If you go anywhere on the web, you'll find this same slanted representation of Minister Farrakhan's speech, based on the ADL release.
Now, I have a number of points of disagreement with Minister Farrakhan.
His approach to black separatism is contrary to my own philosophy, inherited from the nonviolent civil rights movement which was far more inclusive in focus. But I can understand why blacks would be attracted and feel empowered by his approach.
And I disagree with his belief, founded in his faith, that homosexuals will not be admitted to the Kingdom of God. I believe that God is pretty inclusive too. But I am a Unitarian Universalist in philosophy, not a Christian and/or Muslim evangelical (Nation of Islam seems like a hybrid of these two faiths, to me.)
But in an age when we know how the media and detractors smeared folks like MLK and Malcolm X, why is it that we are willing to take the ADL's view of Farrakhan without doing any fact-checking at all?
I wrote the Nation of Islam yesterday (you can email them via a form from their site), and got this very polite response within hours:
Thank you for not taking the mainstream press' reports as gospel on this issue for they are indeed out of context.
After having been attacked again as being anti-Semetic, Minister Farrakhan was directly quoting the Bible, Revelations 2:9:
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
He quoted this verse in the context of those who outwardly come in the name of the divine word of God and religion but whose actions are starkly contradictory.
A further context used was also, Romans 2:28,29:
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
..Meaning, one is not what he or she professes to be but rather one is who he/she is in heart and action. The Nation of Islam ultimately believes that the three major monotheistic relgions have the same root and principles and the differences are more artificial than intrinsic.
Minister Farrakhan has on numerous occassions criticized Muslims, Christians and Jews with respect to these same principles, however the primary public castigation and labeling of anti-Semitism which is hurled in reference to Jews.
Finally, the following web links may provide you a bit more accurate information on the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan's views in this regard:
Saviours' Day 2006 Speech webcast:
http://www.noi.org/savioursday/webcast.htm
Interview with Minister Louis Farrakhan (Former Wallstreet Journal Editor, Jude Wanniski's memo to Sen. Joseph Lieberman)
1) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-11-00.html
2) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-12-00.html
3) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-16-00.html
Thank you,
NOI.org Staff
So, I went to the Saviours' Day webcast, and transcribed a few minutes of the speech, which does indeed castigate folks of all three monotheistic religions with proper evangelical fire and brimstone. It's actually a rousing, if long (over 2 hours!) sermon.After having been attacked again as being anti-Semetic, Minister Farrakhan was directly quoting the Bible, Revelations 2:9:
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
He quoted this verse in the context of those who outwardly come in the name of the divine word of God and religion but whose actions are starkly contradictory.
A further context used was also, Romans 2:28,29:
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
..Meaning, one is not what he or she professes to be but rather one is who he/she is in heart and action. The Nation of Islam ultimately believes that the three major monotheistic relgions have the same root and principles and the differences are more artificial than intrinsic.
Minister Farrakhan has on numerous occassions criticized Muslims, Christians and Jews with respect to these same principles, however the primary public castigation and labeling of anti-Semitism which is hurled in reference to Jews.
Finally, the following web links may provide you a bit more accurate information on the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan's views in this regard:
Saviours' Day 2006 Speech webcast:
http://www.noi.org/savioursday/webcast.htm
Interview with Minister Louis Farrakhan (Former Wallstreet Journal Editor, Jude Wanniski's memo to Sen. Joseph Lieberman)
1) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-11-00.html
2) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-12-00.html
3) http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/10-16-00.html
Thank you,
NOI.org Staff
Here is the pertinent section from which most of the anti-semitic bits were taken. I'll note by the way, as the daughter of a non-zionist Jewish mother, that many of these "anti-semitic" comments are aimed at the secularists who Farrakhan sees as being in charge of Israel, and having excessive influence in Washington, DC:
Some of you are dumb enough to think I am anti-semitic. [skip to 1:59:25]
There are people who claim they are Jews, but they are not Jews. You can't be a Jew and not love the law of God given by Moses and the prophets -- because a Jew is a special person with a covenant relationship with God. "Jew" is not a nationality -- it is a state of BEING in a covenant relationship with God based on obedience to the laws, statutes, and commandments of God.
