosque No. 46 in New Orleans recently held its Second Annual Historic Million Man March Essay Contest, challenging young people nationwide to study Minister Farrakhan’s address and examine its relevance today.

Sister Alaylah Rashad of Chicago earned first place and Brother Malik X of New Orleans received second place.

Under the theme “The Million Man March: More Than a Moment in History,” contestants explained the gathering’s historical significance, analyzed at least two quotations from Minister Farrakhan’s address, and demonstrated why his message remains important.

Participants submitted original, two-page essays without the assistance of artificial intelligence. Research materials included the original March footage, Minister Farrakhan’s speech transcript, and historical coverage published by The Final Call.

First-place winner Sister Alaylah distinguished herself through a thoughtful examination of atonement, personal responsibility, and unity.

One of the essay judges, Brother Sedrick Muhammad praised her essay for its organization, effective use of Minister Farrakhan’s words, and direct treatment of the contest’s central themes.

Sister Alaylah explained that she began her writing process by watching the recorded address and identifying what she believed were Minister Farrakhan’s principal messages.

“To me, the historical significance of the March was not just a gathering but a gateway to speak to the fathers, sons, and husbands of our community,” she said. “I wanted to clearly express that the goal was for us to work together and on ourselves to build a better nation.”

Reflecting on her first-place finish, Sister Alaylah expressed gratitude while emphasizing her desire for continued growth. “I want to stay humble about my win and use this achievement to encourage myself to improve my writing skills and further expand on my knowledge,” she said.

Second-place winner, Brother Malik, examined Minister Farrakhan’s call for accountability, emphasizing the responsibilities of both individuals and government. His essay explored the importance of acknowledging wrongdoing, making amends, and confronting injustices that continue to affect Black communities.

For Brother Malik, participating in the contest provided an opportunity to deepen his understanding of an event he had frequently heard discussed as a registered member of the Nation of Islam and a student in the ministry class.

“I had a lot of fun writing my essay!” he shared. “As a registered member of the Nation of Islam, who is also in the Student Ministry Class, I hear a lot of people teaching on the Million Man March during my course of study. However, this is the most in-depth I have been able to go in understanding just how monumental the Million Man March was and is.”

Brother Malik explained that he was introduced to the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad around the 30th Anniversary of the Million Man March in 2025.

“Revisiting this a year later with the mind of a Muslim has opened up new understandings for me on who it is I say I follow,” he said. He also credited the writing experience with helping him more closely examine the impact of Minister Farrakhan’s work on America.

For Student Minister Willie Muhammad, the contest represents an effort to ensure that the Million Man March is understood not simply as a remarkable gathering, but as a significant spiritual and historical event.

“The idea behind this essay contest is to help keep the legacy of the historic Million Man March alive and to make sure that future generations continue to learn about this historic gathering,” he said.

“The Million Man March was also a bearing of witness to the presence of Allah (God) and His Servants in our midst. We do not want our young people to simply know that a million Black men gathered in Washington, D.C. We want them to understand why they gathered, what Minister Farrakhan taught that day, and what responsibility is placed upon us today.”

Minister Farrakhan’s call for atonement, reconciliation, responsibility and self-improvement remains as relevant today as it was in 1995. Through the contest, organizers hope to encourage young people to study these principles and apply them in their lives and communities.

Participation increased in this year’s competition. In recognition of their efforts, contestants who did not place first or second were given appreciation gifts.

Muhammad Mosque No. 46 expressed gratitude to the donors who supported the competition and the six judges who volunteered their time: Sister Michelle Muhammad, Brother Sedrick Muhammad, Brother Gilbert Muhammad, Sister Nandi Muhammad, and Sister Phyllis X of New Orleans, and Sister Angela Muhammad of Jacksonville, Florida.

Above all, organizers thanked every young person who accepted the challenge to study the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s historic message.

—Submitted by Student Minister Willie Muhammad of Mosque No. 46 in New Orleans

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Several cities led by Black mayors have reported progress against violence. Community leaders say that making neighborhoods safer still needs more work, resources, and trust, but that there have been positive steps.

Baltimore saw 61 fewer homicides in 2025 compared to 2024. Los Angeles had a 19% drop in killings, and Chicago’s year-end numbers showed homicides down by about 29%. Mayors say focused policing, violence intervention, and more opportunities for young people have helped. Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore and Birmingham, Ala., are a few of the cities touting progress.

