Libya To Give Farrakhan Forbidden $250,000 Prize Award To Set Up Confrontation With U.S. Embargo

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan attended the opening ceremonies of a Libyan human rights conference Thursday, where he is to receive a $250,000 prize forbidden under U.S. government sanctions.

The official Libyan news agency JANA said Farrakhan was in Tripoli to accept the Gadhafi Human Rights Award, named for the Libyan leader whom the United States considers a sponsor of terrorism.

Farrakhan is expected to receive the prize money Friday night in a celebration broadcast live on Libyan Television.

In a news conference with Libyan reporters Thursday, Farrakhan described Gadhafi as “one who would not only use the wealth of Libya to improve the lot of Libya’s people but also to improve the quality of life throughout the world.”

Decade-old U.S. economic sanctions against Libya forbid Farrakhan from accepting the prize money and a separate $1 billion gift promised by Moammar Gadhafi. The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday rejected Farrakhan’s request for an exemption, saying it would undermine U.S. anti-terrorism policies.

Nation of Islam issued a statement Thursday pledging to fight the Treasury Department ruling in court.

“It is an action taken in callous disregard of the needs and hopes of black people, at a time when their needs are dire and their hopes under assault,” it said.

Washington wants Gadhafi to hand over two Libyan suspects suspected in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, which killed more than 270 people.

Farrakhan criticized U.N. sanctions imposed in the Pan Am 103 case, which ban air travel to and from the country and limit sales of some oil equipment. He said Libya would benefit from the sanctions.

“Fire only purifies gold, and the fire of this trial is making (Libya) stronger today than it was yesterday,” Farrakhan said.

Farrakhan could face a prison sentence and fines if convicted of violating the sanctions, or conspiring to do so. The law requires banks under U.S. jurisdiction to freeze transactions relating to Libya that are routed through the United States.

Gadhafi pledged to give Farrakhan $1 billion earlier this year when the two men met in Libya to discuss ways to increase the political power of minorities in the United States.