Address at the University of Minneapolis Minnesota
Imam W. Deen Mohammed

October 22nd 1997

Islam has been the agent in our life here in America to bring a people, a following from no where to some where. Most of the followers during the 30's , 40's and 60's were poor in many ways, culturally poor, poor in the pocket and poor in the head, but sincere believing that there is a G'd, a responsible G'd, a G'd that holds Himself responsible to do justice or to have justice done by His creatures.


Nation of Islam

We believe that very strongly as did the Christians who came like we did from slavery to freedom in this country but not justice. I would like to describe that following you know now as the nation of Islam members as a sincere following a G'd-fearing following no matter how they imagine G'd or taught to view G'd or to conceive G'd. they were G'd fearing people I was one of them I know; my mother and father were among them, all my brothers and sisters, so I know.

I would like to describe us as a people of faith and poor but not content to be poor, we were unlearned, uneducated, illiterate most of us, but not content to be so. Most of us survived to see the change come, when Religion would be introduced properly to us and we would be able to decide for ourselves whether we wanted to really be Muslims or not. Muslims not just in name but Muslims in our spirit, Muslims in our thinking and Muslims in our religious practices and Muslims in our personal behavior.

One thing we did learn from the teaching and training we received as members of the nation of Islam under the Hon. Elijah Muhammad whose most able spokesperson was Malcolm X or Malcolm Al Hajj Malcolm Shabazz now was to be responsible for ourselves, not to blame others for our condition and wait for others to give us help but to do something about our condition ourselves and also demand the full rights of citizenship.

Our development in America has been a development that can best be viewed in our growth or in our expressions, our expressions of what we want out of life and if you would read on the back of Muhammad Speaks if you could get one of those old issues or if you could read in the paper of the nation of Islam under Minister Farrakhan called final call a list of what Muslims want; you'll see that Muslims even without the purity or the true concepts of the Qur'an, Muslims under the Hon. E. Muhammad in the Nation of Islam wanted very much what the great majority of African Americans or blacks of this country want, that's a decent life and respect from the society that's given to whites. That's what we wanted a decent life an opportunity to live and grow in this country, to live, grow and prosper in this country as white do or and have done.

When we came from the religion of the nation of Islam and I have to put it that way because the religion of the nation of Islam was not the religion of the Qur'an; when we came from the religion of the nation of Islam, we might call it a kind of black nationalist theology, a theology serving the promotion of black nationalism.

When we came from that to the Quranic teachings we made a big, big turn and I, I speak for myself and I think when I speak for myself I'm speaking for many, many, great majority in our association of Muslims even for some in Farrakan's association when I say we made a big turn I mean exactly that. We made a big, big turn, we made a turn that opened up our minds and made us comfortable in our souls, comfortable in our hearts, open up our hearts so we could receive more suffering people who suffer like us, denied like us. lonely like us and lost like many of us into our own hearts.


Nation Islam teaching restricted 

It freed us to identify with ourselves better within my ownself better, the teachings, the religious teachings or teaching on religion, reported to be religion in the nation of Islam, those teachings put us in a strained situation. Denied us freedom of thought, it denied us freedom of rational thought, it didn't impose that upon us directly, but it created circumstances that compelled us to impose that upon ourself, I would say, I better stop thinking that way, I would say it silently in my own heart and I would stop thinking, I would be pursing something with my intelligence and I saw it was going to bring me into conflict with some of the basic religious teachings of the nation of Islam so I would check myself; say I better stop thinking that way and I would refuse to think that way. So I myself evidence of that it denied freedom of rational thought while at the same time inviting us to question everything that's what the Hon. E. Muhammad told us said question everything.

If you could see our history from 1931 till today the nation of Islam under Farrakhan you will see a movement a progression from one way of expressing themselves to a more open and more acceptable way of expressing themselves. Circumstances in this country changing to favor African Americans having more hope have forced the voice of the nation-of Islam to change, even the agenda of the nation of Islam has undergone change.

