KEEPING THE FAITH - In The News
Who is Louis Farrakhan?
March 7, 2008
Recently, I sent out comments made by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan
as he rallied his Black Muslim followers to support Barack Obama for
President. While Obama tried to distance himself from those remarks, I
believe there is more to the story. This Keeping The Faith is about that
story. I will send out subsequent information about Obama’s position on
issues – at least those where he has cast a vote or taken a stand. While we
know a lot about Senator Clinton – and husband, Bill – and Senator McCain,
we know very little about Senator Obama. He is currently leading in the
number of delegates in the Democrat primary and is running ahead of Sen.
McCain in some polls head-to-head.
In my previous email, I assumed most knew who Farrakhan is and what he
stands for. But, in case you do not – here are some highlights of his life,
as the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), and his connection to Rev.
Jeremiah Wright, Jr., pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ
where Senator Obama is a member. Obama has referred to Rev. Wright as his
spiritual mentor, his moral compass, and his sounding board.
This is rather lengthy - but worth the read.
Who is Louis Farrakhan?
Born in The Bronx, NY in 1933, Farrakhan received training as a violinist.
In the 1950s he discovered Calypso music, and became a Calypso singer. While
performing in that genre, he met sometime saxophonist Rodney Smith who
introduced him to the Nation of Islam’s (NOI) doctrine and joined the Nation
of Islam in July of 1955 – becoming Louis X (the "X" being a placeholder for
the unknown surname of his slave forefathers.) Founded by Elijah Muhammad
(born Elijah Poole in Sandersville, GA), the Nation of Islam preaches
complete separation from white society. The NOI teaches that black people
must develop independence in economics, religion, and nationhood. The
teachings of the NOI denounce drinking, gambling, physical abuse of black
women, and the inability to protect one's family from attacks by violent
white America.
In 1989, Louis Farrakhan described a 1985 vision he had while in Mexico. In
his vision, he said he was carried up to "a Wheel, or what you call an
unidentified flying object" to a "human built planet" known as the "Mother
Wheel" as referenced in the Bible's Book of Ezekiel 1:15-18. During this
Vision experience he said he heard the voice of Elijah Muhammad informing
him that the President was planning a war and instructed him to "announce
their plan and say to the world that you got the information from me, Elijah
Muhammad, on the Wheel." (Elijah Muhammad taught what was viewed by most as
black supremacist doctrine. He taught that blacks were the first people on
the Earth but had been tricked out of their power and oppressed by whites,
who were created by a scientist called Yakub.)
Farrakhan has claimed that "They (the Jews) helped him (Hitler) get the
Third Reich on the road."
He said of Caucasians, "White people are potential humans. They haven't
evolved yet."
He has suggested that the rescue effort following Hurricane Katrina was
"intentionally slow so that blacks would die."
He claimed the 9/11 atrocities were "cover" for a war "to bring a pipeline
through Afghanistan to bring oil from that region, oil owned by Unical of
which Dick Cheney is a stock holder."
Just last month, "Minister" Farrakhan said of Israel, "there will be no
peace for Israel, because there can be no peace as long as that peace is
based on lying, stealing, murder, and using God's name to shield a wicked,
unjust practice that is not in harmony with the Will of God."
Who is Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.?
In 2007 Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, where Obama has been a
member since 1988, gave Farrakhan their Life Time Achievement Trumpeter
Award. The award was presented by Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., who he
described as a man who "truly epitomized greatness." Obama has referred to
Rev. Wright as his spiritual mentor, his moral compass, and his sounding
board. (Obama has disagreed with the award.)
When Obama decided to run for president, he invited Rev. Wright to offer the
invocation at his press conference. At the last minute, Obama rescinded the
invitation – Rev. Wright was there – but did not pray. Following media
coverage of Obama's last-minute decision not to have Wright speak at the
senator's presidential announcement last month, Wright warned his flock not
to believe any reports of a rift between him and the church's best-known
member. But in an interview with PBS's "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly"
recorded just before Obama's February announcement, Wright said he warned
the senator that their association could pose political problems, partly
because of his history of supporting Palestinian causes.
"If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself
from me," Wright told The New York Times with a shrug. "I said it to Barack
personally, and he said 'yeah, that might have to happen.'"
When asked about the decision to leave him off the program, Rev. Wright
said:
"He can’t afford the Jewish support to wane or start questioning his
allegiance to the state of Israel because I’m saying the position we’ve
taken in terms of Palestinians is wrong."
Wright also told The New York Times in an interview published March 6: "When
his (Obama's) enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli" with Nation
of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to visit Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, "a
lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell."
Obama’s pastor has been quoted as saying, "In the 21st century, white
America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the Western
world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the
woodwork or just "disappeared" as the Great White West kept on its merry way
of ignoring Black concerns.
Wright on the disappearance of Natalee Holloway: "Black women are being
raped daily in Africa. One white girl from Alabama gets drunk at a
graduation trip to Aruba, goes off and gives it up while in a foreign
country and that stays in the news for months."
Wright on Israel: "The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian
territories for over 40 years now. Divestment has now hit the table again as
a strategy to wake the business community and wake up Americans concerning
the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because
of Zionism."
Wright on America: He has used the term "middleclassness" in a derogatory
manner; frequently mentions "white arrogance" and the "oppression" of
African-Americans today; and has referred to "this racist United States of
America."
In a January 2008 sermon, Wright said, "Some argue that blacks should vote
for Clinton "because her husband was good to us. That's not true, he
thundered. He did the same thing to us that he did to Monica Lewinsky."
Obama has attributed Wright's controversial views to Wright being "a child
of the '60s" who Obama said "expresses himself in that language of concern
with institutional racism, and the struggles the African-American community
has gone through."
He has stated, "Like a member of my own family, there are things he [Wright]
says at times with which I deeply disagree," he said. "But as he prepares to
retire [Wright stepped down as senior pastor this earlier this year], that
doesn't detract from my affection for Reverend Wright or appreciation for
the good works he has done."
In an interview with the New York Times in April, 2007, Dwight Hopkins, Ph.d
of the University of Chicago, states: Pastor Wright, ministers "...black
liberation theology which interprets the Bible as the struggles of black
people, who by virtue of their own oppression are better able to understand
scripture than those who have suffered less...others hear this as Racism in
reverse."
In 2007, Senator Obama launched a website, faith.barackobama.com and on this
site he had listed the testimonials of 3 controversial Clergymen: Rev.
Wright, Rev. Alfred Smith, Sr. the Senior Pastor at Allen Temple Baptist
Church, Oakland, CA. who was honored by the notoriously violent Black
Panther Party in 1975 and 1980 and was given a community award by the Nation
of Islam; and Rev. Michael Plfeger a Roman Catholic Chicago Priest who has
allowed Nation of Islam Leader, Louis Farrakhan, to preach in his church and
has been arrested for defacing billboards. In May, 2007 Rev. Plfeger staged
an anti-gun rally in front of a gun store where he exhorted the crowd to,
"...hunt down the owner like a rat and snuff him out."
Today, when I went to Senator Obama’s faith website, none of these three men
were listed among the pastors that have endorsed him.
(Source: Wikipedia; Chicago Tribune; Baltimore Sun; PBS; Trinity United
Church of Christ website)
Thank you for Keeping The
Faith.
Sadie Fields
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – 2008
YOU ARE INVITED to attend the
2008 Metro Atlanta Prayer Breakfast as we pray on behalf of our city,
state and nation. Keynote speakers: Governor Sonny Perdue and VA
Congressman & Director Congressional Prayer Caucus Randy Forbes.
read more info
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March 7, 2008 |
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