Baltimore, D.C., and the work behind the numbers

Baltimore police’s year-end report on January 1, 2026, counted 133 homicides in 2025, down from 194 in 2024, a 31% drop. Nonfatal shootings fell from 412 to 311, about a 24.5% decrease. Police said they updated past homicide numbers so cases match the years when the incidents actually happened.

Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration uses both enforcement and a public health approach to address violence. The Group Violence Reduction Strategy pro-vides services to people at high risk for shootings and focuses enforcement on those responsible for violence. The city also relies on Safe Streets mediators, hospital intervention programs, and victim services.

In a July 2026 review, the administration said it connected over 400 people to life coaching and other support through Youth Advocate Programs and Roca. An evaluation found that in the first 18 months of the strategy in the Western District, shootings and homicides dropped by 33% without more arrests. While this result covers only one district and time period, not the whole city, it is significant.

Student Minister, Student Imam Abdul Salaam Muhammad, of the Nation of Islam’s Mosque No. 6 in Baltimore, told The Final Call that relationships among religious leaders, grassroots organizations, and city government have strengthened the work.

“During the COVID years, mosque members joined church leaders and others in walking through neighborhoods,” he said. Fruit of Islam (F.O.I.) Student Captain Andrew Muhammad and the F.O.I., the Nation of Islam’s men, continued that outreach, following the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s instruction and guidance.

“We have to make our own community a decent place to live and make it safe and habitable for our people,” Minister Farrakhan said in a 2016 year-in-review interview with The Final Call. He explained the need “to free where we live from senseless violence and to free this community from police.”

“They don’t need more training. They’re well trained. Their training shows in other communities, it’s only when they come into our community that another kind of training comes into force. They are an Occupying Army to colonized people. When we make our own community a decent place to live, we don’t want them in our community at all. We want to police our own community,” Minister Farrakhan said.

“In Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, I don’t see us on the University of Chicago and university hospital police force. That is a police force that polices its own community.

We can do the same. We have professional people who have gone to police training. We need to pull up some of our young people and train them and ask the Whites to leave.

“You go and patrol your community. We will police our own. We can begin taking our community and making it ours and making those who come in to respect our territory, like we have to respect theirs, but that will never happen until we respect ourselves,” Minister Farrakhan continued.

In Baltimore and other cities, the efforts continue. Student Min. Abdul Salaam Muhammad welcomed the progress in Baltimore but noted that grassroots organizations often start with commitment and limited resources.

“Those who know how to reach young people need dependable support,” he said. “So greater unity, more resources, and consistency in the work will get the job done.”

Baltimore’s update on October 1, 2026, reported 83 homicides, down from 98 at the same time in 2025, a 15.3% drop. Nonfatal shootings fell by 4.2%.

However, an October 20 report from The Baltimore Banner said Mayor Scott called public safety leaders together after a series of shootings. This shows that progress can still be fragile.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said in January 2026 that violent crime in Washington, D.C., dropped by 29% in 2025, including a 32% drop in homicides.

The Metropolitan Police Department reported 127 homicides, down from 187 in 2024. D.C. police credited Operation THRIVE, which brings agencies together in neighborhoods affected by gun violence, and the Real Time Crime Center, which helps with investigations and responses.

Education and opportunity in Benton Harbor

Benton Harbor, Michigan, is much smaller than the big cities getting national attention for their efforts. Even so, Mayor Marcus Muhammad believes its approach offers important lessons.

He told The Final Call that community policing, restorative justice, and more job and education opportunities have helped the city improve. He explained that restorative justice is about understanding that people can make mistakes but can still change.

“Engagement and education give people tools to make better decisions. Increasing access to work and constructive activities also matters,” he said.

Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis said crime dropped 24% as 2025 ended, according to a December 22 TV Station WNDU report citing The Herald-Palladium. Mayor Muhammad also mentioned a 25% drop in his interview.

For the mayor, education is still central to keeping progress going. He said, if government is going to help people, “education must be at the forefront.”

He also linked community improvement to the legacy of the 1995 Million Man March and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s call for Black men to love one another and return home committed to making their communities clean and safe. “That message has resonated,” he said.

Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland invest in prevention

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s year-in-review on December 31, 2025, said there were 416 homicides through December 30, about 29% fewer than the same period in 2024. Shooting incidents dropped by 34.5%. These numbers are from just before the end of the year.

Mayor Johnson’s administration credited partnerships between police, community groups, and violence intervention workers. They also focused on youth employment. City officials said One Summer Chicago gave jobs to 31,122 young people in summer 2025, according to Chicago PBS station WTTW’s report from a November budget hearing.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on February 17, 2026, that citywide homicides dropped by 19% in 2025. In Gang Reduction and Youth Development zones, where neighborhoods get special services, homicides fell by almost 27%.