The agenda in the 30's and 40's all the 40's was not the same as the agenda of the early 50's when Malcolm came along through the 60's and until the leader died, may G'd forgive him his errors and give him paradise, not the same the agenda changed the expression changed to make the voice of the nation of Islam more acceptable to the American public and the agenda changed to promise more practical life and progress for the following of the nation of Islam in America, why am I giving you this background?

I'm giving you this background so you'll understand us now today we now identify with the religion of Islam as believed by over a billion people on this earth Muslims everywhere believe in Islam as it is given in the Holy Book the Qur'an ... and in the life example of Muhammad the prophet to whom this book was revealed by G'd Almighty the Creator. We now identify with them with no difference, we don't accept to differ with them at all. we're happy, free, Allah has freed us when He permitted us to repent our ways and embrace the Qur'an and accept it wholly without differing with it.

Allah freed us so we are proud to say, happy to say that we believe the way Muslims believe all over the earth accept for Farrakhan's group and a few others here in America who were given a nationalistic theology or nationalist theology in the name of Islam; so we believe the same and now that we believe the same we are wanting to embrace all American citizens who are well meaning, who want the good life for American citizens, we want to embrace all of you and it's not sentimental.

Islam have brought us to a rational position, our position is a rational one, yes there's some emotions in it, it has to be because we're all human beings so we care about each other as the human family but our position changed from looking at whites as our enemies and now looking at whites as our fellow citizens changed from looking at Christianity as a Religion to do harm to us we're looking at Christianity as a religion of the people of the book, older scriptures and want to more than just get acquainted with you, a dialogue we want to look for opportunities to work with you for the good life that all of us want, we want to join you.

Islam has done that the Qur'an has done that the example of Muhammad who show ed us how to live the Qur'an has done that we call it the sunnah of the Prophet has done that, yes. Our development has been one from incorrect perception of Islam to one of correct perception of Islam made possible by the support of the Qur'an the Holy Book of G'd. And our agenda is now, its not an agenda for blacks only but an agenda for Muslims who belong to the family of human beings, so whatever we work for we want to share it with others its for everybody, this is Islam and the Prophet of Islam.

Q. Model Prophet best [uswatun
hasanatun] 

Q. Prophet for humanity [Kaaffatan
len nas]

Muhammad the Prophet he's not just a prophet or Messenger of G'd for Muslims, where do I get that from?   G'd says in our Holy Book that Muhammad is an excellent model for any, model means that he shows you an excellent picture of human life since he's an excellent model for any person who believes in G'd and the Last Day. Didn't say for Muslim didn't say Muhammad is an excellent model for Muslims, didn't say Muhammad an excellent model for Arabs G'd say Muhammad is an excellent model for any person who believes in G'd and the Last Day.

Believe G'd and Last day 

Why believe in G'd and the Last day why these two tied together? Because there are many people believe in G'd but they don't believe in being accountable to G'd or their life habits tells us that they don't register on their minds or in their brains the importance of being accountable to G'd among Christians, Jew, Christians and some other religions there is the belief... that G'd knows me, sees me and holds me accountable for my life how I life it, they believe one day they're going to have to meet their Lord and answer for the way they lived on this earth, so such people are people of faith, they are really a people of faith, they are believers in truth you see?

And for them our Prophet is an example, an excellent example of how G'd wants us to live on this earth just as he is for Muslims, this is an important part of our development in America for us to come from where we came from to accept this, speaks for our development in America.

Earn Rewards Rights Responsibility 

This belief frees us up see, G'd leaves us to earn rewards, we couldn't have planned this, G'd leaves us to earn rewards if we wanted to get the full benefits of citizenship in this country and have an opportunity in this country like whites, have more than just rights but responsibility for our rights, we would have to identify as citizens of America with this land and with the traditional excellence of its people in order for us to realize that. I don't care what is written in the constitution, I don't care what amendment is added to the constitution to protect our rights, we will never have responsibility for our rights and I'm going to make that clear as I go on. without identifying with this land as citizens of this land and having a genuine sincere interest in making a contribution positive, healthy to this land as citizens working side by side and with other citizens who share the same idea the same concern.