There's a lot of false Christians in here, and there's a lot of false Muslims. You see, everybody that say, "Lawd, lawd!," they ain't with Him. The Bible say, "You praise me with your lips, but your hearts are far removed from me."
If you are a true Christian, you're fighting to be like the disciples of Christ, who have disciplined yourself to the life that Jesus lived and taught. If you are a Jew, you are a Jew because you have a special relationship with God based upon your obedience to His laws. And if we are Muslims, it is because we have surrendered our will to do the Will of God. [the literal meaning of the word "Islam" is surrender, by implication to the Will of God -- ed.]
And all of us are in a struggle. Muslims are in a struggle to submit. Christians are in a struggle to discipline themselves to the Way of Jesus Christ. And Jews have that same struggle.
But there are Jews that ain't struggling at all. These are the "Hollywood Jews," who say that they are Jews but they are not. [lots of comparisons in the speech between indulgence of sins/hollywood/whore of babylon, revelations, etc. -- ed]
And until the true Jew points the finger at the false Jew, the false Jew will make the true Jew look bad.
Now, I want you to hear me! Don't confuse what I'm saying. Whenever there's a "bad negro," (which is what Zulu is, you know, Shabazz, he's a "bad negro" [Shabazz is standing on the podium grinning -- ed]) ...and when you find a bad negro, they're always trying to find a "good negro" to condemn the bad negro. [approx 20:02]
Well, a "good Negro" is one that is good for them. The bad negro is the one that, it ain't good for them. So all you good negros [points all over to folks around him, to much laughter, cutting up] ...all you good negros, in the morning they may come to you and they may ask you to condemn Farrakhan. I don't mind seeing you on television. [affects deep voice] "I was there, [small gasp] and it was the most hateful speech I've ever heard in my life. [laughter, as he hams it up] That man is a hater if I ever heard one."
I say, that's a "good one," alright.
These false Jews... (I'm almost there, just back up for ten more minutes! [as he's gone over 2 hours by now -- ed]) These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength, and making evil fair-seeming.
It's the wicked Jews, false Jews, that make it a crime for you to preach the Word of God. Then they call you "homophobic." You're not homophobic if you say that Jesus said no effeminate person will enter the Kingdom of God. We say it out of love.
But it's the false Jews, and that synagogue of Satan that has white Anglo-Saxon prostestsa.. [stumbles, almost says prostitutes] protestants... [grins, make fun of himself] ...eh, prostitutes, and the Christian right with your blindness to that wicked state of Israel.
How the hell can that be the Holy Land? And you want to have a gay parade and you want to get a permit to have a gay parade in Jerusalem? When no prophet ever sanctioned that behavior. How can that be The Israel? How can that be Jerusalem? With secular people running the Holy Land when it should be the Holy People running the Holy Land?
That land is going to be cleansed, with blood! "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, flee from the mountaintops!" Is Jerusalem surrounded by armies now?
These neocons and zionists have manipulated Bush and the American government, and our boys and girls are dying in Iraq and in Afghanistan -- for the cause of Israel, not for the cause of America. Israel is the tail wagging the dog which is America.
You may not like me -- and really, I don't give a damn. I'm throwing the gauntlet down today. If God be God then if it pleases him to save me from your wrath, it's alright. But I'm warning you, America, you killed your last prophet, but you will not kill me! [standing ovation]
And the moment you try, I'm gonna tell you what God's gonna bring down on this wicked whore, Babylon. (Don't you be afraid for me -- because I'm afraid for you!) In the book of Genesis, when it said, "I'm gonna make you a great nation," it's not talking about some Jews in Israel -- it's *YOU*. It means, "I'm going to make *you* a great nation, and I'm going to bless you, and I'm gonna make your name great, and you will be a blessing to white people, to brown people, to the peoples of the earth. And I will bless them that bless you."