Mayor Bass’s office said the city invested in prevention, reentry services, and community activities. The Summer Night Lights program served more than 110,000 people at 42 parks and recreation centers in 2025, according to the mayor’s office. However, community organizations warn they need steady funding to keep their work going.

The Urban Peace Institute described crisis response, conflict mediation, and outreach through the LA Peacemakers Initiative, but said its funding will end in 2026.

Oakland, California, has also seen progress with decreases in crime reflected in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, including a 21% drop in homicides and a 29% decrease in all violent crime, according to the midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Associated Press reported.

“Officials credited collaborations with community organizations and crisis response services through the city’s Department of Violence Prevention, established in 2017,” AP noted.

“These results show that we’re on the right track,” Mayor Barbara Lee said at a news conference. “We’re going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here,” she said, according to AP.

Birmingham and other cities report gains

Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Randall Woodfin has focused on investigations and police resources. Birmingham television station WBRC reported he cited 86 homicides in 2025, down from 152 in 2024. Another count from Birmingham Times/AL.com listed 88. Both numbers show a large drop.

In February 2025, Birmingham police introduced a strategy with specialized enforcement. They arrested people wanted for violent felonies, worked with federal partners, and fought illegal gun trafficking. They also restarted their youth athletic program.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration reported that homicides fell by 17.5% and shootings dropped by 23% from 2024 to 2025. In her December 2025 State of the City speech, Mayor Parker emphasized prevention, intervention, and enforcement, and said the city spent $25 million on community-based violence prevention that year.

Residents felt safer, but concerns remained. A Pew survey from January to March 2025 found that 56% of Philadelphians felt safe in their neighborhoods at night, up from 44% in 2022. Still, 61% said crime, drugs, and public safety were the city’s top issues. The survey was done before the full 2025 results were available.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in his January 2026 inaugural speech that Atlanta ended 2025 with fewer than 100 homicides. He also highlighted youth programs such as Midnight Basketball.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s State of the City speech in April 2026 said there were 31 homicides in 2025, down from 37 in 2024, and nonfatal shootings dropped by 36%. Newark’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery helps with neighborhood intervention, supports victims, and works with young people.

In July, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Vera Institute of Justice hosted a virtual roundtable and Q&A on the crime declines and to present what they called “a proactive vision of public safety.” The gathering included Mayor Scott, Mayor Baraka, Durham Mayor Leonardo “Leo” Williams, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) and U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11).

“For too long, leaders in Washington and around our nation have weaponized the issue of public safety with a failed ‘tough on crime’ approach that drives fear and division while fueling a cycle of mass incarceration, instead of delivering real solutions that make communities safer,” said CBC Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09).

“While Trump focuses on ‘tough on crime’ fearmongering and counter-productive gimmicks like deploying the National Guard, Black Mayors across the country are doing the real work to make cities safer. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to set the record straight and advocate for real public safety solutions,” added Rep. Brown.

More work ahead and community responsibility

Community leaders interviewed by The Final Call said that keeping up progress means recognizing those doing the work and investing in their ability to keep going. Student Imam Abdul Salaam said Baltimore’s coalition work is moving in the right direction. The goal, he said, is for the city to reach a point with no murders.

While progress has been made and Black mayors are doing what they can to address challenges in their cities with the resources available, responsibility also lies with community residents.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan offered guidance and solutions during his Saviours’ Day keynote message on March 1, 2009, at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois, titled, “Accepting Responsibility To Build Our Community.”

“In building a community, everybody has to go to work. Everyone’s talent has to be put to use. We’ve got people among us who know how to organize people effectively. Preachers, scholars, lawyers; local, national and international activists; and entertainers:

Don’t you think that we could come together and plan spiritual education, pool our preachers together and stop hooping, shouting and going crazy and leaving the people in ignorance?

Can’t we plan a spiritual curriculum based on the Bible and Holy Qur’an, and educate people that when they come to church it should be a learning experience about God as it was today?” Minister Farrakhan said.

“We can multiply what we see here all over the country. It’s time now, because if we don’t do it now and lose this opportunity, then our people and their children will never forgive us.

Barack has done his job. Now we’ve got to do ours,” he said, referring to former President Barack Obama. Minister Farrakhan’s guidance in 2009 is just as applicable in 2026.

