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A common response to those who praise Farrakhan and refuse to condemn him on behalf of his civil rights activism is met with- how can you ignore his blatant bigotry?
Perhaps what we should ask is- What are those things that made Farrakhan good for the black community. Thread.
Perhaps what we should ask is- What are those things that made Farrakhan good for the black community. Thread.
1955- After nine months of being a registered Muslim in the NOI and a member of Muhammad's Temple of Islam in Boston, where Malcolm X was the minister, the former calypso-singer turned Muslim became his assistant minister.
Farrakhan became minister after Elijah Muhammad transferred Malcolm X to Muhammad's Temple of Islam No. 7 on West 116th St. in Harlem. Louis X continued to be mentored by Malcolm X, until this assassination in 1965. The day that Malcolm X died, Farrakhan was 45 minutes away.
Farrakhan made numerous incendiary statements about Malcolm X, contributing to what was called a "climate of vilification." Three men from a Newark, NOI mosque: Thomas Hagan, Muhammad Abdul Aziz & Kahlil Islam were convicted of the killing.
Farrakhan joined and followed Imam Warith Al-Deen Mohammed, and became a Sunni Imam. Farrakhan distanced himself from Mohammed's movement. He become disillusioned and decided to "quietly walk away". 1978, Farrakhan decided to rebuild upon Fards' teachings summarized here.
From a group that was welcoming to Europeans and even Jews, his group became more isolated, hostile to the outside and fond of strange conspiracies on the origins of the African American man.
1984: Farrakhan states Hitler was a great man.
In 1985, Farrakhan obtained $5 million, in the form of an interest-free loan from Libya's Islamic Call Society. Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi had also offered Farrahkan guns to begin a black nation. Farrakhan said that he told Gaddafi that he preferred an economic investment.
1989, at a press conference at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC, Minister Farrakhan described a vision which he had on September 17, 1985 in which Elijah Muhammad was speaking to him and told him the following:
1991-The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, a book by the Nation of Islam, asserts that Jews dominated the Atlantic slave trade. It's been widely criticized for being antisemitic and for failing to provide an objective analysis of the role of Jews in the slave trade.
1995, Malcolm X's daughter Qubilah Shabazz was arrested for conspiracy to assassinate Farrakhan.Her family resented Farrakhan and had good reason to because he was one of those in the Nation responsible for the climate of vilification that resulted in Malcolm X's assassination".
That year Farrakhan convened a broad coalition for the Million Man March. The National Park Service estimated that approximately 440,000 were in attendance. Farrakhan threatened to sue the National Park Service because of the low estimate from the Park Police.
Farrakhan's speech lasted for 21⁄2 hours. In it, he quoted from spirituals as well as the Old and New Testaments and termed himself a prophet sent by God to show America its evil.
The event was organized by many civil rights and religious organizations and drew men and their sons from across the United States of America. Many other distinguished African American addressed the throng.
2005, Farrakhan stated that there was a hole under one of the key levees that failed in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. He implied it was a deliberate attempt to wipe out the black population and it was "God's way of punishing America for its warmongering and racism".
2010-Farrakhan publicly endorsed Dianetics. He urged European Americans to join Church of Scientology. "All white people should flock to L. Ron Hubbard. You can still be a Christian; you just won't be a devil Christian. You can still be a Jew, but you won't be a satanic Jew."
2011, Farrakhan called Obama "first Jewish president". Farrakhan opposed intervention in Libya due to his support for Gaddafi. Farrakhan warned that the United States could be "facing a major earthquake as part of God's divine judgment against the country for her evil".
NOI has been hosting Dianetic courses & graduation ceremonies.
2013, early 8,500 members of the organisation had undergone auditing. NOI had graduated 1,055 auditors & delivered 82,424 hours of auditing. The graduation ceremony was certified by the Church of Scientology.
2013, early 8,500 members of the organisation had undergone auditing. NOI had graduated 1,055 auditors & delivered 82,424 hours of auditing. The graduation ceremony was certified by the Church of Scientology.
How great is Farrakhan for the black community? Is his brand of activism a thing to praise? Do we accept organizing a march in which praise-worthy speakers and attendees have inspired millions while a deranged man, self appointed prophet, as activism, or do we tell him apart?
"Overt anti-Semitism, it turned out, was something the two groups could bond over. While Rockwell pushed his hatred of Jews to frothy extremes, Muhammad backed a range of racist theories, including the hoax that the Jews had financed the slave trade." https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dpwamv/when-malcolm-x-met-the-nazis-0000620-v22n4
Important closing point relevant till today. It was Farrakhan who started the slave trade conspiracy back in 1991 that was later on adopted by David Duke.
NOI, under Farrakhan, maintains an open partnership with white supremacist Tom Metzger. And in the last decade, the American Nazi Party website established a "Non-Aryan Sympathizer Page," offering "a means for non-whites to aid in our struggle" with mail-in contributions.
Nation of Islam received at least $364,500 in contracts and awards from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2019, to spread their message to federal prison inmates. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/exclusive-nation-of-islam-receiving-federal-cash-to-teach-prisoners