I'm telling you, President Bush, you blessin' the wrong Israel, baby! *THIS* is The Israel, that if you bless *this* one, God will bless you. But if you continue to curse them, then you're on your way to hell, and your government is going with you. [20:08:50]
Regardless of your opinion of Farrakhan's status as a homophobe, his rhetoric is founded in scripture. Most of the most offensive bits that the ADL chose to excerpt are references to either Revelations or Hebrew scripture. There are people who claim they are Jews, but they are not Jews. You can't be a Jew and not love the law of God given by Moses and the prophets -- because a Jew is a special person with a covenant relationship with God. "Jew" is not a nationality -- it is a state of BEING in a covenant relationship with God based on obedience to the laws, statutes, and commandments of God.
There's a lot of false Christians in here, and there's a lot of false Muslims. You see, everybody that say, "Lawd, lawd!," they ain't with Him. The Bible say, "You praise me with your lips, but your hearts are far removed from me."
If you are a true Christian, you're fighting to be like the disciples of Christ, who have disciplined yourself to the life that Jesus lived and taught. If you are a Jew, you are a Jew because you have a special relationship with God based upon your obedience to His laws. And if we are Muslims, it is because we have surrendered our will to do the Will of God. [the literal meaning of the word "Islam" is surrender, by implication to the Will of God -- ed.]
And all of us are in a struggle. Muslims are in a struggle to submit. Christians are in a struggle to discipline themselves to the Way of Jesus Christ. And Jews have that same struggle.
But there are Jews that ain't struggling at all. These are the "Hollywood Jews," who say that they are Jews but they are not. [lots of comparisons in the speech between indulgence of sins/hollywood/whore of babylon, revelations, etc. -- ed]
And until the true Jew points the finger at the false Jew, the false Jew will make the true Jew look bad.
Now, I want you to hear me! Don't confuse what I'm saying. Whenever there's a "bad negro," (which is what Zulu is, you know, Shabazz, he's a "bad negro" [Shabazz is standing on the podium grinning -- ed]) ...and when you find a bad negro, they're always trying to find a "good negro" to condemn the bad negro. [approx 20:02]
Well, a "good Negro" is one that is good for them. The bad negro is the one that, it ain't good for them. So all you good negros [points all over to folks around him, to much laughter, cutting up] ...all you good negros, in the morning they may come to you and they may ask you to condemn Farrakhan. I don't mind seeing you on television. [affects deep voice] "I was there, [small gasp] and it was the most hateful speech I've ever heard in my life. [laughter, as he hams it up] That man is a hater if I ever heard one."
I say, that's a "good one," alright.
These false Jews... (I'm almost there, just back up for ten more minutes! [as he's gone over 2 hours by now -- ed]) These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength, and making evil fair-seeming.
It's the wicked Jews, false Jews, that make it a crime for you to preach the Word of God. Then they call you "homophobic." You're not homophobic if you say that Jesus said no effeminate person will enter the Kingdom of God. We say it out of love.
But it's the false Jews, and that synagogue of Satan that has white Anglo-Saxon prostestsa.. [stumbles, almost says prostitutes] protestants... [grins, make fun of himself] ...eh, prostitutes, and the Christian right with your blindness to that wicked state of Israel.
How the hell can that be the Holy Land? And you want to have a gay parade and you want to get a permit to have a gay parade in Jerusalem? When no prophet ever sanctioned that behavior. How can that be The Israel? How can that be Jerusalem? With secular people running the Holy Land when it should be the Holy People running the Holy Land?
That land is going to be cleansed, with blood! "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, flee from the mountaintops!" Is Jerusalem surrounded by armies now?
These neocons and zionists have manipulated Bush and the American government, and our boys and girls are dying in Iraq and in Afghanistan -- for the cause of Israel, not for the cause of America. Israel is the tail wagging the dog which is America.