“Let’s gather the house. We don’t have a lot of time. I need help. I know I can’t do it by myself, but I know we need help, and the help is here. The people are ready. The question is: Are we ready to go to work and build a national community? Who is going to help me do that?

There are people all over the world that will help us if we would determine to help ourselves. All of you: Let’s go to work. Let’s build our community and make it a decent place to live. If we do this, we can take our young brothers away from the violence, away from the guns, away from the self-hatred,” Minister Farrakhan said.

Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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Tamir Hayman, Tel Aviv University’s executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) think tank, writes that a public conversation must take place regarding Israel’s “national identity.”

He lists 10 “theoretical and deliberately exaggerated” interpretations of “new” principles for discussion, including the primacy of Jewish identity over democracy, settlement and civilians as central to security, and prioritizing an independent industrial defense capability, among others.

Although the principles are the de facto, unstated position of the government in light of Oct. 7, the paper suggests clarity on the principles will inform deci-sion-making and dictate Israel’s approach to security.

To preserve security, Israel must be in a constant “state of war” that cannot “be

replaced by a state of peace,” he writes. The intensity of the war may vary with circumstances, but “its constant presence is an asset to national security.”

“Any arrangement with Arab actors is temporary and deceptive,” writes Mr. Hayman, a retired general. Therefore, “any agreements are merely technical and temporary.”

Being self-reliant and not dependent on powers like the United States is necessary because “excessive adherence to restrictions imposed on Israel by a U.S. administration is dangerous.”

He describes the U.S. as a “declining power” that ultimately will “abandon Israel” and subject the colonial state to a “progressive American value system” incompatible with Israel’s Jewish character.

“Severing ties with the United States is therefore not only inevitable, but essential to Israel’s independence and the resilience of its Jewish national identity,” he writes.

The author suggests preemptive strikes—similar to the U.S.-Israel Feb. 28 unprovoked attack on Iran—should be a strategic norm rather than a rarity.

Establishing “forward defense” zones where Israel occupies parts of another nation—as in Southern Lebanon—provides a base to destabilize that nation and allows Israel to move conflict into “enemy territory.”

Dima Yassin mourns over the body of her mother, Dina Yassin, during the funeral of her parents, who were killed in an Israeli army strike on an apartment in Gaza City, Oct. 20.

The paper suggests that a state of Palestine exists as a Western narrative rooted in “post-colonial guilt” and the conflict should instead be viewed as a “permanent Israeli-Arab” conflict.

The ebb and flow of the Palestinian resistance against Israel constitutes the Arab attempt to fight and destroy the State of Israel, he suggests. However, any Arab inhabitant of the “Land of Israel” who chooses to remain in the Jewish state will be granted residency rights and local self-governance, the document says.

The general acknowledges the history of Israeli aggression prior to statehood in which Israelis established settlements in areas occupied by Palestinians or legally purchased land and organized voluntary paramilitary organizations, or “underground militias.”

“Defense is established by creating communities and outposts in all areas of friction with the Arab population, in Judea and Samaria [occupied West Bank area], and in security zones in Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip,” the document says.

Traditionally, the Declaration of Independence defined Israel as a Jewish state committed to the principles of liberal democracy, General Hayman writes. He calls into question the survivability or the legitimacy of Israel remaining a “civic and democratic” state versus “making religious sources” the framework for setting security priorities. Can a policy seeking to curtail the civil rights of Israel’s Arab citizens still align with Israel’s definition as a “Jewish and Democratic” state, he asks?

This all bears witness to what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said in his February 25, 2024, Saviours’ Day address, where he warned of Israel’s intentions.

“The first Nakba or ‘catastrophe’ on the Palestinians was done in 1948 when Israel became a state. And they exiled 700,000 Palestinians and made them like vagabonds in the Earth. But Netanyahu had in mind that he was going to use the pain of their loss to destroy the whole Palestinian community not only in Gaza but the West Bank, (and) East Jerusalem. It was a genocidal attack that he knew would preserve his place as a ‘great Jewish leader,’” Minister Farrakhan said.

“People do strange things when their hatred is so great of the people that they are killing; that their intention was to cleanse Gaza of every Palestinian that lived there and cleanse the West Bank and East Jerusalem so that Israel would not be bothered with Palestinians anymore,” he continued.

“Now some of you, my Black brothers and sisters, you are not concerned about the Middle East; you’re concerned about the refugees that are coming into the major cities that you feel may take your place. But to charge Israel with genocide and have the proof of their charge: South Africa stood up and took Israel to the International Court of Justice at The Hague,” Minister Farrakhan said.

