http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/RG9-9-00-3_42_23_1992_p3.pdf

Media

Part of Islamic leader preached self-help, self-esteem and liberation, October 23, 1992

Text

Islamic leader preached self­
help, self-esteem and liberation
JULIAN WILLOCK
Spectrum Staff Writer

UB students were among the
many college and university stu­
dents from Western New York
and across the country who
attended the Nation of Islam's
Saviours Day convention in
Atlanta, Georgia, this past week­
end. The UB delegation was
comprised of about 15 students,
headed by Black Student Union
President James Minter.
The weekend in Atlanta had its
controversy after the Mayor May­
nard Jackson sent a letter to the
Nation of Islam leader Louis Far­
rakhan to welcome him to the city
of Atlanta. The Jewish communi­
ty has long considered Farrakhan
anti-Jewish, but Farrakhan has
denied that charge.
Stuart Lewengrub, regional
director of the Anti-Defamation
League, said one of the demands
the League has before it can sit
down and talk with the Nation of
Islam is for "The Nation and
Louis Farrakhan to repudiate and
recant their nmnerous expressions
of hostility towards Jews."
Leonard Farrakhan Muham­
mad, chief of staff of the Nation
of Islam, denied that Louis Far­
rakhan is anti-Jewish and said the
Nation of Islam has suffered
insults from Jewish leaders who
have compared the group to the
Ku Klux Klan. While the media
and many critics continue to
charge that the religious leader is
anti-Jewish and racist, his follow­
ers say much of the good they do
under his leadership goes unno­
ticed.
Involved in diverse projects
National officials said Far­
rakhan and his congregation are
involved in a variety of endeavors
primarily aimed at making blacks

economically, socially, politically
and spiritually self-sufficient.
Examples of several diverse pro­
jects include: security patrols in
drug-ravaged neighborhoods in
major cities, including Buffalo, a
publishing network that includes
books and The Final Call news­
paper, an international office and
representative based in Ghana;
West Africa, and small business

"America contin­
ues to practice
white superiority,
racism, sexism and
. . .· .. ••

•••

has lost her
morals."
Louis Farrakhan Nation of Islam

ventures, day care centers, a line
of personal and health-care prod­
ucts, videos on every thing from
Malcolm X to Farrakhan speech­
es and Muhammad University of
Islam in Chicago.
Last month, the Los Angeles
Police Commission awarded the
Nation of Islam a contract to
patrol 15 federally subsidized
apartment buildings in Oakwood,
California. Two years ago, the
Washington City Council cited
the Nation of Islam for inspiring a
successful anti-drug effort there.
A torchlight for America
In his nearly two hour long
speech on Sunday at the Georgia
Dome, Farrakhan asserted that
"America is on her death bed and
is crying for desperate help."
Before an estimated crowd of

70,000, he claimed that America
"continues to practice white superiority, racism, sexism and has
lost her morals.. .and if we don· t
change, we will fall like all other
great nations have."
He insisted "that Bush, Clinton
and Perot do not care about poor
people in this country, and blacks
are always the ones to suffer
first." He urged African Ameri­
cans to heed his message of self­
help, self-esteem and liberation.
Tricia Kerney, a student on the
trip, said that he was "very educational and informative, and I dis­
miss anyone who thinks he is
anti-semitic."
Student Lasondra Statham said
that "his speech was strong and
positive...and even though I don't
agree with him in all his beliefs, I
found his speech to he a great
learning experience."
Nation of Islam beliefs
The nation of Islam should not
be confused with the orthodox
Muslim community headed by
national Islamic leader Warith
Deen Muhammad, the son of Eli­
jah Muhammad. Both groups
were part of the original Nation
of Islam, founded in 1930 as a
black separatist organization, but
a schism occurred after Elijah
Muhammad's death in 1975.
The Nation of Islam believes in
God, who followers refer to as
Allah. It holds that· the essential
truth of the Bible has been tam­
pered with and must be re-inter­
preted. It holds that the so-called
'Negroes' are most in need of
mental resurrection; therefore,
they will be resurrected first, and
they are the chosen people of
God. It holds that black women
should be respected and protect­
ed. It holds that those who
declare themselves to be right­
eous Muslims should not partici­
pate in war.