Wealth sustained Blacks 

We wouldn't be able to have it no matter how much we accumulated wealth, property whatever it will be temporary, it will be lost, there have been many attempts to establish wealth in America by African Americans but with a separatist idea and the leaders have died and all of their labor have gone away, lost the only way it can remain for the generations to inherit it behind us is that we have to be citizens of these United States
holding as valuable and precious our citizenship and working for the full rights and benefits of citizenship in this country.

Islam has freed us to have that, to do that, we don't have to be enemies of the government, we should join Christians who want to see their gov better and Jews and others who want to see their gov better and we should work as citizens valuing the American tradition of excellence for a better gov, we should work for better gov not to be enemies of the gov this is our new position. A position that we come to only after we came to understand what Islam is and what G'd really wants of us in terms of our life and how we live it on this earth.

Our Agenda now is not to have temple of Islam, nation of Islam Muslim businesses our own schools without also having an interest in the school system and the business community on our block or in our neighborhood, we now see our life as a life that can co-exist with the life of our other fellow citizens who outnumber us greatly. On our agenda now is a plan to develop neighborhoods where African American Muslims will contribute greatly to the health and stability and progress of those neighborhoods, where Muslims will be a factor in increasing the presence of minority businesses in those neighborhoods, will be a factor in keeping the neighborhoods healthy and safe; Islam is conditioning us to want that responsibility, now we know we have personalities, individuals who are African American or black who achieved much more than the average European or white American has achieved for themselves, for the dignity of their group that they belong to or for the pride I would say of their group that they belong to.

Ophra Winfrey and many others I read an article recently where the writer was saying that Ophra Winfrey may be the first billionaire African American, this is great progress for the individual person but when it comes to group progress we don't have it, as a people we don't have great progress, we are still too much dependent on outside for help.

Black fail personal excellence 

And where we fail the most today is not where we were failing yesterday during the days do Dubois. Booker T. Washington and others we fail today when it comes to personal pride in one's moral excellence. We use to be proud of being a decent person, proud of not being a thief, wouldn't lie, steal and wouldn't join a criminal gang, we use to be proud of our moral life, today its not even a concern for most of African Americans that we see in the street, the moral life is not even a concern any more, its changing a little bit because of the new trend in the whole of America, but African Americans to me have departed from the life of excellence that least kept us and was a pride in us to keep us going forward on the path of human progress.

The biggest failing for us is moral and business. I drive through Chicago the different ethnic neighborhoods and I see a much stronger business presence for other ethnic groups than I see for my own race when I come back to our neighborhoods, that has to change so on our agenda today is a plan to have an effort by business people, business men and women in our community to develop more businesses in our neighborhoods throughout this country without gov involvement, our businessmen, we want them to hold themselves responsible.

CPC

We have formed a company, its called Collective Purchasing Conference we use that language conference because the great benefit we going to get is not so much the benefit of our money as it will be the benefit of other resources that we can bring to the table and share or benefit from. Many of us have a lot of education, lot of training in business but not business, so we going to come together and bring all that knowledge and all that training to the table so all of us can benefit from it so that the little businessman who didn't have the opportunity to go to business school to acquire that knowledge or no opportunity to work for cooperation and learn those skills and etc will get the benefit from one who did by sitting at the same table as equal with his business brother who is sitting at the conference table.

And we're going to put our small monies together already we're getting benefit from it and one company CPC collective purchasing company and these persons are selected for their good character and their strong faith in G'd. that's how they're selected, if they haven't proven to us that they have good character and strong faith in G'd the membership is not open to them, we don't accept that. 

We want this to be an effort to increase the business life and better the business and increase business life in our neighborhoods with us being responsible for it.

We want to do this not just to have more money, we got plenty of money, if we don't have plenty of money we have the life of the rich, if you don't believe it just go and live among the poor that don't belong to your race and you'll see you have the life of the rich; its not for money that we'll have more money in our hands no, its so we'll have more responsibility in our hands.

