FARRAKHAN GOES TO THE MOUNTAIN
With today's massive turnout, Louis Farrakhan seems to have stolen the spotlight
from the leaders of two rival religions with much larger black followings:
Protestantism and mainstream Islam. Although a number of Protestant congregations
supported the March, religion writer Richard Ostling says that no mainstream
Islamic group will go to Washington. The reason: "Farrakhan's Nation of Islam has
always been spurned by mainstream Islam due to its racism and its heretical
doctrine of God. Islam, like Christianity, has always been committed to a
multiracial view of humanity, where anyone could be a member, while the Nation
has always had a racialist creed." In addition, Ostling notes, Farrakhan's group
contradicts Islam's basic confession of faith: 'There is no god but God and
Muhammad is his prophet.' "Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad says that God
was made incarnate in the person of W. D. Fard, a mysterious spiritual teacher
who appeared in the 1930's in Detroit -- which is straight heresy -- and that the
final prophet is not Mohammed of Mecca but Elijah Muhammad of Chicago." Because
of this rift, Ostling says, "It's quite possible that Farrakhan could build a
future socio-political unity front with black Protestant clergy far earlier than
he could unite with African Americans who have adopted orthodox Islam."
Million Man March
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