You may not like me -- and really, I don't give a damn. I'm throwing the gauntlet down today. If God be God then if it pleases him to save me from your wrath, it's alright. But I'm warning you, America, you killed your last prophet, but you will not kill me! [standing ovation]
And the moment you try, I'm gonna tell you what God's gonna bring down on this wicked whore, Babylon. (Don't you be afraid for me -- because I'm afraid for you!) In the book of Genesis, when it said, "I'm gonna make you a great nation," it's not talking about some Jews in Israel -- it's *YOU*. It means, "I'm going to make *you* a great nation, and I'm going to bless you, and I'm gonna make your name great, and you will be a blessing to white people, to brown people, to the peoples of the earth. And I will bless them that bless you."
I'm telling you, President Bush, you blessin' the wrong Israel, baby! *THIS* is The Israel, that if you bless *this* one, God will bless you. But if you continue to curse them, then you're on your way to hell, and your government is going with you. [20:08:50]
One in this passage, for example, is from Hebrews 9:
19 For when each commandment of the law was read of Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves, and of bucks of goats, with water, and red wool, and hyssop, and besprinkled [sprinkled] both that book and all the people,
20 and said [saying], This is the blood of the testament, that God commanded to you.
21 Also he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the service in like manner [and all the vessels of ministry, or service, in like manner].
22 And almost all things be cleansed in blood by the law; and without shedding of blood remission of sins is not made.
What is the ADL's motivation to condemn this man for quoting from Moses?My training in formal nonviolence trains me to fight injustice, not people. When I see people being attacked, I suspect the motivations of the writer, always.
Go to the webcast, listen for yourself, form your own opinion. Taking one opinion off the net is irresponsible and lazy (even if it's mine!).
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 18
Most of the most offensive bits that the ADL chose to excerpt are references to either Revelations or Hebrew scripture.
One in this passage, for example, is from Hebrews 9:
What is the ADL's motivation to condemn this man for quoting from Moses?
Hebrews is not part of the Tanach, and thus he is not quoting Moses, at least not directly. And I think he'd find me just as offensive if I told him who was and wasn't really black as I find him telling me who is a Jew.
Judaism is a coventental religion. Violate the covenant and you are punished within the covenant. You can't leave. You can say frex Jack Abramoff violated the halacha, you can say he did not act Jewishly, you can even say he isn't a good Jew, but to say he isn't Jewish is to force a non-Jewish perspective onto our relationship with Hashem.
shava - semantics versus semitics;
what is he really saying? larry's right - quoting from the bible isn't necessarily a guarantee that what's being said isn't off the mark.
i had questions about this situation here - didn't quite get the in-depth answers i was seeking.
great post, tho - very thought-provoking.
one question - a risky one - are there any famous female muslims?
we hear of farrakhan now and then, we saw michael jackson being escorted into court by nation of islam members, we see mike tyson, etc, etc - but i cannot recall one single celebrity female talking about islam...
anyone?
Is this just a manifestation of "soundbyte" media attention spans, or is this an intentional manipulation of public opinion to discredit someone who's greatest error in the eyes of the ADF -- Larry, contradict me if I'm wrong -- is that they think he is anti-Israeli. I do not think the ADF cares so much that an outsider would try to tell them who is a good Jew.
I'm not saying he's right -- his reference to false Jews comes from the Christian scriptures from a highly political time in early Christian history when the line between Jew and follower of Jesus was less that clear.
I'm not fond of separatists of most ilk, although my own observations of the Jewish community is that on a lay level they are more than willing to show by action who is not a Jew in their own contentious social/cultural and sometimes even religious circles.
Come on, Larry, what is the history of the beta israel aka Falasha? What can you tell me about how easily Jews include people who say they are Jews but do not fit preconceptions or some community standard? "OK, so maybe Jewish, but would you want your sister to marry one?"
Nearly beside the point, though. I feel like you are criticizing something that is not my thesis, which is to question the ADL in their editorial of his words, and in their motivations, and what that says about the ADL as a force to preserve *anti-* defamation.
This transcript is simply not the sort of hate speech that the ADL made it to be. If you can interpret Farrakhan's intention and faults, can you also look at the ADL with the same critical light?