We're working for more and more responsibility... responsibility for our life we have a right to own property in this country but how much property are we responsible for in this country? Business property, commercial property, real estate, factories etc.

Nation of Islam 

Elijah Muhammad strained our minds when he confined us to the small walls, interior of the nation of Islam temple but yet opened our minds to want to be responsible for the whole earth; yes he told us the earth belongs to us; if that's my property I should be responsible for it, that's what Elijah Muhammad told us the earth belongs to the black man. So if the earth belongs to us I should be responsible for it and believe me I got that as a little child, I didn't have any other ideas in my mind, I couldn't say he didn't really mean that I shouldn't take that seriously. No a little child takes seriously what you tell that child seriously if that child believes in you, and I believed in my father so what he said I took it very seriously.

He said the earth belonged to the black man I accepted that, wondering why the white man got everything and he answered that question too; I won't tell you the answer he
gave me, he gave it to you to if you would remember, I won't tell you that;   but he did give an answer.

That was a strain on my mind, I'm told that the world belongs to me and the white man got it, even got my neighborhood, that was a strain on my mind. So if you're a healthy person and sincere person you're going to try and break out of that, you're going to try and get in a position where you can really understand and relate to that with ease, the earth is mine.

Q. Earth Allah owns: 

Q. Don't forget your share in earth 

Now we know in Islam G'd says the earth belongs to G'd not to us, the earth belongs to G'd, but G'd says to us that we have a share in this earth and G'd says seek by the means that I have made available to you the destination, the life after this, the resurrection, the new life but G'd say don't forget or neglect your share in this earth, in this world, material world.

Well here I come from one strained situation as a follower of the nation of Islam's teaching and then I run into similar language that's more rational and I can understand it better and it puts me on the spot, it makes me feel that I have a lot of growing to do in terms of me qualifying for more responsibility.

That G'd created this earth not for whites only but for every human being and G'd wants, the Creator Who created us all wants everyone of us to know that we are His dependents and this earth is His and He gives all each one of His dependents the right to a share in this world, so that's the new situation.

Q. Don't forget your share in earth

I'm not obligated by my perception of citizenship only to pursue my rights now I have a much more powerful motivation in my life. I'm obligated by G'd's expectation. G'd expect me to do more. G'd expect me to assume more responsibility. G'd expect me to measure up, to qualify for more responsibility, to not to look at one race and...


Q. Don't forget your share in earth

Q. Man Khalifa

 ...to be responsible and I'm not. we are all put here to be responsible and when G'd says He made the first man to be a khalifa to be responsible to G'd for the environment that he lives in, himself, his family, the cultivation of the land etc. He was speaking to each and every one of us. So our agenda has grown quite a bit from the nation of Islam agenda to the present agenda, we want to be builders of towns and cities and we want to have business malls, plazas with the name New Africa Business Plaza. We don't want to change Minneapolis to New Africa, no we want Minneapolis to stay Minneapolis but we want a business district a street at least running about 6 blocks, New Africa Business Strip, New Africa Business Plaza, thriving business that we're responsible for, that's what we want.

And we want to build our identity stronger and stronger in this country we like that idea a nation of many epluri bus unum one nation of many people of many ethnic groups, we like that idea because we came from a teaching and an experience that made us want to be ourselves again. We were brought from Africa we were Africans, we were put in slavery we were slaves and we lost awareness of just who we are or just who we should be our religion has brought us to feel comfortable again, that we are just to be excellent human beings; whether we are as black as coal or white as snow.

So we're comfortable now with the healthy perception of ourselves and the creation of G'd, human and now we want to build upon that human identity with African American I would say mind and taste for what is excellent for a human person. So we hope that this new business effort by our outstanding business persons will also contribute to a growth of ethnic identity, where our business men and not Paris will be influencing the dress trend, influencing the menu what we going to eat this evening etc.. influencing how we express ourselves through art, music, dance theater etc.

We believe that G'd want to give us back our life and Islam is our help.

Ques.
Ans.

