[Editor�s note:
The following text is the opening statement from a June 17, 2002 press
conference by Minister Louis Farrakhan at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C. During the press conference, he announced his intention
to lead a peace mission to the Middle East, Israel and Africa in an effort
to avoid total war in that region that could lead to world war.]
In the Name of
Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. We give praise and thanks for His
mercy to the human family in raising up messengers and prophets from
among us to bring us closer to His reality and to help us to solve the
problems of our time and to bring us back into His divine favor. We
thank him for Moses and the Torah. We thank him for Jesus and the
Gospel. We thank him for Muhammad and the Qu�ran. Peace be upon these
worthy servants of Allah (God). I am a student of the Most Honorable
Elijah Muhammad, and I could never thank Allah (God) enough for his
intervention in our affairs in the person of the great Mahdi, Master
Fard Muhammad, Who saw one from among us worthy to place on his
shoulders a weighty word and a weighty responsibility to perform a duty
for the Black people of America and the world, and a duty for this great
nation, the United States of America. And what is that duty? It is to
raise the Black people of America from the grave of spiritual and mental
death, to make us a civilized people worthy of being members of
civilized societies of our planet, and to warn and to guide America out
of the place of judgment that America has entered for past sins I greet
all of you with the greeting words of peace, As Salaam Alaikum.
Distinguished
brothers and sisters of the audience, distinguished members of the Corps
of Ambassadors, distinguished members of the press, I want to thank the
National Press Club and all those who worked to make this afternoon
possible. I have called this press conference to inform the media, and
through you to inform the American people and the people of the world,
of my reason for this planned trip into the Middle East, this most troubled part of our planet. In previous press statements
concerning the Middle East crisis, I have said that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis, in
their present state of mind, are able to find a solution to this
problem. What this problem needs is a dispassionate, honest broker to
help both sides see beyond where they presently are. In my humble
judgment, America is not showing
herself to be dispassionate enough to be the honest broker that she
should be and can be to fulfill the serious need of the Israelis and
Palestinians. America can, America should, and America must play a
meaningful role in solving this most serious problem. I and we in this
peace mission would like to serve as a bridge.
As a Muslim, I
believe that I understand the Palestinian and Islamic point of view more
than most Americans; and this is why I think that our visit, God
willing, may make a difference. This is regarded as a Judeo-Christian
society. The American people in that context have some difficulty in
understanding the Islamic point of view. However, I have grown up as a
Christian and love my Christian roots, and I have worked tirelessly for
25 years to produce unity between Black Muslims and Christians. And
because I have worked for 25 years with those of the Jewish faith who
are Hebrew-Israelites, who also are Black, I believe that we have a
spiritual point of view that may be able to connect the three branches
of Abraham--Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is out of this
understanding that I truly believe that I am called of God in this
serious hour for the sake of peace to do whatever I can to help solve
this problem, for in helping to solve this most urgent problem, in
serving the cause of peace in that area of the world, we can serve the
cause of peace right here at home, and in so doing serve the cause of
world peace.
Winning a war is
much easier than winning the peace. There is no doubt that the world is
skilled in the use of the weaponry of war, but unskilled in the use of
wisdom to resolve the conflicts that rage on our planet to win the
peace. Could this be the reason why Allah (God) says in the scriptures
of the Bible that, the wisdom of this world is as foolishness with God?
All of the use of the present wisdom that we have has not enabled us to
find the way to peace. This is why I believe that Jesus said,
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of
God." It is out of this spirit that I speak to you today, and it is
out of this spirit that we embark upon this mission. Is this mission
fraught with danger? Absolutely. Could we possibly be in harm�s
way? Absolutely. But nothing is greater than truth and justice, and
there is no state of being more beneficial to the human spirit than that
of peace and contentment of mind. So, our lives are for the cause of
truth; our lives are spent in the cause of freedom and justice; our
lives are properly spent in the pursuit of peace. We embark on this
journey recognizing its dangers but not fearing, for we put our trust
completely in Allah (God).
