In farewell, Farrakhan condemns Bush, war
DETROIT – Denouncing President Bush for the war in Iraq and calling on Muslims and Christians to stop killing one another, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan led thousands of followers on a spirited tour of his views of God and the world Sunday in an address described by aides as his last major appearance.
Farrakhan, 73, who has been battling prostate cancer for nearly a decade, spoke sharp words in a strong voice about international conflict and personal responsibility. He gave no hint that he was ailing.
To young people who would join the military and fight in Iraq, he urged them to stay away: “This is going down, and if you’re going, you go down with it. God is angry.”
To Democrats unwilling to impeach Bush, he suggested censure: “Stop pussyfooting around.”
To people of faith at one another’s throats, he called for unity: “How come we, the people of God, cannot embrace each other?”
Farrakhan, who has delivered a message of black pride for decades, did not repeat previous remarks about “white devils” or Jews, whom he has called “bloodsuckers” who prey on the African-American community.
He denied he is anti-white, anti-gay, anti-Semitic or anti-American. He said those labels were produced by critics “in hopes that somebody would rise up to kill me.”
Detroit is where the Nation of Islam got its start in 1930. Members of a crowd that flowed to the Detroit Lions’ indoor stadium on an icy afternoon to celebrate the group’s Saviours’ Day said they came in expectation that this would be Farrakhan’s final big speech. Facing serious abdominal surgery, he recently handed control of the group to an executive committee.
“Don’t fall asleep on me,” Farrakhan said in his speech, which lasted nearly two hours. “Don’t run out on me. I want you to think. Think!”
The world, he said, is in terrible shape “and it’s getting worse by the day.”
Farrakhan criticized Muslims in Iraq for the murderous sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites. He blamed the Bush administration for igniting the bloodshed but said it was time for followers of the prophet Muhammad to live as he had and for Christians to live more like Jesus.
Farrakhan returned repeatedly to Bush, demanding to know why the president should not be impeached. He called him “warlike” and said the decision to invade Iraq was dreadful.