Ques.
So you know of any efforts to invite Farrakhan to true Islam, what could be done to invite him and his followers to the fold. Could you share with us some of your thought on some of the personal qualities of Malcolm X and what impressed you about him in regards to the last two years of his life.

Ans.
I know of over the last 8 or 10 yrs I know of several efforts on the part of Muslim scholars and Muslim Imams, leaders to impress upon minister Farrakhan to come closer to Islam or to come all the way; or at least correct a lot of things. There were efforts by persons in the united states and also by institutions in Muslim countries and I on two occasions was invited to be present and at one occasion about 5 or 6 yrs ago now Farrakhan he did get up and he said he identified with Muslims very strongly he said that we believe in Allah, the G'd of the Quran and he said we believe in Muhammad of Arabia the prophet of the Qur'an he said that and after he made the statement we embraced right before the big gathering of mostly scholars and there were others among and religious leaders, Imams.

We embraced, he embraced me I embraced him and there was another Imam present from our community who went out as Farrakhan did from our association he didn't go out what Farrakhan did back to the nation of Islam but he just became separate leader, separated from our community his name is Imam Wahajah he was there and we each embraced and they have also been efforts since then to invite minister Farrakhan to accept the religion fully and practice it as it should be practiced and he has shown sign that he takes it serious and he feels its the right thing to do but when he gets back to his following his language is the same, he keeps the same language.

We still hoping we pray to Allah for him because we changed, many of us changed so still a chance that he can change, we can't write him off say oh now its impossible, he still may change and he knows how I feel about him I was on WON radio, powerful radio station reaching a lot of area I'm sure he's going to hear about the interview that I had just about 4, 3 days ago and I was asked about him.

They said how do you feel about him, said do you have a message for him I said yeah, I said my friend come all the way accept Islam and give up that old religion, that's what I said to him. So I'll never give up on him, but who knows so one man is not all that important, not even me something should happen right now Allah will bless this association of mine with leadership just as good as mine or better who knows. This is G'd's Will and the same for Farrakhan. if he never change that doesn't mean his following won't change, so we're looking for him to change but we're expecting many of his following to come to the right position as Muslims.

Now the second question was about Malcolm, what did I observe in him the last couple of years of his life that impressed me, one thing was his expressing concerns that he had all the time I knew him personally. He always had an interest in making the voice broader to include more of the people and more of the concerns of humanity, he always had that even while he was in the nation of Islam and the Hon. E. Muhammad use to have to pull him back sometimes and say no brother you shouldn't do that, that is not what we should be doing; but he wanted to embrace all of Africa, he want to embrace the Muslims first of all, the Muslims of Africa.

Malcolm

A lot of the non-Muslims they think Malcolm when he changed he went from being interested in Islam to being just interested in human rights and in Africa that's not the truth. Malcolm when he left the Hon. E. Muhammad authority he then began to express what already in him before an interest in us identifying with all the Africa and particularly with the Muslims of Africa with their history as Muslims on the continent of Africa.

His pride when he spoke with pride or with a praise of African history and of nations and national leaders or figures on the continent qf Africa he was speaking of Muslim history Islam's history. He spoke of Mamsa Musa with that pride and with that appreciation and praise for that person, he spoke of the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai, he spoke of the Islamic effort of learning and education in Timbuktu this was his pride. His pride was a pride of a Muslim and not the pride of an animist or someone who believed in tribal ancestor worship or something like that, no he would be really hurt to think that African American and afrocentric thinking in Afrocentric thought would be identifying him now with pre-Islam religion on the continent of Africa, he would be terribly hurt.

Malcolm impressed me in the last years of his life because he had the courage to let the true Malcolm be seen and heard.

Ques. What is the correct and Christianity
and anti Jewish.

Ans.
The media gives that impression some is that what you are saying? Yes that's correct. I was speaking with a Jew once a long time ago I was a young fiery minister for the Hon. E. Muhammad and I was expressing our grievances somewhat and he said Wallace, he called me Wallace because I was in circumstances like that work, I was working for him. He said Wallace white people use to keep us out of Palm Beach Florida, we bought it.