Unfortunately, the
prophecies of the Bible say that the leaders of the world will seek
peace but they will not find it. Why? Peace can never come through the
weapons of war. Peace can only come by our return to Allah (God) and
coming out from God through that which He has revealed through the
mouths of His prophets. In this is the solution of peace. You can�t
leave Allah (God) out of this equation. You can�t leave the revealed
Word of Allah (God) out of this equation. Politics cannot bring
peace--at least not the politics that we observe. I, like you, am
witnessing the carnage and the daily loss of life of Israelis and
Palestinians. I, like you, am witnessing the efforts made by serious,
well-intentioned politicians to find the solution to this serious
problem that can and is affecting the whole world. In my humble
judgment, a political solution can only be found if the spiritual
problem that lies at the root of the political problem is discovered,
uncovered and resolved. Then from the base of our understanding of the
root spiritual problem, it will make the political problem easier to
resolve.
What are we dealing
with here? We are dealing with the Jewish people�s view of themselves
in relationship to that land based upon their understanding of the Word
of Allah (God) revealed throughout the mouths of His prophets found in
the Torah. We are also dealing with the Palestinians� view of
themselves to the relationship to that land in which they have lived for
thousands of years and now are being displaced. Jesus was born in
Palestine of an Egyptian mother, according to the scriptures. Jews and
Arabs have lived in that land for thousands of years.
What has made the
problem so great today? The anger, frustration and hatred between these
two members of a family have reached the boiling point and the cycle of
violence continues unabated. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President
Yasser Arafat are both recognized as great warriors of their people.
But these warriors have spilled the blood of the people of each other
believing their cause to be divinely just. Can these two men find the
solution to this problem unless they both are given a renewed vision
that comes from a deeper understanding of the Word of Allah (God)? How
can the men and women of Allah (God) leave the politicians alone in an
hour like this to go in this reckless course without offering a deeper
understanding of the spiritual root out of which they say they
function?
On this trip, it is
our desire to talk to the leaders of the Arab and Muslim world, to
listen and to share with them our view and to listen to theirs. It is
our desire to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jerusalem. The
composition of the delegation is Christian and Muslim, political,
religious and civic. So, if we go to Jerusalem we can�t go there
without visiting the Church of the Nativity, the Wailing Wall, and the
Dome of the Rock--Al Aqsa Mosque. Three holy places sacred to the three
branches of the faith of Abraham.
It is our desire to
meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Arafat to listen to
and to learn from and to share with them our view. It is our desire to
meet with both political and religious leaders, to discuss with them the
problems of prophecy and, Inshallah (God willing), give another view of
the prophets� predictions concerning that which is presently going on in
this crucial area of the world. Secondly, and equally important, it is
our desire to help our own government to see the danger in the course
that our government is on in preparing a war to unseat Saddam Hussein
from power and giving instructions to the CIA that he should be
overthrown and possibly murdered. While on the surface this may seem to
the American people to be the right thing to do, as Saddam Hussein has
been and is being portrayed in the American media as a man worthy to be
unseated because he allegedly is developing weapons of mass destruction,
he has gassed his own people and he has kicked the UN weapons inspectors
out of Iraq to keep them from seeing his cache of weapons of mass
destruction. Therefore, a man like this must be overthrown, from the
administration�s perspective and from the perspective of Senator (John)
McCain of Arizona and many of America�s congresspersons; he�s (Hussein)
considered a clear and present danger and therefore is justified in
being eliminated.
But I ask, what is
the truth of these allegations? Is it a fact that he is this, or is
this propaganda to whip the American people into a war frenzy and to
stir up the passion of the American military for war? What is this?
Can truth be found on the battlefield, or should truth be found in
deliberate legislative bodies in lawfully constituted judicial
processes. We totally disagree with the policy of murder and war, which
runs counter to all civilized judicial processes. In a speech made by
President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, he said, �Our mission is at once the
oldest and the most basic in this country, to right wrong, to do
justice, to serve man.� What is our mission today? I would ask
President Bush, before any order is given to assassinate Saddam Hussein
or overthrow his government, that we need to ascertain the truth or the
falsity of the charges.
