Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Nation of Islam hate crime panel member speaks out

Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, minister of protocol for the Nation of Islam, spoke publicly for the first time regarding the controversy surrounding her membership on the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

Governor Rod Blagojevich, unaware of her leadership role in Louis Farrakhan's group, appointed Muhammad to the panel last summer. Four Jewish members have left the commission to protest her being on it. Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat, won't fire her. He's up for relection this year, and he's probably afraid that the black vote won't turn out for him in heavy numbers if he removes her from the hate crimes commission.

This morning, Muhammad was interviewed on friendly territory, WVON-AM, a talk-radio outlet with a heavy African-American audience, CBS 2 Chicago reported.

Here are some quotes from Muhammad.

"For those who try to condemn me because of the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan's remarks ... which were perceived by some as anti-Semitic, it's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."

And she portrayed herself as the victim:

Please know I am not the victimizer here, OK, but instead I am the victim.

And she won't repudiate Farrakhan or his comments:

He is my minister of whom I love and respect, and he will remain my minister until Allah decides differently.

The Anti-Defamation League has a Louis Farrakhan page on its website focusing on some of the hateful things the minister has said. The comments below come from his Saviours' Day speech nine days ago:

These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength--It's the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting Lesbianism, homosexuality. It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!

I perceive those comments as anti-semitic.

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