You didn't comment on the ADL link -- did you read it and compare?
"What is the ADL's motivation to condemn this man for quoting from Moses?"
ask them!
let us know...
can be heard today - march 9 on the kgo website:
link
go to the 45 minute mark for the interview.
We're fighting in Iraq because of Bush's mania. Bug we're in Afganistan because the Taliban and Al Qaida attacked the World Trade Center. That's makes it our agenda, not Israel's.
We are also fighting in Iraq because of the strategies we adopt in the region. We have a base in Saudi Arabia which we could lose -- it's hardly our "Okinawa" there. So there is a motivation to have a strong military base in that region, and one reason is to have a base striking distance to our ally, Israel.
Do you think Israel hasn't been pushing for that?
I am sick to death of support for Israel having anything to do with being Jewish. Israel is a mess. A lot of American Jews are not zionist. Why should people blame Israel on all Jews? It is unrelated to me, or anything my family has supported. My grandfather was non-zionist. My mother was non-zionist. I am non-zionist.
*SHOULD* it be considered anti-semitic to be against the government politicies of the State of Israel? Does ascribing bad motivations to Israel make you anti-semitic?
Seems like it just sets up Jews who believe in peace to be smeared with Likkud. I don't appreaciate their policies and I dearly wish that more Jews would distance themselves -- it makes people do stupid things trying to resolve Jewish ethics with the morass in Israel.
But that doesn't mean that some criticism of Israel isn't anti-semitic. Israel, no less than any other state, has a right to act for its own survival. And when Labor was in power in Israel and tried to work towards a peace agreement, various Palestinian elements did their best to undermine Labor governmenta and bring Likud to power.
Now, Likud is not in power. And Hamas apparently is not going to form a government until after the Israeli elections in order to avoid encouraging Israeli hard-liners. If so, this is the first time that the Palestinians have not helped bring Israeli hard-liners to power. Just how moderate Kadima will be able to be. especially without Sharon's leadership, is yet to be seen. And how moderate Hamas will be willing to be when it forms a government is also yet to be seen. Peace in that part of the world is very elusive.
So what do you think of the ADL painting him as a hatemonger and an anti-semite?
It seems to me that Farrakhan is still pushing a supercessionist reading of scripture. He throws hate speech at the 'false Jews' of Hollywood, but who does he think are the true Jews? Reading his speech, I don't think he's refering to the Satmar and the Neturei Karta. When he says
In the book of Genesis, when it said, "I'm gonna make you a great nation," it's not talking about some Jews in Israel -- it's *YOU*. It means, "I'm going to make *you* a great nation, and I'm going to bless you, and I'm gonna make your name great, and you will be a blessing to white people, to brown people, to the peoples of the earth. And I will bless them that bless you."
it seems to me he is making a supersessionist claim - the 'real' Jews are the Black Muslims. By implication at least, all Jews are therefore false Jews, and thus members of the synagogue of satan etc. He switches from talking of Jews early to Israel in the quote I give above. That's a kind of bait and switch I see a lot in White Power rhetoric- they hate the Jews, but they themselves are Israel.
Supercessionism is in my eyes inherently anti-semetic. We've seen the slippery slope go from 'you have no right to be Jews' to 'you have no right to be' too often not to be frightened of it. Reading the polynomics articles I don't get the impression of a raving anti-semite. And there is no supersessionist rhetoric there. But I do get a feeling of someone who is profoundly miseducated about history, and for someone who is pushing rhetorical buttons and then acting surprised when people react from the heart and not the head.
And if you watch the entire presentation, he has a lot of Christian friends apparently there with him (and Nation of Islam is very hybrid in rhetoric -- it seems a lot more evangelical Christian to me than like any kind of Islam -- just trying to lose the "slave religion" label). He is talking throughout the talk about, for example, how professing Christianity, or professing Islam, or professing Judaism doesn't make you one of the faithful anything.
