Farrakhan: 'I'm going to lead the FOI into the streets'

By Ashahed M. Muhammad -Asst. Editor- | Last updated: Jul 11, 2012 - 12:22:16 PM

A call to stem crime and violence in the Black community, and America’s warmongering

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was interviewed by Cliff Kelley on WVON 1690 AM in Chicago July 6, 2012.

CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan announced that he would lead the members of the Fruit of Islam, the men of the Nation of Islam, into the streets to stem the bloody tide of violence that has gripped Chicago and many cities across America in an interview with the “governor of talk radio” Cliff Kelley of WVON 1690AM July 6.

Despite record-breaking heat outside, Minister Farrakhan arrived at the radio studio looking cool, calm and focused for the discussion with his long-time friend.

Mr. Kelley spoke of the recent killing of seven-year-old Heaven Sutton, who sadly was gunned down outside of her family’s Westside home as she sold candy and cold drinks with her mother. She was buried earlier that day. Minister Farrakhan addressed the killing going on in Chicago, which has made nationwide headlines.

“When the Nation of Islam was strong, we were in the streets and when we were in the streets, the violence—we had it—but it was not like it is today, so Brother Farrakhan is going to lead the Fruit of Islam into the streets. We are going to help our people,” said Minister Farrakhan. “We have to take our teaching and our example to our people,” said Minister Farrakhan.

“It is a tremendous tragedy and a scourge on our community that after we have suffered so much from so many, for so long, that we would become the worst enemies of self. This is grievous. We are filled with self-hatred and I have to say to us as parents, we took our eyes off the prize,” he added.

When Dr. King and the civil rights movement opened the door for integration and made great strides in the areas of politics, education, employment, and public accommodations, those who lived through the era did not sit down and teach the struggle to the generations that followed, the Minister noted.

“I say this to those who ‘so-called’ are wise and want to retire, there’s too much ignorance in our community for us to retire. Young men for war, old men and women for counsel. It’s the counsel of the elders that is missing in the community, and it is such that there is such a gap that the youth sometimes don’t want to hear from their elders. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Minister Farrakhan.

“The only way leaders will unite is when there is a cause bigger than our vanity, bigger than our egos and the cause is the survival of our people for we are facing extinction,” he added.

He said the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the presence of the men of the Nation of Islam could forestall some of the senseless violence, and the youth have to be given gainful employment.

“We have to put our young people to work and give them hope that there is a better life for us, not sitting around waiting for President Obama or others to create enough jobs for us. We have to get together and create jobs for ourselves and our people and this we hope to share with all of our people because the battle is in our hands now, and we should take up the challenge to create jobs, employment and give our people intelligent discourse that they may come alive as human beings rather than the way we are acting at present,” the Minister said.

He also chided some spiritual leaders for their “bourgeois attitude” staying inside of their houses of worship while death, havoc, and mayhem fills the streets. The young people don’t feel a connection with the religious leaders, nor do they feel the presence of love, he said.

“These young people are our children. They are our flesh and our blood, so we don’t go in the streets like some army to ‘take back our streets’ we didn’t own the streets in the first place. But if we get our young people together and pool our resources, we could own every street where we live,” said the Minister. “We’re coming in the streets to show our young people the love that they are missing.”

Then, with specialized training and highly militarized police forces in the cities of America, the Minister, spoke words of warning.

“Time is on our side, but time can be our enemy if we don’t act in accord with the time,” said Minister Farrakhan. “A slaughter is on the way if we don’t make the change now,” he said.

Current events

During the conversation, the Minister commented on the undisclosed illness being experienced by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) that has recently made headlines. His family announced that he has taken a leave of absence to deal with his health challenges.

Minister Louis Farrakhan addressed multiple topics during his interview on WVON 1690 AM in Chicago July 6, including America’s foreign policy and stemming violence in the Black community. Photo: Timothy 6X

“Our prayers go out to the Jackson family and I would urge all of the constituents that he represents and all of us who have benefitted from the good of Jesse Jackson Jr. and the good of Rev. Jackson and his wonderful wife, that we all come together and pray for Jesse Jr.,” said Minister Farrakhan. “The family has our deepest concerns about our brother and our hope and our prayer that Almighty God Allah will give him a speedy recovery that he may get back to the job that those constituents of his voted for him to do. He’s young, he’s growing, and like they say in the church—God is not through with him, or with me or with us, yet, and as long as there is life, there’s hope that we can continue to grow and evolve into a better person tomorrow than we are today,” he added.

Later, a caller who attended Alabama A&M University and graduated in 1951 thanked Minister Farrakhan for visiting AAMU during his mid-April tour of several Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the South. The Minister said he has plans to return to college campuses in the fall to continue to reach the hearts and minds of Black young people who will form the next generation of leaders.

As soon as Minister Louis Farrakhan announced the Salaam Restaurant was again open for business, the phones at WVON began ringing off the hook with those wanting to know the hours of operation.

“At our farm we have set up an absolute state-of-the-art greenhouse,” said Min. Farrakhan, adding there are plans through the winter to supply the food for the Salaam and the people. At Minister Farrakhan’s request, Will Allen, founder and CEO of Milwaukee-based Growing Power, trained 14 members of the Nation of Islam in his pioneering urban farming strategies aimed at transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban populations.

Foreign policy

No discussion between Cliff Kelley and Minister Farrakhan would be complete without a discussion of the foreign policy issues of the day. The first was the recent presidential election in Egypt of the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammed Morsi.

“I applaud president Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Min. Farrakhan. “He has the people with him.”

The Minister said Mr. Morsi should continue working hard to represent the legitimate aims of the Egyptian people, and warned against underestimating the role of the United States in the Egyptian political landscape. Then dealing with a question presented to him by Mr. Kelley regarding Syria, he said the Western powers continuous arming of rebels was actually making things worse and keeping the fighting and killing going.

“The hand of America is a bloody hand, and soon America, I fear for you, that your hand is going to be cut off and your interference in sovereign nations as they try to solve their problems, is making it bad for you at home,” said the Minister.

This is what the neo-cons had planned years ago in their efforts to change governments in places such as Libya, Sudan, Iran, and North Korea that they consider hostile. If America bombs Iran at Israel’s behest, the Minister said he would speak against it. The Minister said some analysts believe Israel may push for war prior to the 2012 American presidential election.

The Minister said he knows his life is in danger when he speaks with such strength and passion against the policies of the United States government, but he must speak out against the arrogant warmongers using America’s young men and women to fight and die for an “oligarchy that wants to suck the life-blood out of the nations of the earth.”

“Let me tell you something America,” he continued, “if you continue on this path, your power will be broken in war. Listen to me carefully. I am not saying this out of ego or vanity, I am repeating what a man that was taught by God put in my ear and put in the public domain,” he said, referring to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam.

“There’s something wrong America! You need to stop a minute, and the American people need to rise up against the warmongers that are bringing America down,” said Min. Farrakhan. “Now you can come and get me if that’s what you want to do, but I am a faithful warner from God through the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to you. I am not warning you because I hate you, I am not warning you because I want to see America fall, I don’t want to see America fall—I live here—but you are headed for a very hard fall.”

“I’m saying—all the world will go free because your power, NATO’s power and the warmongers of the world, your power will be broken in this final war which you are shaping up for now. You will not win! I can guarantee you that whether I am living or dead—put it down! You will lose everything that you have!” Minister Farrakhan said.

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