How can we do this?
There are qualified American citizens who will stand up before the
President and the Congress to say Saddam Hussein did not gas his own
people. These are voices that should be heard. These are not
people on the street. These are people from the War College who have searched out
the truth of these things. Did he kick out the UN inspectors to hide a
cache of arms of weapons of mass destructions? What is the truth of
that? Let us hear from those people; bring them before Congress; have a
hearing. And if America really wants the American people to be informed,
then invite the Iraqis to defend themselves before us against these
charges.
Well, what about the
United Nations as a body? Ineffective as it may be, if we have any
respect for world opinion, why not present the case before the United
Nations? And if you could seize (Serbian leader Slobodan) Milosovich
and bring him before court on a trial, if you think Saddam Hussein is a
criminal, what is the process by which you prove your charge? And, is
any American President free of spots and blemishes that you can take the
mote out of their eye before you take the beam out of your own?
Is this really a
Judeo-Christian society? Are Christian principles only for those of us
who fight for simple justice in the streets of America? Are the
principles of Jesus Christ that say to us that hate destroys the hater,
is that good for us when we seek redress of our grievances from White
America, that we should be non-violent in our pursuit of justice? Is
that good for the citizens in the house but not good for the State? If
hatred destroys the hater, why is the media being used to produce hatred
for those whom you would desire the American military to destroy? Yet,
if I speak truth, you call me a teacher of hate. Are you not becoming
what you say you despise?
In Chicago last
year, 666 murders took place. I�m sure in Washington, D.C., there were many murders
last year, and in every major city of
America there has been one too
many murders. Can we stop murder on the streets of America and raise our
children out of a gang mentality if the leader of the free world can
openly advocate murder and give young people�s lives to death and
destruction in war? There�s a book that recently was released called
�Without Sanctuary�, and it deals with the lynchings of Black people in
America. Being Black and growing up in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia,
Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, we have seen
where a White woman could say, �That Black man raped me,� and a White
person could whip up the frenzy of a mob. There was no due process. And
the mob said, �let�s go hang the Nigger.� And so strange fruit have
hung from American trees, denied of due process.
It [White supremacy] is
the social ethic that produced the mentality of a lynch mob. Is that now
what the American leadership has become? Are members of the American
Congress a lynch mob? Is the President of the United States the leader
of a lynch mob crying out for the murder of another human being and the
bombing of Iraq as though that will solve problems? I appeal to the
President of the United States not to pursue this course, which will
cause America to be looked at in an unfavorable light among the Nations
of the Earth. The European Union will not agree with this; the United
Kingdom will not agree with this; and no Arab and Muslim country will go
along with this. They will see it as: if it�s Saddam Hussein today,
it�s Muammar Gadhafi tomorrow; it�s Bashar Asad in Syria the day after;
it�s the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; it�s Fidel Castro the day after;
it�s the President of North Korea the day after that. Who�s next on
your list?
The citizens have a
responsibility to the government, as the government has a responsibility
to the citizens. This is a time of patriotic fervor and nobody wants to
seem un-American. I don�t wish to be seen as an enemy of the country in
which I live. I don�t want to be seen as aiding terrorists. I don�t
want to be seen as some �fifth column� inside America. I want to be
seen as I am. If I disagree with your policy, you said that as a
citizen I have the right of free speech. I have the right to dissent.
Not free speech and dissent for the sake of such, but with
responsibility. So in an hour like this, should I hold my tongue? If
the New York Times says it will take from 70,000 to 250,000
American soldiers to unseat Saddam Hussein in a bombing campaign even
greater than that which was just seen in Afghanistan, how can I sit
silently when the Army is composed of Black and Brown and poor White?