Now Muslims we don't get a favorable press, media we know that lets buy it. we're still doing the work trying to bring attention to the problem and as we present ourselves in a better way to more and more Americans the media will be put in a difficult situation, they will know that too many American know the true picture of Muslims so let us be careful of how we live in America among Americans, let us give the best picture of ourselves and that will be a big help for correcting the way the media presents us because pressure will be put on the media and but still lets buy it. With all the oil money in the Islamic world we could buy a big part of the media, big, big piece of it.

Ques.
...every year in may we have an African American parade we would like you to consider coming and be chosen as the grand marshal of that parade.

Ans.
Alright ask the committee if I can carry a banner that will say more businesses in our neighborhoods New Africa, and I'll be glad to step off with you.

Ques.___________________
Ans.    Nation of Islam 

Its a difficult question because the answer is so hard for a person who didn't experience being a member of the nation of Islam, have a lot of difficulty understanding the answer. But the answer is this, that the one who designed the language to attract us to the nation of Islam knew that he wouldn't in fact he didn't want to attract educated African Americans, he didn't believe in fact he put language in the nations of Islam's teaching that made us feel that they were lost the educated African American they're lost, they're with the whites, they think like whites and they are oppressors like the white man, they will oppress us like the white oppressor would.

So he separated, he knew that language had to be accepted by world naive people, when I say worldly naive people, people who don't know the geography of Saudi Arabia, they don't know the truth about the land, they don't know the truth about Africa either so they haven't been outside of their small neighborhood, they haven't been on a plane to go to the next state, city most of them.

So he's speaking to people who are in the dark as to what is the reality for human beings on this earth, and he told us that the streets of Mecca were paved with gold; that's what this man told us and we believed it. Whatever he said we believed it, when I got over there and saw the sand and rocks I wasn't surprised because I had an opportunity to read a little bit so I wasn't surprised to see that there was sand and rocks and no gold to walk on. But now they got gold over there, gold faucets for the royal family...

What made it possible for us to believe such an extreme or outlandish story about the realities of man the white race and black people that language was so flattering, praised us so much a people who needed it so badly that it just worked on us like hypnotism, you know like a hypnotist. It just fixed our mind and we just couldn't think outside of the language of the nation of Islam and many are still in that situation right today with the world changed so drastically; there's no law that says go to the back, you can't drink out of this fountain anymore all that's changed, but given that they still can't think outside of the I call it contained environment language of the nation of Islam.

That's what it was it was designed to be a contained language environment where you wouldn't be able to think outside of the language you were given it was so hypnotic as I said, it was so much on our side and so much against the white mar. and it flattered us so much, it flattered our ego so much, said that we are gods, blacks are gods and whites are devils, you know. So I hope that kind of explains you question, our situation was a situation of a subject of hypnotism the one who designed this he used the language magnetism and that's what it was; powerful magnetism and we were not informed enough, educated enough to break the spell. And that's why we could believe that all white people were devils, we would impose that thought upon our minds. I could tell you more but it wouldn't help the peaceful air we have in here now let keep it peaceful.

Ques.
I would like to ask the question your teaching or transition from the Hon. E. Muhammad and is there more accurate translations or interpretations of Qur'an for
blacks or for anyone that has not had___or the opportunity to learn Arabic?

Ans.
Yes there are many excellent translations we use Abdullah Yusuf translation, no that's not the one we use Abdullah Yusuf AH translation that's the one we use but there are many good English translations of the Qur'an and the problem for us as followers of the nation of Islam was not a translation of the Qur'an that would help us. the problem was that we had a fixed idea of what Islam is and no matter what you told us you couldn't change us. You could read it wouldn't change us and the preachers following the Hon. E. Muhammad's preaching style or method used more quotes from the bible and hardly ever quotes from the Qur'an. So we knew more, we were more familiar with the bible, what the bible said than we were familiar with what the Qur'an said, though we were claiming to be Muslims and the Qur'an was our book.

Ques.________
Ans.

