The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious sect representing New Africa [link], and has been called for in questions of diplomacy between national vanguards of New Africa and has represented the People of New Africa without prejudice of religious affiliation with embassies to the Republic of Cuba, and with governments across Alkebulan (Africa).
The elected representive of the Nation of Islam is Minister Louis Farrakhan, shown speaking during the Saviours’ Day annual convention at the U.I.C. Pavilion in Chicago, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 (photograph from "Associated Press"newswire).
2013-02-25 "Farrakhan Urges Black Americans to Collectively Purchase Land…and Wants to Recruit Gang Members to Protect It"
by Billy Hallowell [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/25/farrakhan-urges-black-americans-to-collectively-purchase-land-and-wants-to-recruit-gang-members-to-protect-it/]:
The Minister Louis Farrakhan, 79, delivered his annual Saviors’ Day sermon on Sunday. As is usually the case, the three-hour address covered a variety of topics ranging from current events to the faith leader’s contentious views on race relations. Of particular note was an economic plan he posited — one in which African Americans would come together to invest in land — and a pledge to reach out to gang leaders to ask them for assistance in protecting the Nation of Islam’s interests.
The Saviors’ Day address is generally a mixture of sermon and lecture. The event commemorates the founding of the Nation of Islam, which has espoused black nationalism and self-reliance since the 1930s. When President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the resounding tone of the convention was jubilant, but Obama’s re-election took a back seat Sunday as Farrakhan said blacks still had to rely on themselves, and not leaders, to improve their situation.
“Even though one of our own has reached the highest pinnacle of the American political system, his presence has not, cannot and will not solve our problems,” Farrakhan told the crowd of men wearing navy uniforms and women dressed in white shirt suits and matching hijabs.
With 10,000 people in attendance and with a video stream of the event airing online, the reach was relatively large.
Farrakhan touched briefly on issues like Israel, Obama’s cabinet and healthier food consumption — but mostly reiterated teachings from the Chicago-based movement on a plan for blacks’ economic recovery and said the biggest priority should be the purchase of land.
For those who don’t already know, the Nation of Islam has more than 1,500 acres of farmland in Georgia. Ishmael Muhammad, the religion’s national assistant minister, told The Associated Press that the group is looking to buy thousands more acres in the Midwest.
But the more intriguing portion of the speech focused upon gangs and efforts to seek leaders and members of these groups out for the sole purposes of protecting the Nation of Islam. Here’s how DNAInfo.com describes Farrakhan’s framing of the proposal [http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130225/chicago/louis-farrakhan-gang-members-can-serve-as-protectors]: "Instead, Farrakhan had a different idea for how to address gun violence. In addition to sending letters to black military leaders, Farrakhan said he planned to contact the city’s gang leaders to recruit gang members to “protect” any land the Nation of Islam may buy in the future."
“All you gang bangers, we know you love to shoot, but you’re killing yourselves,” Farrakhan said.
Rather than killing one another, Farrakhan spoke directly to gang leaders, telling them, “We want to make you a defender of the territories that your nickels, dimes and dollars and hours will buy.” He continued, explaining that gang bangers have much to teach the National of Islam about self-defense, while simultaneously condemning them for needless violence.
“You are the natural warriors to defend and the science of war must be taught to us so that we will protect whatever God allows us to buy or to build,” he said. “The Second Amendment has no relevance to the black community in this sense — you don’t have legal weapons. All your weapons are illegal and you’re using them like a savage people would use them.”
Farrakhan also said that he respects the Second Amendment and noted its prevalence in once helping the new American government keep from slipping back into tyranny. His tone was more tempered than the one he used to speak about guns in a separate speech recently [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/28/farrakhan-condemns-gun-ownership-in-a-volatile-america-there-is-no-need-for-the-american-people-to-be-armed-to-the-teeth/].
2013-02-25 "Louis Farrakhan: Gang Members Can Serve As Protectors"
by Quinn Ford, DNAinfo [http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130225/chicago/louis-farrakhan-gang-members-can-serve-as-protectors]:
UNIVERSITY VILLAGE — Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan told thousands of followers Sunday he was planning to reach out to gang leaders to help "protect" the Nation of Islam.
That came at the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours' Day convention. Farrakhan, 79, renewed the call for African Americans to pool money and buy as much land as possible, in order to "control means of production" and produce food and other goods, such as clothing.
Farrakhan said collectively owning land is a way for black people in America to prosper economically. The calls were part of a speech that lasted more than three hours and touched on topics including Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, U.S. Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel and a national push for gun control.
Farrakhan told a crowd of more than 7,000 people at the UIC Pavilion that national lawmakers are using Chicago's violence epidemic to push for stronger gun control laws but said the Second Amendment has nothing to do with the spate of shootings in Chicago.
"The guns that every one of our young people have, are they legal? No!" Farrakhan said.
Instead, Farrakhan had a different idea for how to address gun violence. In addition to sending letters to black military leaders, Farrakhan said he planned to contact the city's gang leaders to recruit gang members to "protect" any land the Nation of Islam might buy in the future.
"All you gangbangers, we know you love to shoot, but you're killing yourselves," Farrakhan said. "All your weapons are illegal and you're using them like savages."
But Farrakhan said gangbangers are "natural soldiers" and could be taught "the science of war" to become protectors of the Nation of Islam's assets in the future.
On Monday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel weighed in on Farrakhan's gang plan [http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130225/auburn-gresham/rahm-gangs-are-cause-of-violence-not-solution].
"I don't think gang members are part of public safety," Emanuel said during a news conference. "They're the problem. And it's quite clear they're the problem."
Last summer, Farrakhan led 500 men known as the Fruit of Islam, who traditionally serve in his security detail, to the city's Auburn Gresham neighborhood in response to the spike in violence in the first half of 2012 [http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/13858185-452/the-nation-steps-in.html].
He praised the re-election of President Barack Obama as a significant historical milestone, but added that Obama's victory would not mean prosperity for black people.
Farrakhan also decried the death of Gadhafi, who was killed in 2011. He blamed the former Libyan leader's death on American and European governments, saying they wanted Gadhafi dead because he was an "impediment" to American and European interests having access to natural resources in Africa.
Farrakhan said he believes the American government also wanted to see black leaders like himself go away.
"You killed my brother [Gadhafi], and now you got the same thing in your mind for me," Farrakhan thundered as the crowd rose to its feet applauding. "You want to put your hands on me. In fact, you're plotting it as I'm speaking."
Regarding Hagel, Farrakhan said the Senate was holding up his confirmation because Hagel did not express unconditional support for Israel. He said Israeli lobbyists are applying pressure to senators to reject Hagel.
Farrakhan said the country needs a Defense secretary like Hagel, who will follow his own conscience.
Saviour's Day marks the Feb. 26, 1877, birthday of the Nation of Islam's founder, W. Fard Muhammad.
