Anti-Semitic Prelude to Farrakhan’s Saviours' Day Diatribe

In a prelude to Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitic keynote address at the United Center in Chicago  on February 26, the Nation of Islam held a plenary session titled “Business is Warfare: The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews” as part of its Saviours' Day weekend.

During the February 24 session, named after a set of NOI books alleging that Jewish exploitation of Blacks during the slave trade has caused deep and prolonged repercussions for African-Americans, several speakers promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in line with Farrakhan’s record. 

• Referring to Jews, Louis Farrakhan’s daughter Donna Farrakhan said, “They didn’t intend for us to have freedom, justice and equality. They built it on our backs, our blood, our sweat, and our tears.”

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  Leonard Jeffries

  Leonard Jeffries, former head of the black studies department at City College of New York, said Jewish owned banks lent money to slave traders. “The evil genius of the Jewish community was to put together their powers to make business their religion and make it part of their culture.”

• Dr. Ridgely Muhammad, Minister of Agriculture for the Nation of Islam, said, “The so called Jews were the ones supporting the KKK and financing them. They formed the KKK.”

Over the past three years, the Nation of Islam (NOI) has engaged in a wide-ranging campaign to demonize Jews. Not only have the speeches delivered by Louis Farrakhan been among the most hateful of his 30-year career as head of the NOI, but the organization's media arm has also reinforced these messages through a range of propaganda.