This is my message if you were convicted as a Muslim for a sin or crime against society we don't feel good about you at all, but if you were convicted and you weren't claiming religion as your way of life then we want to give you all the help we can give you. And I think the business plan that we have will offer opportunities for inmates who are sincere and really want to be good Muslims to come out and get some job s and some help from us.

Ques.

What is the best way we can call people to Islam?

Ans.   Dawa

Yes, the best way to call people to Islam is to first call them to accept faith in G'd the
One Who is responsible for everything that we benefit from in this life and this world,
G'd made it all for us first call them to faith in G'd but don't stop there also call them to
be responsible for maintaining and advancing life on this earth, to have a share
in that responsibility.

I was reading a book here yesterday from the publication of the world conference on Religion and Peace, a world organization working to promote respect for each other's religion, cooperation for the promotion of peace and justice to all people and all nations. This, in this publication titles religions for economic justice and part section of it was under Islam and the author was explaining Al Falah; he said Muslims are called to believe in G'd and to worship G'd but they're also called to falah, hayya ialal falah.

Hadith Adhan inspired

This is traditional call that's identified as a G'd inspired call by our prophet Muhammad peace be upon him when he heard it he mentioned that he had seen something similar and someone else had also seen, he said that G'd had caused this vision to come to that person who envisioned the call to Islam, the call to worship.

I take that to mean that Islam is calling us to take up two concerns the concern for our souls, our spiritual life and also the concern for our environment, the material world to develop it: but develop it with the tool of education. Because without the tool of education you can't develop very much at all.

And that's what Islam is a call to develop our life and our community life with the tool of education as approved in Islam.

Ques.
Ans.

As a member of world conference on Religion and Peace and the World peace council I'm a member of several world bodies working for peace and more respect for each other as religious communities and as people I'm aware of this issue and we do know that Saudi Arabia has a law that is not really accepted the severity of the law and how they apply the law is not accepted by many scholars in Islam throughout the Islamic world, so we do have so serious criticism for the administering of law in Saudi Arabia.

The interpretation of law of the Qur'an and the teaching of our life of our prophet we're not satisfied with it. I think well I consider Saudi Arabians as my fiends to so a lot of things I don't like to say. I will say this they know in Islam a family can't have a monopoly on government and that's what we got in Saudi Arabia, there is a family of Saudi royal family the leaders govt. leaders always selected from their family the king, prince, the one who inherit authority next after the king will be a member of the Saudi
family, a family of the Saudi people. To me that's not Islamic and maybe a lot of fear of losing cause they know a lot of Muslims know that, that is not correct, that a family, blood is gonna decide who's gonna be the king, the ruler.

So fear that's knowing that they are vulnerable they are maybe also causing them, may be influencing how they view perceive, interpret, apply law I believe it has a lot to do with it.

Ques._______
Ans. Human soul sensitive 

Well he (E. Muhammad) said many things that I have lived to see G'd have made us that way. you be surprised many things that I have said and now people supporting me see them after about 10, 20 yrs they see those things now, G'd have made us that way the human being has a sensitive soul and our soul can pick up things that our brain can't pick up: but don't try to go on a job with just your soul better take your brain with you.

Ques. _ 
Ans.

For better image, yes Islam, just be serious about your religion and learn more. Islam wants us to become educated, Islam doesn't want a follower a blind following. Islam wants a following of seeing followers, educated followers. So the more of our following become better educated the more we will contribute to better image of African American on this continent.

Slavery 
Ques. 
Ans.

Well I thought we knew the answer that's why I didn't answer, the answer is that slavery being enslaved crippled us it also set us back in more ways than just I would say in terms of opportunity to have life and progress. It set us back in our ability to function as G'd created us to function and as you know we have enjoyed more freedom in this country our ability has improved greatly and now some of us are above average performers in the citizenry of this country so the answer was bad circumstances imposed upon us put the white man in the advantaged position and give him the opportunity to have what we were denied ownership and responsibility for what is owned, all is with the white man almost totally with the white man, but that's changed a lot now.

And our plan for the future is gonna bring about normalcy ensha Allah.


