Not Breaking Any Laws, Farrkahn Says Of Travels

A defiant Louis Farrakhan on Saturday denied that his meetings with the leaders of African and Middle Eastern nations that Washington regards suspiciously violates any U.S. law.

“The American constitution grants me the freedom of religion and freedom of meeting anyone I want,” Farrakhan told a news conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, after a three-hour meeting with President Hafez Assad.

So far, the head of the Chicago-based Nation of Islam has met with the leaders of Sudan, Libya, Iraq and Iran. Those countries, as well as Syria, are on a U.S.-list of nations sponsoring international terrorism.

During the tour, Farrakhan has made repeated scathing remarks about U.S. policies, particularly towards Libya, Iraq and Iran, including comparing international sanctions against Iraq with the horrors Jews endured in Nazi concentration camps. The State Department has in turn condemned Farrakhan’s comments.

Farrakhan’s tour follows a tradition dating to the Cold War era in which prominent U.S. Black Muslims like Malcolm X and boxer Muhammed Ali receive warm receptions in pro-Soviet Arab countries where they are seen as anti-establishment figures.

Asked whether he was worried about possible U.S. legal action against him, Farrakhan said: “I will leave the matter to the American laws and courts in spite of the fact that I have not violated any law.”