FARRAKHAN UPDATE: NATION OF ISLAM LEADER TO SPEAK THIS SUNDAY IN INDIANA (1493 hits)
INDIANAPOLIS--Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is scheduled to speak Sunday at the Indiana Convention Center in what’s been dubbed a Family Unity Event.
The 80-year-old Farrakhan, who has led the Nation of Islam since the late 1970s and who in 1995 organized the Million Man March on Washington, will speak at a free event scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Farrakhan noted the visit on his Twitter account earlier this week when he said: “Indianapolis: Allah willing, I will be speaking there this Sunday.”
Minister Nuri Muhammad, leader of the Muhammad Mosque 74 on East 38th Street, said his mosque is hosting the visit, which is in recognition of work it is doing to reduce crime and help the Indianapolis community. He said he expects Farrakhan to speak on local issues, such as the city’s struggles with violent crime. “He will touch on the root causes of these kinds of violence, such as home invasions, and the lay of the land,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad said he’s hopeful as many as 5,000 people might turn out.
Farrakhan has faced a range of controversies over the years, from the split that occurred in the black Muslim movement following the death of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad to comments he made that some Jewish groups have deemed anti-Semitic. A spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council declined to comment on the visit.
Michael Saahir, an imam with the Nur-Allah Islamic Center, is part of the Muslim movement that parted ways with Farrakhan. Saahir has been active in interfaith efforts in Indianapolis, including with Jews and Christians.
Saahir said he is aware of Farrakhan’s past controversies, and said few people should be judged by things they said 30 years ago. Farrakhan’s message to the black community today, Saahir said, is about the importance of family and personal responsibility, things he sees as vitally important.