I tend to agree. But it seems to me *watching* him, that he is not saying that the Christians who are *there* are not Christians, but that some are not. On the other hand, he *specifically* points out people who I think he knows are not "behaving" in his own congregation, at times, and literally pointing them out when he says that a person who professes Islam but doesn't submit his/her will to God isn't *there*.
I certainly interpreted his talk about people keeping the covenant being "true Jews" and people who were secularists being "false Jews" no different from most Christians' understanding of Christian "membership." If it is supercessionist, is it an exclusion of "true Jews" or is it preaching and metaphor?
My impression from listening to most of the talk was that NOI is a post-slavery religion, reifying a people who feel that God has cursed them. If they use, in diaspora, the rhetoric of the wandering chosen people, I can't blame them.
If he is trying to *displace* the Jews, you have a point, but I don't agree.
If he is mistakenly applying Christian religious identity rules (because I beleive that this part is directly from the culture of Christianity and not from Islam) to Jews, then he's doing something that most clergy do, applying what they know to what they don't understand. The older I get, the more I believe that this is the heart and soul of liberal ecumenism (vs. a deeper mystical ecumenism which looks for first causes, rather than mapping symptoms).
Which brings us back to ADL's mission -- are they there to discredit this man, spread fear, and destroy his reputation, or to build understanding and reduce hate?
If they are there to build understanding and reduce hate, they are making a huge PR mistake.
If their goal is the other, I truly wonder if they are not just using this kind of "omighod these people are after us" to raise money for their continuing existance, and lost sight of their own statement of purposes.
SO.
Will someone stop talking about Farrakhan and tell me what you think ADL is doing? I keep asking this. No one is addressing it.
Regardless of what you think Farrakhan is doing, ADL is not educating. They are not negotiating. They are not checking their facts. They are not even taking productive action. They are taking ad hominem pot shots at someone they want to you *implicitly* accept is anti-semitic, seeking to destroy an enemy by PR in a way that violates every rule of what you do in a civil society to build understanding.
They are not building a ground for reducing anti-semitism. They are not building a ground for building understanding. They are building a ground for establishing themselves as invulnerable victims -- and the proper guardian of that reputation so that other victims (Jews) who wish to feel invulnerable will send them cash.
"The immediate object of the League is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens." -- ADL Charter, 1913.
Has the ADL any vision at all of the last half of this charter statement of purpose? Who at their offices is entrusted to decide that discrimination against and ridicule of NOI is just and fair? I want to talk to that person, and bring back the interview to the pres.
I bet you wouldn't enjoy it.
So tell me, if I'm wrong, and you are so good at apologetics: What is the ADL doing by the original press release. How does it adhere to their charter?
Search for
Farrahkan "false jews"
in Google and see if you find anything that doesn't originate with the ADL statement.
They are not dispersing anti-semitism by releasing this press. They are trying to defame others and fill their own coffers -- I have no better explanation that fits the facts.
Because there are people who will react negatively to their essentially self-serving press release, they are probably *building* anti-semitism.
But then, it would be a pity if anti-semitism were to end, because these people would be out of jobs, and what neurosis would they substitute to preserve their sense that the world has treated them badly, and so they deserve something special from G*d.
Oh, maybe they could go join NOI. It seems to be filling those needs for the descendents of those who were kept captive in the US, rather than Egypt.
Ah! Perhaps this is just trying to destroy the competition. :)
*feh*
Christian Century: Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitism: a look at the record - Cover Story.
Commonweal
Lots of people in the Jewish community have commented that the ADL has perverse incentives to find anti-Semitism in order to justify their existance.
Christian Century article -- one doubts that the article could be based on *this* ADL release, since it was produced in 1994. Just look at the author's other work, though. His entire work is about Israel, mostly anti-Arafat stuff. His article on Farrakhan shows the general earmarks of the bashing I've seen in the ADL work, though.
The Commonwealth article also isn't based on the recent ADL release. It's copyright is 1995, so I can't comment on its provenance. But the Commonwealth Foundation seems like a pretty nice internationally neutral group, and this particular article is actually pretty calm and reasoned at least.