By Florida Bill A fair question to ask: Just how wired is Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam? Is his armor all about having friends in high places? With regularity, and never quiet about it, he calls out Jews as "bloodsuckers" who have caused and continue to cause problems in the world. Just recently, he lashed out at "powerful Jews... responsible for all of the filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out...turning men into women and women into men."
When it comes to being anti Semitic, the iconic Farrakhan, whose speeches often last three hours or more, heads the list. He has even called Adolph Hitler "a very great man."
But his venom is not reserved exclusively for Jews--no, not at all. The NOI, also known as the "Black Muslims" has long tagged the white man as the "blue-eyed devil" on earth and recently the minister was quoted for having said that "white people deserve to die."
The 84-year-old Farrakhan has also whipped up ill will for police who, he laments, are killing young black men. In a speech at an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C., following publicity about some black youths shot by police, he told followers that "if the federal government will not intercede in our affairs, then we must rise up and kill those who kill us. Stalk them and kill them and let them feel the pain of death that we are feeling."
With all of that incendiary rhetoric, it is surprising that he gets away with it and no one seems to bat an eye. It's just Farrakhan being Farrakhan, no harm in that. So what's going on here?
The NOI is headquartered in Chicago and espouses a belief that the black man is superior to all other persons. Prominent black athletes like Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and the late Muhammad Ali were members. Entertainers who follow the NOI include Ice Cube, Kanye West and Snoop Dog; and the well-known television personalities, Dr. Oz and political analyst and commentator, Fareed Zakaria. Actor Will Smith and his wife, Jada, have donated $150,000 to the black supremacist organization.
My guess is that the heavy endorsement of Minister Farrakhan comes from former President Obama whose coat tails deliver the message that Farrakhan is an untouchable.
Dr. Vilbert White Jr., a scholar of Black history who split from the Nation in 1995, is the author of a book critical of Farrakhan and the NOI. In it he explains that a black man goes nowhere in
In 2008, Minister Farrakhan spoke out forcefully on behalf of then candidate, Sen. Obama. Reports tell us that during that campaign, Farrakhan even referred to Obama as a "Messiah" and called upon all black men to vote for him. Obama was elected to the nation's highest office that year with the support of about 95 per cent of the African American vote, becoming America's first African American President.
With Obama in front, leaders in the Democratic party, both white and black, have only good words for the leader of the Nation of Islam. His well-known anti Semitic posture is overlooked, as, apparently, no one wants to incur his wrath. The mainstream media is reserved with its criticism of Minister Farrakhan, unlike its non-stop bashing of President Trump as a down and dirty racist.
Is Farrakhan's hate-filled rhetoric the type which could justify prosecution? A few years back, then Attorney General Loretta Lynch promised to prosecute anyone whose rhetoric against Muslims "edged toward violence." Reportedly there have been more than 40 prosecution for anti Muslim talk which "edged toward violence" since the 9-11 attack in New York, but somehow Farrakhan's call for the ''stalking and killing of policemen," and how "white people deserve to die" goes unchallenged and unpunished, and just doesn't pass the proverbial red line.
Is it possible that the federal administration under Trump will be reminding the minister that his incendiary rhetoric and public anti-Semitic comments could be inciting and inviting violence, and that these outbursts could land him before a judge? With Trump, that's possible.
Farrakhan was born Louis Eugene Wolcott. As a young man, he was a talented violinist and calypso singer before he dedicated his life to the Nation and to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. He became a foot soldier to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, an early proponent of the NOI, who was regarded by members as a Messenger of Allah. Elijah Muhammad conferred upon Wolcott the name of Farrakhan, who prior to becoming the leader of the NOI had functioned for a time as an assistant to Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965.
Is Farrakhan's rhetoric protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech? Yes, but there is a red line which cannot be crossed. For example, there are legal consequences for screaming "fire" in a crowded theater. Government should pay more attention to Farrakhan's rhetoric lest the violence he calls for happens.
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