UNITED STATES: Farrakhan Concerned at Image Problems

By Farhan Haq Reprint | | Print |

NEW YORK, Feb 25 1996 (IPS) - Feared by whites, influential among black youths, Louis Farrakhan and his Chicago-based Nation of Islam have always attracted controversy.

But Farrakhan stepped into a new fray when he launched a five- week tour last month of countries like Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Sudan.

Iran’s press agency saids that Farrakhan told Iranian officials, “God will destroy America by the hands of Muslims.” Other news reports claimed that he offered to accept money from the Libyan government and that he had compared the Iraqi embargo to the fate of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust – although Nation of Islam officials later denied the validity of such claims.

Nicholas Burns, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, however, blasted Farrakhan’s visits with Col. Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi of Sudan, and President Hafez al-Assad of Syria.

Farrakhan, he said, was “cavorting with dictators.”

Representative Peter King of New York has called for an investigation into whether Farrakhan’s visit to Libya violates passport restrictions on U.S. citizens, and whether he broke laws about accepting money from Qaddafi. Other politicians have urged the application of the Logan Act, which penalises citizens who travel to ‘enemy nations’ of the United States.

Richard Muhammad, managing editor of the Nation of Islam newspaper, ‘The Final Call’, argues that the media misread the facts about Farrakhan’s trip.

He says that the press incorrectly reported that Qaddafi offered to strengthen ties with African Americans with the extension of one billion dollars to the Nation of Islam. “The money was never offered,” he says.

Muhammad notes that the rumours started when the Libyan press agency, JANA, reported an offer of money to Farrakhan before the trip even took place. “If you look at early Reuters reports, it’s clear that Qaddafi never offered the Minister (Farrakhan) one billion dollars,” he adds.

Still, as Farrakhan prepares to return this week to end his tour with a visit to Malaysia, he may face harsh investigation of exactly what he said and to whom.

The Muslim leader’s influence is being questioned just months after his triumphant leadership of the Million Man March, when the Nation of Islam brought hundreds of thousands of black men to Washington for “a day of atonement.’

For some Muslims and African Americans, the debate over whether Farrakhan’s influence is pernicious is beside the point.

“The prestige issue is a distraction,” says Salam al- Marayati, director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council. “It’s obvious that, to the people he’s met, he’s considered to be a major factor in American society. The issue is, what can people do with that perceived influence?”

Al-Marayati says Farrakhan should not be judged until what he actually said on his trip abroad is verified. But he argues that, regardless of the Nation of Islam leader’s influence, the U.S. Muslim and black communities shun dictatorships and have no intention of “bringing down the United States,” as Farrakhan is quoted to have said.

“I don’t think anybody’s been able to verify what he said,” al-Marayati says of Farrakhan, noting particularly the Iranian news agency accounts of his denunciations of the United States while in Teheran. “But Muslims are here to build America.”

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, contends that the Nation of Islam’s postures should not be confused with the views of U.S. Muslims.

“Our stance is that Louis Farrakhan does not represent the Muslim community in America, and thus, whatever he says should not be attributed to the Muslim community,” Hooper says.

The Nation of Islam, he adds, “has its own views of Islam, many of which are diametrically opposed to mainstream Islamic beliefs.” Elijah Muhammad, the Nation’s late founder, taught his followers that the white race was created by an evil scientist, Dr. Yakub, on the Greek island of Patmos.

But Hooper also worries that harsh media coverage of Farrakhan’s visit to Muslim leaders worldwide may contribute to tensions between the United States and Muslim nations. “I think it is counterproductive for any government to restrict dialogue with anybody,” he says.

The tensions between white and black America may also grow, given the increased leadership role Farrakhan has assumed since the Million Man March.

Several black leaders, including Kweisi Mfume, the new chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), argue that Farrakhan’s trip to so many countries that oppose the United States was unhelpful.

Other black leaders have said that, in the wake of the Million Man March, the Farrakhan tour shows that unity between the Nation of Islam and mainstream black politicians may still be tricky.

But al-Marayati contends that Farrakhan’s new-found prestige cannot be wished away.

“If anyone can bring people (to march) in Washington, that person automatically becomes a force,” he says. “The same thing can be said about (extreme right-wing commentator) Pat Buchanan’s run at the presidency.”