by Charlene Muhammad

PHOENIX (FinalCall.com)�The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan called the world to religious, political and social justice before a standing-room only audience numbering approximately 1,500 at the Hyatt Regency hotel during an afternoon of reasoning Dec. 16.

The revered minister meticulously, and with slight humor (without sacrificing importance), detailed the relationship between the United States and Middle Eastern countries, leading up to the nation�s current war on terrorism.  He spoke out against racism and terrorism in any form by anyone, and stressed the importance of a free and independent press.  

�We live in a time that is so dangerous, that we clearly need to check what we hear, what we see, and we have to have some standard by which we measure the veracity or the truth of what we�re hearing,� he stated, referring to the current war action without sufficient evidence in Afghanistan.

Using the Bible and Holy Qur�an, Min. Farrakhan delivered his message in a university lecture-styled setting, complete with an electronic globe, a pointer, and references.

In the condensed geography and history course, he traced, for the audience, America�s oil trek throughout Africa and the Middle East, where, he said, using one Muslim country against another, it raped, robbed and pillaged many nations for total control of oil.  He displayed area maps of countries, including Libya, Iraq, Iran and Syria, all deemed by the United States as sponsoring terrorists and each having high oil densities.

America is an oil junkie and, like most drug junkies, she would do anything, including rob, steal and kill to get it, Min. Farrakhan stated.

He quoted from researched documents and published reports indicating that America was forewarned of the Sept. 11 attacks.  She did not warn or protect her citizens, he said, but instead used the incident to obtain funds for more military weapons. The war against Afghanistan was already planned, he charged, in around July or August, because the Taliban leadership disallowed the United States a vital pipeline from Pakistan, through Afghanistan, to the Indian Ocean.

Min. Farrakhan said he doesn�t know if Osama bin Laden is guilty or innocent for the Sept. 11 attacks on America, but the U.S. government should be made to justify its attacks. In ignorance, and under the guise of patriotism, the American people are supporting what they would not support if they were knowledgeable, he added.

Displaying the American flag does not determine patriotism. Upholding the nation�s standard found in the Bill of Rights and Constitution is patriotic, he said.

�If you�re a patriot you speak truth to power, even if it means the end of your life. You must never hide the truth for some favor from somebody,� he continued.

Amid standing ovations, Min. Farrakhan�whose address was designed to destroy the division among the human family and bring triumph out of tragedy�said politics has corrupted religion; and he warned that society would pay a price for compromising faith.  

�You recognize beauty in God�s creation in rocks but when it comes to humanity that shows the wisdom of God in the diversity of the human family, we�re upset [and] mistreat one another without recognition of our basic humanity,� he said.

�I liked the fact that everything he says is based on the Bible or Qur�an,� said 43-year-old Jennifer Samuels.  The address was the first-ever she attended.  Ms. Samuels said she was most impressed with Min. Farrakhan�s connection with God. 

�His foundation is what really had me more connected to him, because I can relate, and when he talks, what he�s saying makes sense, because I�ve read the Bible,� she added.  Min. Farrakhan�s words, she said, made her question everything she heard before attending, especially about the attacks against the U.S.

�We all hear what the President has to say and everybody is glued to what he has to say. I think it�s important that we all hear what Minister Farrakhan has to say. We should be given that choice to hear both sides, and based on that, form our own opinion or beliefs,� she added.   

�The response was outstanding, and a lot of people were very excited to hear the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan speak in the city of Phoenix,� said newly appointed Min. Patrick Muhammad, who studied as a student minister under Nation of Islam Western Region Representative Min. Tony Muhammad.

At the meeting�s end, Min. Farrakhan announced plans to purchase a former church at Ninth Avenue and Van Buren Street as a new mosque home in the city.