Who will speak for the parents and families whose children�s lives will
be lost on the basis of that which has not been proved? I have to
speak. Who do you represent? I represent those who want to speak but
have no forum in which to speak. I represent those who want peace but
they risk being called Un-American, so they hold their tongues. I want
to speak for those persons in Congress who can�t speak. I want to speak
for those in the media who know the truth but can�t print it. I speak
for the voiceless. It is my right so to do.
I go with hope that
we might make a difference. We go, hopefully, with the prayers of well
meaning people in America who would like to see the carnage stopped. I
pray that our mission will be successful. I wrote to Secretary of State
Colin Powell, asking for a meeting because I wanted to explain to him my
aim and purpose for such a visit, to share with him our views. Due to
the urgency of the time, I did not give him enough time in my letter.
He said, however, his assistant, Ambassador (William) Burns, would speak
with me. We had an appointment, tentatively, for 11:00 this morning and
then our Chief of Protocol was called and said there would be no
meeting. But, just before coming here, I spoke with Ambassador Burns. I
don�t want to leave these shores--even though I disagree--for my own
government to see me, and the American people to see me, as some enemy.
Martin Luther King
saw the war in Vietnam as unjust. He felt that a war with the little
Brown people in Asia would take away from President Johnson�s �War on
Poverty� and the suffering of American people. Because he dared to take
such a position, he lost the friendship of many Christian pastors and,
unfortunately, he lost his life. This sense of conscience that drives
me causes me to believe that I will beat history. W.E.B. DuBois and
Paul Robeson and those before me, before us, suffered because their
views were not liked, but now what does history say? History says that
Martin Luther King was a great patriot. History finds him innocent,
though if you walked during his time the media found him guilty. I
walked with Malcolm X. He was my teacher for 10 years. He would be
surprised to see his face on the U.S. government stamp. Many of you
that heard Brother Malcolm during those days--those in public service,
those in the know, those accepted by the Establishment--would run and
hide from Brother Malcolm, but today you find it easy to have a picture
of Malcolm on your wall. It�s so easy to give people their [due credit
and respect] when they�re dead and gone. How will you judge me, and how
will history judge our effort to bring peace? That question remains.
May Allah (God)
Bless each of us. And I say, in closing, to the members of the press,
you are the most important members of American society at this time. I
pray that you will not be used as an arm of propaganda of an
administration bent on war that you will fail to do your due diligence
to find the truth and then find the courage to print what you have
found. You can save a nation, or you can cause the damnation of that
which you say you love.
To all of my
brothers and sisters who are present, to the religious leaders who are
present, America, as the only remaining super power, is today what
Pharaoh and Egypt were 4,000 years ago. Pharaoh had so much power that
he saw himself as a god beside God. Therefore, when a humble servant
from among the slaves came to advise him and warn him of the
consequences of the path he was on, his pride overwhelmed him. He
fought the servant, not knowing that he was fighting God.
No terrorist can
destroy this nation. No combination of Osama Bin Ladens can destroy
this nation. This nation was not set up for any nation to destroy.
This nation is inviolable. If the CIA, the FBI, and the intelligence
units of this nation work as they should with the help of intelligence
units throughout the world, there is no plan against this nation that
will not be known and thwarted before it can be carried out. We don�t
need to fear the terrorists; we need to fear Him who has control of the
wind, the rain, the storms, the tornados, the earthquakes, the turning
of Nature against you.
Wake up, America!
Look at what is happening to this country while you sleep and party.
Floods, fire, wind, rain, drought, hailstorms, you have not seen the
destructive power of Allah (God). If America goes on like she�s going,
I say this from the depth of my heart as I leave this country, Watch!
Allah (God) says He will bring calamity after calamity against you.
Submit! Get away from the arrogance and become the great nation that you
were set up to become--the base of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Or,
(become) that nation that Allah (God) destroyed so that the people will
know that He is Allah (God) and besides Him there is no God.
Thank you for
listening as I greet you in peace, As Salaam Alaikum.
Source: FinalCall.com News
