World News
Avenue needed to address growing
dissatisfaction in London and Europe:
Nation of
Islam fills the void
PARIS-Since
its inception in North America in 1930, the Nation of Islam has strived
to re-educate and to re-build a people devastated by 400 years of white
supremacist oppression.
Increasingly, the spread of the Nation of Islam beyond the borders of North America and into Europe poses a threat to those foreign powers-that-be that never had the best interests of Black people at heart on any level, be it economically, politically or socially.
Last month's successful 10,000 Man March in Britain calls to mind the words of the Honorable Louis Farrakhan who said that time dictates the agenda.
Thus, in the face of unrelenting negative propaganda directed against Min. Farrakhan by the British government and its lap dog media agents, and to the dismay of the staunchest naysayers, thousands of Black people turned out to support the Nation of Islam's march, which replicated on a microcosmic scale the macrocosmic success that was 1995's Million Man March on Washington, D.C. called by Min. Farrakhan.
"The mutual respect of the differing religions and ideologies coming together based on the principle of one people appealed to me," Min. Wayne Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 1 in the East London borough of Hackney said of London's march.
"We took on Jericho and we won," Min. Michael Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 1B in the West London borough of Shepherds Bush said.
The agenda is clear: Black people must determine what courses of action to take to ensure their survival in the new millennium.
In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the rights of Black and oppressed people have never been respected, said national coordinator Min. Hilary Muhammad, who heads Muhammad Mosque No. 1C in the South London borough of Brixton.
He is reminded of a famous quote by Great Britain's greatest 20th-century statesman, the late Winston Churchill, that says, in part, that government must never explain or apologize. The British government, in upholding that dubious principle, does not explain what is bothering the masses of the people nor do they apologize for their failures, Min. Hilary said.
"In Britain we have 100 percent of wickedly wise opposition to us," Min. Hilary said. "What makes the drive and determination of the Believers here even more significant is that we have no chance here of success unless we obey the instructions of Minister Louis Farrakhan 100 percent."
To date, the British government has not issued an official statement in response to the march, the largest rally of its kind ever held in the capital by Britain's Black community. Min. Hilary said he interprets the silence as a good sign.
"If they could find anything to discredit us and to show us in the eyes of the masses other than we are, because they pay wages and salaries to people just to find dirt on us, they would most definitely have by now," he said.
The reason for the government's 1986 ban against Min. Farrakhan that continues to this day has never been adequately explained, Min. Hilary said. If one buys the government's argument that Min. Farrakhan's visit to the UK would not be good for race relations, the question becomes, exactly what relations would be endangered?
While the United Kingdom of Great Britain has a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, that rate increases among the Black population. In the Lambeth borough, for example, the unemployment rate among Black men is a staggering 90 percent, according to local council statistics.
Racism is just as institutionalized in the UK as it is in America, Min. Hilary said. In the UK, the white supremacist world domination mindset that pioneered England's involvement in the slave trade in 1555 still exists today, albeit in subtler forms. The master-slave scenario is now played out in policy and law.
With regard to the criminal justice system, the heads of 12 police forces throughout Great Britain admitted to either institutionalized racism within their departments or the presence of racist officers in their ranks.
The admissions came on the heels of a high-profile inquiry into the racially motivated death of Stephen Lawrence, 15, in 1993 at the hands of five white youths. That case has mobilized the Black community in an unprecedented way, Min. Hilary said.
While many have expressed positive opinions about London's march, Matthew Ashimilowo, pastor and leader of Britain's biggest Black church, condemned Christians who attended or spoke at the march for doing so under the star and crescent of Islam. Mr. Ashimilowo, head of the 4,000 member Kingsway International Christian Centre, has expressed that the Nation of Islam "takes advantage" of a "vacuum" in Britain's Black community, a view shared by many who feel that the rise of the Nation of Islam in Britain is a sign of the "failure" of the church.
The opposing viewpoint is that Christians and Muslims in the Black community in particular, must dialogue on issues of social justice, and some Christian ministers have publicly stated that, Min. Hilary said.
"There is no hostility coming from us in the Nation of Islam," Min. Hilary said. In keeping with the Nation of Islam's self-help agenda, Nation of Islam members in the UK have started their own businesses. Over time, they have established a restaurant and mini-market in West London and a "Respect for Life" bookstore in South London.
"Jonah was the saving grace of Ninevah," Min. Hilary said. "The word 'Jonah' contains the word 'Noah,' " Min. Hilary said, likening the Nation of Islam to an Ark of refuge for those willing to come under the world that Allah (God) has given to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
"All those that entered into the ark were saved. I see the Nation of Islam as a floating ark in a world that is sinking," he said.
That sinking world has resulted in Europe's racist backlash against immigrants, who are the unwitting scapegoats for every social ill that afflicts the continent.
When Europeans talk of foreigners in their midst, they do not think of, say, the Spanish from Spain or the Portuguese who easily blend in with the white population. To the contrary: they think of the growing population of Africans, Turks and Arabs.
Many immigrants are Muslims, and Muslims are demonized throughout the Western world.
In France, where far-right political elements win elections based on immigrant-bashing platforms, racist viewpoints are openly expressed.
By way of example, Brigitte Bardot, France's equivalent of America's Elizabeth Taylor, has publicly stated that she might have to leave France because of the overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims of North African descent, whom she characterized as religious "fundamentalists" who will "slit our throats one day-and we'll deserve it."
On the educational front, the miseducation of Black students continues.
The government recently closed down a half-dozen or so schools in predominately Black areas because the institutions failed to meet adequate educational standards. "The government sees solving the problem by closing down schools as opposed to using methodologies that work," Min. Hilary said.
Economically, while Black people do own small businesses, there is an absence of Black ownership on a wide commercial level, such as in franchising, Min. Hilary said. As their own struggle for self-determination and the redemption of Black people continues, Min. Hilary said he and the followers of the Min. Farrakhan are grateful and mindful of the tremendous sacrifices made by those followers who helped lay the foundation of the Nation of Islam.
"We want to give a clear 'thank you' to every Believer who supported the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and who now support him through Minister Louis Farrakhan," Min. Hilary said. "We thank them for standing up in North America and fighting with the powers-that-be to establish Islam in the Western Hemisphere to give us an opportunity to receive spiritual life here in the UK. We are indebted for the rest of our lives."
As a follow-up to the successful 10,000 Man March, Believers have scheduled a Youth Day celebration set for sometime in early December. They will invite a large number of Black professionals to give advice and guidance to Black students from across London in an effort to motivate the students to not depend on the government to provide for them after they leave school and are on their own.
Photo: Leo Muhammad speaks to crowd in Trafalger Square during the Nation of Islam 10,000 Man March.
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