—James G. Muhammad, Contributing Editor

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The report, issued Oct. 26 by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said Israeli forces have carried out these acts despite a Gaza ceasefire agreement hammered out by the U.S. in 2025. The document is titled “Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.”

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli concertgoers, Israeli officials have demonstrated “a consistent intent to establish permanent military control over Gaza and to change its demographic composition while systematically destroying Palestinian life,” the report says.

The UN report reflects a white paper issued a week earlier by an Israeli general documenting the “unofficial” operational policy toward Palestinians. (See related story on this page)

From October 7, 2023 to October 9 2025, over 72,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and over 1,000 in the West Bank. From the October 10, 2025, ceasefire to September 30, 2026, 1,431 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 300 children and 130 women, and 137 in the West Bank, the report notes.

The OHCHR has made the finding of genocide in previous reports.

The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed a 2024 resolution confirming the perception that a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River would pose a threat to the State of Israel and Israeli Jews.

One legislator was moved to declare in the Knesset that “ … there will never be a Palestinian state in the land of Israel, because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.” That mentality contributes to a military culture where Palestinians are dehumanized, equated with terrorists and are legitimate targets, the report says.

Therefore, soldiers have broad discretion to use lethal force against a perceived threat, regardless of whether the target poses real danger, the report says, noting instances of killings of unarmed Palestinians.

Major General Avio Bluth said in May 2026 that Israeli soldiers were “killing like we haven’t since 1967,” the document says.

Examples of the brutality include: On June 5, 2026, a seven-month-old baby was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers while in a car with parents. Video footage shows the driver slowed down, stopped and raised his hands when approaching the soldiers. No medical assistance was offered to the family, the report says.

In another incident, four members of a family of six were shot in the head by soldiers on March 15, 2026, while in their car. Two members of the family survived but were subsequently assaulted by soldiers.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly provided “false justifications” for the use of lethal force, intending to deflect responsibility, the report says. In an example of an extrajudicial killing, Israeli soldiers beat, shot and killed two unarmed Palestinian brothers after they approached them with hands raised. Video footage of the incident refuted the Israeli claim that the men attempted to snatch the soldiers’ weapons.

The Israeli government continues to use sexual and gender-based violence, according to the report. Tactics include gang rapes of men, genital violence, forced nudity and cavity searches.

These findings contradict the report by the Trump administration’s “Board of Peace” which reported to the Security Council in May that the ceasefire has largely held, bringing “enormous relief to the civilian population.” The Board of Peace was established in January to draft a peace plan for Gaza.

The report alleges, the Palestinian (PA), a Palestinian-led governing body established to assume interim responsibilities in parts of the West Bank and Gaza, has also committed acts of sexual and gender-based violence to silence women human rights activists, violated freedom of speech and association rights, and the right to peaceful assembly.

In the illegally occupied West Bank, the PA exercises little to no authority over the three areas—A, B and C—with no governing authority over Israelis in either area. In Area A, which contains major Palestinian cities, for example, the PA exercises full civil and security control over Palestinians. The PA has no governing role in Area C.

The PA’s legally binding agreement to cooperate and collaborate on security measures with Israeli authorities, along with the PA’s abuses, has created distrust among Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the report says.

U.S. observers hold out little hope for change coming from political leaders in the U.S. or Israel. Real hope lies in the current trend by civilians in the U.S. to curb military support for Israel.

A Palestinian man carries metal sheets past the ruins of buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Oct. 18. Photos: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

“These kinds of reports do not lead to change on their own,” said Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. “They’re important as tools for civil society in our mobilizations, challenging Israeli genocide, Israeli ethnic cleansing.”

“Those crimes are carried out with U.S. weapons, paid for by U.S. tax dollars, protected by U.S. vetoes at the UN Security Council. So, the U.S. government is complicit in those crimes. The question is, how are we as civil society, social movements going to use these important UN reports as further evidence of what many have been saying for a very long time?” she said.

The OHCHR made nine recommendations to the State of Israel, two recommendations to the State of Palestine, five to UN Member States and one recommendation to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Recommendations to Israel included a demand for an immediate end to the commission of genocide in Gaza, an end to “unlawful occupation” of Palestinian territory, and to provide effective remedies, including compensation, restitution and rehabilitation, for families of persons killed or injured, including victims of sexual violence, and those who suffered destruction of property.

To Palestine, it called for independent investigations of human rights violations and to provide remedies for harm suffered and to cease targeting human rights activists.

The Israeli Government did not respond to two requests for information from the OHCHR.

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