Louis Farrakhan

Louis Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933 in Bronx, New York, also known as "The Charmer," a Calypso musician) is the leader of the largely African American Nation of Islam.

Controversy

One of the most controversial quotes attributed to Farrakhan, and which led to him being censured unaminously by the United States Senate, was, "Hitler was a very great man." Farrakhan made this statement in response to a Jewish journalist at The Village Voice referring to him as a "Black Hitler":

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"So I said to the members of the press, 'Why won't you go and look into what we are saying about the threats on Reverend Jackson's life?' Here the Jews don't like Farrakhan and so they call me 'Hitler.' Well that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He wasn't great for me as a Black man but he was a great German and he rose Germany up from the ashes of her defeat by the united force of all of Europe and America after the first world war. Yet Hitler took Germany from the ashes and rose her up and made her the greatest fighting machine of the twentieth century, brothers and sisters, and even though Europe and America had deciphered the code that Hitler was using to speak to his chiefs of staff, they still had trouble defeating Hitler even after knowing his plans in advance. Now I'm not proud of Hitler's evil toward Jewish people, but that's a matter of record. He rose Germany up from nothing. Well, in a sense you could say there is a similarity in that we are rising our people up from nothing, but don't compare me with your wicked killers."

Related Topics:
Hitler - Germany

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1998, former The Wall Street Journal editor Jude Wanniski attempted to foster dialogue between Farrakhan and those who had labeled him anti-semitic. He arranged for Farrakhan to be interviewed by reporter Jeffrey Goldberg who had written for the Jewish weekly, The Forward and The New York Times. Since the extensive interview was never published in either publication, Wanniski decided to post the transcript on his website in the context of a memo of Senator Joseph Lieberman. The following are links to the interview, parts one, two and three:

Related Topics:
The Wall Street Journal - Jude Wanniski - The Forward - The New York Times

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:* Interview with Farrakhan Part I

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:* Interview with Farrakhan Part II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:* Interview with Farrakhan Part III

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In comments regarding the flooding of New Orleans in consequence of Hurricane Katrina, Louis Farrakhan revealed to the press a report that he received, from a "very reliable source" he said, that there was a 25-foot hole under one of the levees that broke, which suggested it may have been busted on purpose to destroy the part of the city where Black people lived. The Final Call Farrakhan in a broadcast leading up to the 10th Anniversary revealed that New Orleans' Mayor Nagin durng a meeting in Dallas, Texas shared with him the information regarding the 25-foot crater underneath the levee. http://www.millionsmoremovement.com/news/mmm-message.htm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Citing the fact that the levee broke the day after Hurricane Katrina passed, others including Baltimore Sun and BlackAmericaWeb columnist Gregory Kane and political commentator, Cedric Muhammad have raised additional questions and called for federal investigations into the source of the levee break.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~