Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923

Jews Express Outrage at Farrakhan Calling Judaism ‘gutter Religion’, Israel Described As ‘outlaw’ St

June 27, 1984
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
Advertisement

Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan’s latest attack on Judaism as a “gutter religion” and Israel as an “outlaw” nation was greeted today with outrage from the Jewish community and ########

ISRAEL CALLED ‘OUTLAW ACT’

In a speech last Sunday broadcast in Chicago, Fondakhan said “the presence of a state called Israel is an outlaw act” and charged that if “you aid and abet someone in a criminal conspiracy, you are part of the criminal conspiracy. 50 America, England and the nation are criminals in the sight of Almighty God.”

In the speech, delivered from the headquarters of the Nation of Islam, Forrokhan also said that Israel “will never have any peace because there can be no peace structured on injustice, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your gotten religion.” The speech followed a recent visit by Forrakhan to Libya where he met with Col. M##### Ouadafi.

The Muslim leader called the formation of Israel “cold, noked scheming and ploting and planning against the lives of a people there in Palestine.” He also said that Zionist leaders had made a deal with Hitler not to boycott German products before World War II after he allowed 65,000 German Jews to emigrate and $100 million in Jewish assets to be transferred to Palestine. He said the “deal” was outlined in the recently released book “The Transfer Agreement.” by Edwin Black, who Farrakhan described” as one of their own.”

SCHINDLER DECRIES SILENCE

Describing Farrakhan’s rhetoric as “poisonous hatred” and “foul mouthed slander,” Rabbi Alexander Schindler, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), assailed the “silence of the religious forces and political leadership in our society that should be publicly denouncing” Farrakhan.

“Where are the voices of conscience among the American people? Where is the National Council of Churches ? Where is the National Conference of Catholic Bishops? Where is the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference?” Schindler declared. “Are Jews to be left to protest alone in the face of Farrakhan’s ugly and contemptible anti-Semitism.”

Nathan Perlmutter, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, condemned Farrakhan’s comments attacking Judaism and Israel as the “mouthings of a demagogue.” He said that “the continued reluctance of Jesse Jackson to repudiate his political ally appears to have emboldened Farrakhan into spewing his poison wantonly and without restraint.”

Howard Friedman, president of the American Jewish Committee, described Farrakhan’s remarks as “deppicable and un-American. It calls for the strongest denonciation of social, ethnic and religious groups.” Friedman called on Jackson to “disassociate himself completely from” the Black Muslim leader.

ACTION BY MONDALE URGED

Henry Siegmon, national director of the American Jewish Congress, challenged former Vice President Wolter Mondale, who is expected to be the Democratic Presidential condidate, to “screw up enough courage” to make a public break with Jackson unless Jackson “clearly and unequivocally” repudiates the political support of Farrakhan. Siegman declared that the “test of integrity” for a political condidate is whether he is prepared to “pay the price of this convictions in a concrete and specific situation.”

Farrakhan was today compared to Nazi propoganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and the imperial wizzard of the Ku Klux Klan by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The Center said that Jackson’s continued refusal to disassociate himself from Farrakhan “makes a mockery” of everything that Jackson claims to stand for and “calls into quetion whether he should be given a prominent role as a so-called ‘moral force’ at the upcoming democratic convention” in San Francisco next month.

Harris Gilbert, chairman of the Commission on Social Action of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, said Farrakhan’s recent outburst is “the latest in a long series of obscenities.” The executive committee of the Commission, meeting in Washington, said:

“We are deeply concerned that in the past, the media has portrayed such pathological bigotry and subsequent condemnation of it as part of a Black-Jewish confrontation. The repudiation of Farrakhan’s efforts to legitimize racism and anti-Semitism in American public life must come from all Americans, including leaders of religion (including Black Muslims) civil rights and political groups.”

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement