From The Final Call Newspaper

A Fearless Defender, Scholar, Believer
By Brian E. Muhammad, Staff Writer
- September 6, 2022





The Nation of Islam and the world of freedom loving people continue to honor the life and legacy of Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad, National Spokesperson of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and one of the strongest and most powerful voices for Islam, Black people and humanity.

Although Sister Ava’s passing was major and painful, reflections on her many contributions to Black excellence continue to be shared.

Nation of Islam Student Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan, son of Min. Farrakhan, remembered Sister Ava as someone who gave it all and used her God-given talents to advance the cause of Islam and Black progress.

“I want to thank Almighty God Allah for Sister Ava and her mother who produced her, because this was a very highly skilled and trained sister in the art of law, and I see her as a watchman on the wall for our people for freedom, justice and equality,” said Bro. Mustapha.

He said her strength as a strong defender of truth and the plight of Black people came from her profound love. She used the skills she acquired as a former prosecuting attorney in Queens, New York. She brought the same proficiency against our open enemy, said Bro. Mustapha.

“When you look at her stellar defense of the Minister, she’s fearless,” he said. “People think that that stems out of other attributes but really it comes out of love” he added.

He likened the depth of Sister Ava’s love to a mother who would run into a burning building to get her child, not taking account of what the fire would do to her. “Perfect love casts out fear,” said Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan. “She loved Allah, His Christ and my father … she is fearless because of the deep love that she has,” he added. “She used all of her God-given talent to fight on behalf of the God that came to save us.”

Student Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad departed this life on August 25, 2022. A wife, mother, grandmother, and servant of God, she was 71 years old.

Minister Ava was a staunch defender of Minister Farrakhan and the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. As an attorney by profession, after joining the Nation of Islam, she was instrumental in representing the Nation and giving valued advice and guidance on legal issues to Minister Farrakhan and NOI officials.

Student Min. Ava Muhammad

A life of service and progress

Minister Ava Muhammad was the first Muslim woman in modern history to occupy a position of authority over a mosque anywhere in the world. She served as the Nation of Islam’s Southern Regional Minister, as well as the Minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta from 1998 until 2000. Later, she was appointed as Minister Farrakhan’s National Spokesperson.

Minister Farrakhan’s appointing Minister Ava over a mosque was “inspired” and demonstrated the answer to a fundamental problem plaguing the world.

In her illuminating book, “A New Unit of Measurement,” Minister Ava once wrote: “The time has come when women must be represented through leadership roles in every aspect of life, especially religion,” she said. “I am often asked about the role of the woman in Islam. What about the role of the woman in Christianity, in Judaism, in government, business, finance, education, politics?”

She further wrote, “It is the absence of the female from the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and from shepherding the flock that has crippled this planet. Until the female is free to exercise her creative ability, the human family will remain in this condition.”

Of Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad’s many accomplishments in service to the Nation of Islam was her invaluable input in the development, compilation, and presentation of the “Muhammad Mosque Provisional Constitution” of the Nation of Islam that was ratified in March, 1986. She was also a proponent of separation as “a must,” for Blacks as taught by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. She brought thinkers together in townhall meetings and established the “Project Separation” initiative.

Perhaps her most celebrated contribution was transcribing Minister Farrakhan’s words, which became study guides and a cornerstone for the spiritual development of the Nation of Islam and the wider public titled, “Self-Improvement: The Basis For Community Development.”

Her body of work also includes authoring several self-empowerment books designed to help people to access and develop the divine within under titles like: “Real Love,” “A New Way of Life,” “Naturally Beautiful,” “The Force and Power of Being” and “Weapons of Self-Destruction.” Along with her books, Minister Ava conducted the “Master Class” course infusing her years of study and application of the restorative teachings of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan.

She was a national speaker in high demand for conferences and represented the message of Minister Farrakhan in print and broadcast media. Minister Ava graced the microphones of many talk shows, including her own popular program, “Ask Dr. Ava” on her Elevated Places Network on Blogtalk Radio. She also hosted a talk show, “Elevated Places,” that ran several years on Black-owned WVON 1690AM, in Chicago.

She was featured several times in Essence Magazine, providing guidance and counsel on such topics as “The Love You Deserve” and the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States. In 2000 she was recognized by Essence as one of the 30 most influential Black women in America in its 30th Anniversary edition.

Beyond America, accompanied by her husband, Darius Muhammad, she traveled the globe to Africa, and captivated and inspired audiences in London, Paris, and the Caribbean. In 1991, she and Brother Darius made their pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

A star of piercing brightness

Minister Ava personified the oft-recited prayer of Muslims: “My prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” This year, 2022 marked over 40 years of her faithful service in the Nation of Islam and aiding Minister Farrakhan.

“She was my sister, a friend and a real colleague in this work who inspired me and countless others to become sharper, better, stronger in our defense,” said Student Minister Jamil Muhammad.

“Her Islam is not halted by the period at the end of her physical life,” he said. “Her Islam continues because she connected to something that was eternal and connected in such a way as to advance the cause with great honor,” he added. “Her contribution is enduring, and it will last.”

Condolences poured in from various people who remembered her as a person and a stalwart for truth and justice.

“If righteousness was personified it would be Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad. She was as beautiful, as she was powerful, as she was committed to the community,” said Nayaba Arinde, editor of The New York Amsterdam News, in an emailed statement. Ms. Arinde described Minister Ava as possessing the “power of empathetic communication” with the ability to “analyze and assess our condition” then articulate the solution with enough “convincing energy” to encourage action.

“She was a soldier,” said Pam Africa, of the Philadelphia-based MOVE Organization.

“She was warm, caring, loving, and dealing with the issue of myself, my family and Mumia (Abu Jamal). She was always right there … a phone call away,” said Ms. Africa.

She said Minister Ava’s attentiveness will be missed, but the example she set “is in many sisters,” and “her job on this level was a job well done.”

Similar sentiments were expressed in condolences to Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam by Viola Plummer on behalf of the New York-based December 12th Movement: “Her love, dedication and tireless work for our people is a shining example,” she said.

Renowned poet and writer Nikki Giovanni, a first cousin of Minister Ava expressed condolences. Susan Taylor, founder, and CEO of the “National Cares Mentoring Movement” and editor emerita of Essence Magazine also expressed her “heart-felt condolences” on the passing of Sister Ava.

“On behalf of my daughter, Amina and the Women in Support of the Million Man March, we mourn the passing of Sister Ava Muhammad,” said Fredricka Bey of WISOMMM. “She was just pure woman … brilliant,” she said.

“It’s critically important that we immortalize her ideas and make sure that they live another 1,000 years after her death,” said Dr. Boyce Watkins, author, and financial scholar.

There is no reason Dr. Ava Muhammad should not be in all the history books for our children everywhere, but we must be the ones to create those books and materials that would assure her legacy survives the way that it should, said Mr. Watkins.

“We join the many around the country mourning the loss of our great sister,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “Her work and tenacious spirit for freedom, justice and equality will forever be within us.”

Advocate for women and the oppressed

As spokesperson for Minister Farrakhan, she gained the respect and endearment of people as one of his most proficient defenders and profound representatives. From human rights to advocating for Black women, Sister Ava is lauded as a giant in the liberation of the soul of Black and oppressed people.

“Sister Ava is revered, admired and has been an inspiration for women and men all over the world,” noted East Coast Student Regional MGT and GCC Captain Johnna Muhammad in an email statement. The MGT and GCC (Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Class) are the women and girls of the Nation of Islam.

“She was on the front line for Black and oppressed people, and fearless in her defense of women’s rights,” said Johnna Muhammad. “Sister Ava represented every woman as a wife, a mother, gifted spiritual teacher, author, editor, radio personality, attorney, and a sister friend,” said Johnna Muhammad, who admired Minister Ava since a young girl in the early rebuilding years of the Nation of Islam in the 1980s

“In my judgment she was the epitome of what is popularly referred to as strong Black womanhood,” journalist Doshon Farad told The Final Call.

Black women, regardless of their religious background have shared via social media how Minister Ava impacted them. Others bore witness to the potency of Minister Ava’s mind and sharp intellect, yet her quality of humility.

“She was such a charming, gracious spirit as accomplished as she was,” said Bob Law, veteran broadcaster, and radio personality. “She made you feel that she appreciated you, gave you a sense of value,” he said.

An important quality about her teaching was how insightful she was and her level of discernment, which was of immense value to anyone who would be, in a real sense, students of hers, explained Mr. Law.

“It made all the difference in the world in fact, that she was a woman,” said Mark Thompson, host of “Make it Plain” radio show and podcast. “Kwame Nkrumah once said, we can judge the revolutionary awareness of any nation by the political maturity of that nation’s women, not by the political maturity of that nation’s men. And that is because women are the first life givers, the first teachers,” he added. Sister Ava set such an example for our struggle.

The early years and finding purpose

Born Ava Atkinson on November 9, in Columbus, Ohio, she grew up in 1950s and ‘60s in America at a time of segregation, when Black economics was alive and Black culture and community thrived. Her parents, William and Gladys Atkinson, both educators, assured that Ava and her sisters, Carole and Lori, were conscious of the emerging civil rights struggle in the country. They instilled a love of history and literature in their daughters. She went to East High School—a premier institution—where she graduated with honors. People remembered young Ava as a highly gifted and popular student who stood out among her classmates.

“Sister Ava stood out, like a neon sign because, first of all, you never seen her without books … a stack of books,” recalled Callie Muhammad, who attended East High School at the same time.

 


In high school Sister Ava was immensely popular and grew up in an upper-middle class neighborhood in a close-knit family. Her parents were prominent community people in Black Columbus.

When asked if she observed signs in Minister Ava’s early life of who she would become, Callie Muhammad said: “She was so smart, that you knew that she was going to be great,” she reflected.

Minister Ava’s star continued rising, graduating early with honors from Central State University, earning a degree in history in 1972. She went on to graduate from Georgetown University Law School in 1975 and was admitted to the New York Bar and eventually became an assistant district attorney in Queens. By 1980, Minister Ava joined forces with other young Black attorneys and started a successful criminal defense practice.


Finding Allah (God) and her purpose

Trial entered her life that would become her “triumph over tragedy” testament that propelled Minister Ava on a course to her ultimate destiny. Both she and her mother were diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. They both underwent chemotherapy for nearly two years. Having lost her father to lung cancer, Sister Ava found herself searching for spiritual answers to these life circumstances.

Her longtime friend, and law partner, Barbara Muhammad remembered how she managed, overcame, and was subsequently cured of the cancer. Witnessing Minister Ava’s experience inspired her own triumphant battle with breast cancer years later.

“She’s like a blood family member,” said Sister Barbara Muhammad. “When she had breast cancer, she came to live with me,” she said.

“I told her, you were my example. Allah (God) put you to live with us, so I can see how to handle breast cancer when I got it,” Sister Barbara recalled. Sister Ava was “a perfect example” and did not let cancer stop her from doing the things she had to do.

After attending a lecture by Minister Farrakhan called “Truth Crushed to the Earth Must Rise Again,” in late 1981, Sister Ava and her law partners Barbara Emanuel and Larry Pershay joined the Nation of Islam together at Muhammad Mosque No. 7 in New York.

“That was it,” said Sister Ava, recounting the experience on a radio show. “I knew I have found the answer, because he (Minister Farrakhan) said to me, among the several thousand people that he was talking to … Allah empowers you to heal yourself,” she said. The encounter changed her perspective on God, healing, wellness and diet, which she attributed to her victory over cancer.

New York City to Chicago

“The mention of her name brings a smile to my face and it brings absolute peace to my heart knowing of the work she has done to help my brother, our brother, our friend, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” said Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad, East Coast Regional Minister Emeritus of the Nation of Islam.

Ava and her sisters

Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad—in Nation of Islam vernacular—“fished” Sister Ava into the Nation of Islam and she credited him with nurturing her. He spoke about the day they met.

“We first encountered one another as I had walked from the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building in New York City, with Brother Haqq Muhammad,” he said. “I saw this woman with a legal pad in her hand. I asked her, ‘pardon me ma’am, are you a lawyer?’ She said, ‘yes, I am,’” he recalled.

They told her they were followers of the Nation of Islam under Minister Farrakhan, and that they needed a lawyer for the State Office Building, which was trying to put the Muslims out. “We had outgrown the space and they wanted us to move,” he said.

Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad said that Sister Ava, Sister Barbara and Brother Larry were the legal team. “Let’s just say, we remained at the State Office Building. All three eventually joined the Nation of Islam.”

Seeing her many skills Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad stated, “I put her to work immediately, and she was a great help in this mission.”

Minister Ava’s example in New York left impressions and life changing impacts on people.

Sister Sharima Johnson met Minister Ava as a 15 year old in 1981 at Mosque No. 7. For her, Minister Ava was the example of Muslim womanhood she needed as a teenager. “I saw myself in Minister Ava because she was still feminine. She’s beautiful. But she doesn’t take anybody’s mess,” said Sister Sharima, who also entered the ministry class as a teen, at a time when it was uncommon for sisters.

Sister Ava was well studied, a quality Sister Sharima Johnson admired. “I admired that because I don’t believe that we should be believers forever. We should become knowers and she was an embodiment of becoming a knower,” she added.

“Although she knew a lot, she was always studying. Whether it was the Qur’an … Bible or chemistry books for fun … just very studious.”

In 1983, Minister Farrakhan relocated Sister Ava to be at the Nation of Islam headquarters in Chicago.

“Minister Farrakhan had confidence in her analytical mind to deal with problems, not only problems we faced internally in the Nation but in the community,” said Abdul Akbar Muhammad, International Representative of the Nation of Islam.

When she came to Chicago, the laboring staff were impressed by her dedication and whatever Minister Farrakhan talked about, she would pick up on it, write it down and analyze it, he explained. The Minister brought Sister Ava to Chicago in his efforts to harness the best minds and bring to headquarters the kind of help he needed to rebuild the Nation of Islam.

Akbar Muhammad also gave credit to Sister Ava’s husband, Brother Darius Muhammad for sacrificing and being her protection, which allowed the family to be together despite tremendous external demands and busy public schedule. Sister Ava and Brother Darius were married 33 years and have two daughters, Sasha, and Cherelle, and two grandchildren, Amir, and Amirah.

From The Final Call Newspaper

Preparing for troubling times and applying the guidance of God’s servants

By Brian E. Muhammad, Staff Writer

- August 30, 2022

A house sits in Rock Creek after floodwaters washed away a road and a bridge in Red Lodge, Mont., June 15. Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman, File

“Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, sayest the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.” Jeremiah 50:31

America is convulsing with weather extremes. In Western states mega-drought conditions and mega-fires destroyed thousands of acres of land, homes and upended lives. Where the drought subsided, rains increased. But the welcomed relief masqueraded petrifying floods converting streets into rivers, producing destruction and death.

Dallas-Fort Worth was slammed with what meteorologists described as a “one-in-a-thousand-years” event after more than 10 inches of rain dropped on the area in less than 24 hours on August 22. Some locations were inundated with up to 15 inches of rain. By presstime a 60-year-old woman succumbed when her vehicle was swept up in deep moving waters, reported media outlets. Emergency crews responded to hundreds of high-water related calls, including rescues and flooded cars and homes. Climatologists called the pattern “unusual” and record breaking, but not unique.

“It’s very unusual, but I wouldn’t actually call it unprecedented,” John Nielson-Gammon, a Texas A&M climatology professor told The Final Call.

He said the drought was “unusually rapid” but by comparison, 2011 was just as hot and drier. While this was the biggest rain event ever to hit Dallas, we’ve seen bigger rainfall totals elsewhere, he explained. Days earlier, rains broke a 51-day dry spell in the capital city of Austin, where the land was so dry, it was cracking.

“We went 51 days without rain. That’s amazing when you say that water is 75 percent of the body … but it’s more than that percentage when it comes to everything that we do here, jobs and so on,” said Christina Muhammad, a first responder and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member with the 10,000 Fearless First Responders. She is based in Texas.

Nationally, weather, water and climate events cause on average 650 deaths, and $15 billion in damage per year and accounts for 90 percent of all presidentially declared disasters, says the National Weather Service. About one-third of the U.S. economy—some $3 trillion—is vulnerable to weather and climate. America is being battered and forecasters warn the worst is yet to come.

Stalled cars sit abandoned on the flooded Interstate 635 Service Road on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, in Mesquite, Texas. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning early Monday morning which was extended until 1 p.m. (Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Water drying up

Mitigating these weather events means being prepared for things that used to be considered less likely to happen but are becoming more common. As America is being curtailed from coast to coast, federal and state governments are not entirely equipped to answer nature’s fury.

Hay farmer Milan Adams releases a handful of dry soil in a recently plowed field, in Exeter, R.I., Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Adams said the soil in the field is powder a foot down. Adams added that farmers are fighting more than the drought, inflation is driving up the cost of everything, from diesel and equipment parts to fertilizer and pesticides. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Generally, states like Texas are good at doing the math with well-established ways of assessing risk, designing building codes, and avoiding floodplains, said Mr. Nielson-Gammon; assuming the climate doesn’t change.

“But with the climate changing, with respect to heavy rainfall for example, the numbers generally haven’t caught up to what the climate has already done, let alone what it will do in the future,” Mr. Nielson-Gammon explained.

For parched ridden lands, new rounds of rain aren’t expected to reverse the devastation left by severe drought, which still poses a formidable threat of catastrophic proportions if unmitigated. The hard-hit Colorado River Basin which several states and Mexico rely on for water needs is experiencing its worst drought in recorded history. Drought impacts water availability and agricultural production and increases wildfire risk.

The basin is critical to $1.4 trillion in annual revenue from agriculture and other commerce.

Original Indigenous tribes depend on the basin as an economic and cultural resource as do 40 million others spanning Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and neighboring Mexico.

“Every sector in every state has a responsibility to ensure that water is used with maximum efficiency,” said Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for Water and Science at the Department of Interior.

“In order to avoid a catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River System and a future of uncertainty and conflict, water use in the basin must be reduced,” she said August 16, in a statement.

Contentious water negotiations addressing the crisis broke down between affected states ending with the federal government imposing conservation measures for water use on all but California. In June, the Interior Department gave the states 60 days to draw up a new and reduced water allocation plan. The area has suffered the pangs of a 23-year drought as dry as any in the last 1,200 years, experts say.

Why are calamities in America?

While meteorologists, climatologists and environmental observers point the finger at climate change, there is prophesied and divine reason these weather disasters are impacting nations around the world and particularly the U.S.

It’s the unraveling of America as a great and powerful nation, but a wicked one, declared the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam and his foremost student, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. For nine respective decades, both men warned America about what the calamities plaguing her meant.

The scriptures state the shock of the hour is a grievous thing. It’s the consequence of ignoring right guidance after repeated warnings from prophets, messengers, and warners about impending doom for ignoring calls to repentance for a history of exploitation, oppression and slavery of Black and Indigenous Native Americans.

FILE – A house sits in Rock Creek after floodwaters washed away a road and a bridge in Red Lodge, Mont., on June 15, 2022. As cleanup from historic floods at Yellowstone National Park grinds on, climate experts and meteorologists say the gap between the destruction in the area and what was forecast underscores a troublesome trend tied to climate change: Modeling programs used to predict storms aren’t keeping up with increasingly extreme weather. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

In his illuminous book, “The Fall of America,” the Hon. Elijah Muhammad wrote, it is the presence of God to answer the cry of justice, make Himself known, and “conquer our captors” by using “weapons against which they have no power, the forces of nature.”

“He (Allah) will bring attacks of divine judgement of their world without the use of contrived weapons. The weapons of war used by God in the past history of the destruction of the enemies of God—such as Noah’s people, Lot’s people, and Moses’ people—are an example of what he will use today,” wrote the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

“The weapons are the forces of nature against which we have no defense. America is under such divine attack now, in storms as rain, hail and earthquakes— (the latter is yet to take place). A terrific drought is on its way, too against America,” he wrote.

He said this is the divine judgment to bring vicious America to her knees. America’s fall has been in motion for a while. The ferocity of fires, floods, and drought demonstrates an acceleration of the fall that cannot be overlooked.

The prophesied plagues in America for her iniquity, arrogance and recalcitrance are now being witnessed in real time. Minister Farrakhan has repeatedly warned, “watch the weather” as confirmation America is in the throes of God’s wrath. He has also stressed, like his teacher, the importance of preparing spiritually, mentally and physically for what is to come.

Preparation and heeding guidance

Along with warning by Allah’s (God’s) servants is also guidance on surviving and preparing for these troubling times.

Shelves that held Chef Boyardee products are partially empty at a grocery in Pittsburgh, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown in recent weeks as new problems — like the fast-spreading omicron variant and severe weather — have piled on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages that have plagued retailers since the coronavirus pandemic began. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad warned us about this decades ago,” said Nation of Islam Student Minister Daniel Muhammad, during an August 21 webcast from Mosque Maryam in Chicago. “Every last one of us should have at least 90 days of nonperishable foods stored up in our houses,” he said, discussing the calamities.

The Nation of Islam student minister exhorted those in the audience and viewing the program via internet to prepare foods for canning and storage during this time of disaster and famine, which was also prophesied to occur.

“Be wise about where you secure them because in the event of a natural disaster, we still want to have these options … when times get rough,” said Daniel Muhammad. “Elijah Muhammad said during that time, things will get so rough that people will barely be able to walk the streets,” he added.

He added that if people don’t prepare and sit on the guidance that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan have given, “we will find ourselves in the shuffle and the scuffle with everybody else,” fighting over sparce grocery shelves.

Beyond the “survival kits” and storage of food is also the mental and emotional dynamic to get through the times.

“Just being righteous as believers … we’re going to feel it. We’re feeling everything that this world is feeling,” added Christina Muhammad. “We’re steps ahead because of what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has taught us … to be prepared,” she added.

Peter Miller, an owner of Miller Farm, in Vernon, Vt., looks over some of the cows to see if they are in distress as they escape the heat in a wind tunnel on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. Using several large-scale fans, the Miller Farm was able to turn an old farm into a wind tunnel with wind speeds around 6 to 10 mph to help keep the cows cool. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

As a regular presenter on survival, disaster preparedness and as a first-responder, Christina Muhammad explained the importance of acquiring land and taking control of your own food chain, despite the conditions befalling America.

“If we have land, it is the time right now, to put food in the ground,” she said. “That’s how the believers will be able to move forward. If we keep the faith … in Almighty God Allah,” who controls the conditions, she said.

Persistent drought is hammering commercial farmers and ranchers in Western, Central and Southern Plains states, with far-reaching implications, not only against their profits, but food availability and affordability for everyday folks. A June survey of the Texas Farm Bureau said in 15 states, including Texas, commercial farmers expect crop yields to drop 68 percent from usual production, and ranchers expect herd sizes to be 50 percent less.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, an advocacy group said the impact is bad across the board. “The effects of this drought will be felt for years to come, not just by farmers and ranchers but also by consumers,” federation president Zippy Duvall said in a statement.

Farmers had to make hard decisions to sell off livestock they spent years raising or destroying orchard trees they grew for decades, he said.

Carl Muhammad, a soil conservation technician in South Carolina, sees the impact on farmers firsthand. Drought is wreaking havoc, he said, citing losses in corn and cotton crops—both are top 10 revenue earners for the state.

“Farmers without irrigation, most of them corn croppers, are almost burned up for lack of rain,” said Carl Muhammad. The critical time corn needs rain is when it is growing out ears, he said.

Brooke Conley looks for personal items to salvage at her flooded wellness studio in the Fair Park section of Dallas, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. Residents are cleaning up the day after heavy rains across the drought-stricken Dallas-Fort Worth area caused flash flooding. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

“If it doesn’t get rain—at least two or three inches of rain … every day—the ears can’t come in, and basically the corn crop is destroyed,” he said.

Carl Muhammad said cotton doesn’t fare better. Cotton farmers are also at a loss with the drought and experience a double dose of destruction when the rain does come.

“If it waits too long, and it rains too hard, then the cotton fruits fall off … those are the cotton balls,” he said, adding, “farmers are still at a loss.”

Carl Muhammad estimates 60 to 70 percent of crops are lost due to drought among those without irrigation, and only those with irrigated crops are doing okay, but measurably. “Irrigation can only go so far,” he observed. In some cases, irrigation may only reach 80 to 90 acres with the remaining 10 acres drought burned on the same land—spelling trouble either way. The unirrigated sections are in the same condition as farms without any irrigation.

As state and federal government try to manage water shortages produced by drought with water restrictions like in the Colorado Basin, rationing “magnifies” the problem for farmers. “In that case, those who have irrigation, but can’t access the water are basically in the same position as ones who don’t have irrigation,” said Carl Muhammad.

What he is witnessing on South Carolina farmlands is “just horrifying” for farmers, he told The Final Call.

While environmental experts describe the weather events as effects of “climate change,” Carl Muhammad, who is also the local student minister for the Nation of Islam in Columbia, S.C., also sees what is happening as divine chastisement on America.

“America will continue to suffer as long as she continues to mistreat the Black man and woman and not heed the warnings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Louis Farrakhan,” he said.

From The Final Call Newspaper

Passing the torch and preparing future generations for leadership

By Michael Z. Muhammad, Contributing Writer
- August 23, 2022

People protesting at a rally for racial equality. Black Lives Matter.


“You, our young people, are the strongest, most powerful generation that we have ever produced since our fathers were brought to these shores as slaves. You are greatly misunderstood, not only by your elders but oftentimes by your parents. We produced this generation and we cannot deny what we have produced. They are different from us. They are not hope, they are fulfillment.

But when the thing that is hoped for comes along, sometimes we are not prepared for what we hoped for.”

—Minister Louis Farrakhan

“Our Youth: The Most Powerful Generation We’ve Produced Since Slavery” July 17, 1993

›

Most people in the Black community may have never heard of Black August if you mention it to them. The same could be said about anything of significance to Black liberation, and it is designed to be that way.

George Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, and Fred Hampton are just a few of the many faces that come to mind when thinking about Black August, a month that commemorates the countless Black freedom fighters who died at the hands of police brutality and racism. However, the month is also a time to reflect on the progress the fight for Black liberation and continuing that legacy of uncompromising strength, faith and leadership for freedom, justice and equality.

George Jackson, Jonathan Jackson, and Fred Hampton were all young, Black freedom fighters who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom. Fred Hampton was an activist as a child, before rising to prominence as deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of The Black Panther Party prior to his violent death at age 21 at the hands of Chicago Police in 1969.

 

Minister Farrakhan met with the executive organizing committee for the Afrikan Black Coalition’s 2012 conference following his message.Photo: Fikreselam Habebo

Ruchell Magee on August 7, 1970 was the “jailhouse lawyer” in the Marin County California courtroom, testifying for another inmate, when 17-year-old Jonathan Jackson brandished a shotgun and kidnapped the judge, two prosecutors, and three jurors as hostages in a “jailbreak plan” to free his jailed brother, George Jackson, he felt was being held unjustly. Their fearlessness and sacrifice have resonated with activists and are reflected upon and studied during Black August.

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Black August and its spirit is being infused in a new generation of Black youth who are picking up the mantel. Through events such as workshops, concerts, and community service projects, they are continuing the tradition of using this month as a tool for education and empowerment.

Pam Africa is a long-time political activist who is a member of the revolutionary group MOVE and founder of the Family and Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal. She told The Final Call it is a must that the mantel of leadership be passed to the youth. “Consistency, you know, we must stay consistent,” she said.

 

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam greets a young Chicago resident.

Valencia Gunder’s organization, The Black Collective, has been vital in keeping Black August alive. She told The Final Call that their key focus is the cultivation of youth. “We have different opportunities for them to learn in. So, folks who come volunteer with us we do fellowships that is like an eight-week program to teach the youth exactly what it is that we do, and also teach them to be aligned with our politics and we do political education and services and things like that. That’s called Revolutionary Organizing School. The Black Collective is committed to educating and empowering the next generation of Black leaders,” said Ms. Gunder.

“To address the needs of our younger youth, we partner with Power Youth. This local organization provides educational opportunities for grade school students that address advocacy and leadership skills as well as organizational knowledge to help them be effective members in their communities,” she added.

As the pandemic broke in 2020, The Black Collective partnered with several organizations to sponsor a virtual Hip Hop Summit. The event featured some of today’s most promising musicians and gave them an opportunity for dialogue about issues affecting Black communities across America.

This month, Durham, North Carolina will host Black August weekend from August 26-28. Youth from all over the city are expected to attend.

Ms. Gunder’s emphasized the importance of teaching youth to bring joy in their struggle and she dreams that one day they can continue “to keep building.” This is why Ms. Gunder believes it’s so important we stay disciplined with our work, with rigor and focus because “we are fighting for our lives.”

Young people are often the driving force behind social change. From the civil rights movement to the fight to free political prisoners, young people must be at the forefront of progress. Today, there are a number of organizations that are focused on empowering youth and educating them about freedom, justice and equality.

Jomo Muhammad with the Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement is one such organization. In an interview with The Final Call, Jomo Muhammad spoke about the importance of youth empowerment and the work his organization is doing to support young people. He also mentioned other organizations like the Movement for Black Lives and Black Youth Project 100 who are also working to empower youth.

He spoke on the importance of Black August, the need to understand the collectivity that it represents. “I think the most important thing is to be practicing together and sharing the good news,” he said.

 

Min. Farrakhan with Kendrick Lamar

The Black August tradition began in 1979 to commemorate fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement. Today, it is also used as a time to call for the release of political prisoners in the United States, to condemn the oppressive conditions of U.S. prisons, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Liberation struggle. Observers of Black August commit to higher levels of discipline throughout the month. This can include fasting from food and drink, frequent physical exercise and political study, and engagement in political struggle. In short, the principles of Black August are: “study, fast, train, fight.”

Co-presidents of the 2019 Women’s March, Linda Sarsour, left, and Tamika Mallory, center, join other demonstrators on Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women’s March in Washington on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Jomo Muhammad stated that today’s youth need to be reminded of the struggles that came before them, and how those struggles can be used to inform and empower their own lives today. He urged all people to take part in Black August, not just to remember the past, but to build a better future.

Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad, a member of the Nation of Islam’s Executive Council, emphasized Minister Louis Farrakhan’s reach and influence among the youth. He credits the Minister for having a positive impact on their thinking.

Mysonne Linen, cofounder of Until Freedom, participates in the Good Trouble Tuesday march for Breonna Taylor, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

“It’s undeniable that the Minister has had a significant effect on the youth today, and his message continues to resonant with them,” he said. Dr. Wesley Muhammad, an author, researcher and scholar, points to the hip hop artists of the 90s. They quickly represented the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan as an example of this influence. The Minister today remains as influential among youth as he was then.

Pam Africa

Min. Farrakhan has called the current generation of young Black, Latino and Indigenous youth “fearless” and refers to them as “The Joshua Generation,” named for the biblical prophet sent by Moses to spy out the land that God promised and who eventually led the people of Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan. Our fearless Black youth are ready to move for liberation, Min. Farrakhan teaches. At 89 years of age, the Minister still resonates with, impacts and influences young people.

Zakiyyah Muhammad, 26, from Macon, Georgia, noted how many people describe the current generation of Black youth as the worst generation. “They think we don’t vote enough. They think we’re lazy. They think we don’t hold on to the ideas of the White man’s world. They think that we need to go along to get along. Just everything that is bad,” she said. She explained that Minister Farrakhan “sees a lot in our generation when a lot of people have written us off.”

To her, being a part of the Joshua Generation means taking the good from the previous generations, analyzing the not so good and fulfilling what previous generations fought and died for.

Understanding the role of Black and Indigenous youth in ushering in Allah’s (God’s) Kingdom, Min. Farrakhan for decades has spoken on college campuses and in 2015 featured young activists like Tamika Mallory and others at the Washington, D.C. gathering on October 10, 2015 for “Justice or Else,” the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Miracle Boyd, 18, speaks during press conference July 11.

“The biggest names in hip hop are still dropping his name to add street cred to their music, and young people are still drawn to his message. I know that Farrakhan now resonates with young people as he did 30 years ago. His message is timeless, and it’s remarkable,” stated Student Min. Wesley Muhammad.

He explained that Minister Farrakhan recently introduced publicly the members of the Executive Council, the Nation’s leadership body, as a way of assuring the community of the Nation’s stability. The Minister and 13-member Executive Council of the Nation of Islam appeared on the WVON 1690 AM Morning Show with host and longtime activist Eddie Read on May 16. The NOI Executive Council consists of Muslim men and women who are students and followers of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the guidance, leadership, and example of Min. Farrakhan. The Council is tasked with governing the affairs of the over 90-year-old Nation of Islam based on the teachings of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

Many members of the Executive Council came into the ranks of the NOI as teenagers and young adults. But today they are mature people who are “rooted in the law and Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. That’s why I chose them to be on his Council so that he (Elijah Muhammad) is on the Council,” said Min. Farrakhan.

Student Min. Wesley Muhammad said that the move was welcomed by many, as it provided a much-needed sense of security during these uncertain times.

“The Nation of Islam is currently in a period of transition from Mosque to Nation. It’s a sign of strength and foresight on the part of Minister Farrakhan. He realized that the Nation could not survive if it relied on one individual. So, he put measures in place to ensure continuity of leadership in the event of his departure,” he explained.

“The Executive Council he established consists of 13 members, each of whom has a unique role in leading the Nation through this dark period ‘like slices of bread from a divine loaf of bread.’ Together, they are stronger than any individual could ever be, and they will help ensure that the Nation thrives for many years to come. Thanks to Minister Farrakhan’s vision and leadership, the Nation of Islam is poised for a bright future,” said Student Min. Wesley Muhammad. Final Call staff contributed to this report.

Stay tuned for part two of: “The Joshua Generation: Cultivating and inspiring the next generation of fearless freedom fighters for our people and why it matters,” in a future edition of The Final Call.

From The Final Call Newspaper

Diversity of expression and thought taking center stage in hip hop
By Charlene Muhammad, National Correspondent
- August 16, 2022





Society is obsessed with the celebrity influence of hip hop, but the culture has been coopted by billion-dollar corporations and money-obsessed executives that promote filth and debauchery. But resistance is getting stronger with artists and activists who have refused to succumb to what the industry demands and are determined to maintain their integrity.

Artists like Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, Chuck D, Rapsody, KRS1, Kendrick Lamar and other celebrity influencers are going against popular culture in terms of their art and presenting an alternative view of rap/hip hop culture. That’s not just in music, but in other areas pertinent to Black life in America.

In this July 7, 2017, file photo, Kendrick Lamar performs during the Festival d’ete de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

“I think we have to make a distinction to understanding that the culture exists, whether or not it shows up in the mainstream, meaning that I can look at dozens of examples of people who are with the culture that are doing incredible things,” said Dave “Davey D” Cook, a California-based hip hop journalist.

A couple are Chicago hip hop artists Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, who announced plans for a 2023 West African music festival. Scheduled to take place on Jan. 6 in Accra, Ghana, the forthcoming Black Star Line Festival is set to go down in the historic Black Star Square, a monument to Ghanaians gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, according to allhiphop.com.

“When Vic and I started our careers and started touring, we did shows all over the U.S. Eventually, we started touring in Europe, we did shows in Asia, South America, Central America, but we never had a chance to play our music for the people who support us the most,” said Chance, reported allhiphop.com.

This Aug. 22, 2019 photo shows Rapsody posing for a portrait in New York to promote her latest album “Eve.” (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP)

“When we came here and touched down and felt the love that we received and the fans that we got to connect with, the understanding for the need for the connection became apparent to us. We need a music festival bringing major artists to Ghana. This is what we’re working to create,” the Grammy-winner continued, according to the online music and entertainment source.

Many hope the first hip hop union formed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chuck D of Public Enemy and rap legend Kurtis Blow, will elevate hip hop and liberate even more artists.

Chuck D and Kurtis Blow formed The Hip-Hop Alliance to promote fair wages, fair royalties and strong health and retirement benefits for artists in the hip hop and R&B community. The Hip Hop Alliance is one of the entities under the auspices of the United Coalition For Humanity, according to its creators. The free alliance by artists, for artists, is chaired by KRS-One. Vice-chairman is Doug E. Fresh.

Rapsody is representing not just lyrically through her representation as a Black woman rap artist but she also is using her platform to try and make a difference in communities.

Her second album, “Eve,” her sophomore album was a tribute to the power, struggles, resilience and beauty of Black women with each each song dedicated to a prominent Black woman. She also understands the importance of representation.

Goalden Chyld

“Just knowing the power that you have with your platform and your voice and for God to even put you in this position, it’s important to me to understand the power that comes with it, the influence, and that you’re impacting peoples’ lives,” she told The Final Call in a 2019 interview.

“It’s just not that I’m going to get up here and perform and just leave and do my video. There are other people on the other end,” said the Snow Hill, N.C. emcee.

“Even if you don’t see them, they see you. Some of them are very impressionable and they are young and they are not able to make sound decisions. So, I have to be cognizant of that and understand what I represent and how I was raised,” she said.

Hip-hop is a multi-billion-dollar industry. According to Afro Tech, back in 2006, ABC News did a special report and announced that the hip-hop industry was worth more than $10 billion a year.

Enoch Muhammad, known as “N.O.C.,” is the co-founder of Hip-Hop Detoxx

“By the time 2016 rolled around, the market grew to $15.7 billion. Year over year, the industry is projected to grow at a rate of $4.08 billion,” reported afrotech.com in 2021.

While hip hop culture is being exported all over the world, along with it is the manufactured and manipulated subculture of gang violence, street violence, and domestic violence against women.

When Kendrick Lamar released “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” his fifth studio album earlier this year, he elevated messaging in hip hop music and took many by surprise, including Enoch Muhammad who said he’s excited by his new album and concert.

In “Mother | Sober,” off his new album the Grammy Award-winning artist from Compton, Calif., raps about the atrocities of the enslavement of Black people and choosing sobriety over alcohol or drug addiction to cope or escape from trauma.

 

Neelam

“With Kendrick, the aspect of him having therapy throughout his album is a very powerful dynamic, and it’s really what the masses of the people need to see and hear,” Enoch Muhammad told The Final Call. Enoch Muhammad, also known as “N.O.C.,” is the co-founder of Hip-Hop Detoxx, a Chicago-based program that provides an outlet specifically targeting youth, to counter the violence, drugs, and behavioral issues that plague a large portion of our communities.

Although the overall rate of suicide in the United States decreased by three percent in 2020, the rate of suicide actually increased among many men of color, including Black men, during this time; and between 2011 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black men was three times that of Black women, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center reports, according to 2021 JAMA Network Open analyzed in “5 Reasons Suicide Is on the Rise in the Black Community,” written by Maia Niguel Hoskin, Ph.D.

Kendrick Lamar basically went on a journey for five years and returned with a project that included therapists to help people essentially deal with their grief and anxiety, said Enoch Muhammad.

Screenshot of Neelam Hakeem with the Jr. Vanguard drill team of Houston’s Mosque No. 45 in a scene from the music video “We Got Em Like,” that also features artists Da-Neek and Goalden Chyld. The video has generated excitement and has garnered thousands of views on social media. Photo: Marquis Muhammad

In addition to therapy, relationships, celebrity, cancel culture, and spirituality are just a few of the themes tackled on “Mr. Morale,” noted music critics. Seeing what he has been doing across the country with his concert has been very inspirational, said Enoch Muhammad, who in addition to his own background as an artist, consults, manages and books hip hop artists.

There has to be the conscious decision not to chase the “bag” (hip hop slang for wealth or money), said author, scholar, researcher and Nation of Islam Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a rap career or corporate office, if one’s ambition is true, what’s also true is that the holder of that bag can get Black artists to do what they want, he said.

Student Min. Wesley Muhammad gave a shout out to young Muslim artists Neelam Hakeem, Da-Neek X and Golden Chyld (Qadir Muhammad), during his address from Mosque Maryam at Nation of Islam headquarters on July 24 in Chicago.

Neelam

“The music they are doing, certainly their latest project, it’s really electric in terms of what it anticipates for the future of hip hop,” he said. “Hip hop is in a very bad state, in the direction that the current writers absolutely intend it to go. The current artists do not have the best interests of Black people at hand,” stated Student Min. Wesley Muhammad.

The trio are registered members of the Nation of Islam, setting the industry ablaze with their music video, “We Got ‘Em Like,” released on Neelam Hakeem’s “Anomalous,” this year. The video has generated tens of thousands of views on social media.

Their alternative music and views stem directly from their knowledge of the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the guidance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Their video features the Houston Jr. Vanguard Drill Team, to stamp the NOI’s image, explained Marquis Muhammad, Neelam’s husband and business partner/manager.

The song was inspired by Chicago producer Vinson Muhammad, also known as Alaz, said Marquis Muhammad.

“There hasn’t been any one really doing this and I’m seeing it everywhere, just different artists who are doing stuff, but no one really just speaks about who did this,” he told The Final Call.

“I feel like the (Black) Panthers get more credit for what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad did. Out of respect, we’d love for everybody to get the inspiration, but there were no Panthers in the 30s or 40s and 50s. They came in ‘66. Before that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was stamping this thing, so we just felt like it’s important,” stated Marquis Muhammad.

“Honestly, I’m inspired by everyone who stands alone, and goes against anything that’s mainstream or trending or whatever is ‘in,’ said Neelam. “That person who was like, ‘I’m straight. I’m me, regardless,’ I’m inspired by that. That’s in art. That’s in music. That’s in movies. That’s in anything, everyday life, where I’ll see something like hey, that’s dope,” she added.

Da-Neek

For his part, Da-Neek featured the Fruit of Islam (FOI, the men of the Nation of Islam) Drill Team of New York’s historic Mosque No. 7 in Harlem. A key to freedom for artists is knowledge, which manifests in their artistic projection, he said.

“Just stay consistent. Know what you’re doing, care for what you love, and put time into what you love. I would tell artists worry about the image you’re putting out and don’t mislead people,” he recommended.

The video was so impactful, he felt like going through the process of joining the Nation of Islam all over again, said Goalden Chyld, who is based in Chicago. He was especially moved by people who said in social media comments under the video that they’re not members of the Nation of Islam, but “love what these brothers and sisters are doing.’”

“We all do our thing in our own respective rights, but I do feel like this music video really stamped the fact that there is a lane for not only conscious artists, but this is a lane right here that we created, the Nation! I don’t even know what to call it—positive, conscious, militant, Islam, revolutionary … this is an entirely new genre that I feel like we created, and All Holy Praise Is Due to Allah. We’re doing God’s work,” Goalden Chyld told The Final Call.

It starts with making a fundamental, conscious decision that they aren’t going to chase the bag, said Dr. Wesley Muhammad. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a rap career or corporate office, then the holder of that bag can get people to do anything he wants, and the holder of that bag currently is Satan, he added.

It becomes difficult for artists to be authentic when they’re not connected to structures, organizations, or groups that work toward a common goal, explained Enoch Muhammad. Hip Hop Detoxx doesn’t just perform concerts, but they engage juvenile detention centers, go into group homes, high schools, and universities to help people hone their art and culture as tools to help alleviate themselves and their people from wounds, pain, and traumas past and present, he shared.

“That’s what our art form has the power to do, when we lend ourselves to that cause and to that mission, so you have to work with, link with, be part of entities like Hip Hop Detox so then you can grow,” he added.

“You can’t rely on an industry that’s dedicated towards the degradation of human beings to uplift artists who are working towards the complete upliftment and liberation of Black people and humanity.”

Final Call staff contributed to this report.

From The Final Call Newspaper

Global Upheaval amid the Warning of Divine Servants
By Brian E. Muhammad, Staff Writer
- August 9, 2022

Vehicles are on fire at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, 15 km (94 miles) east of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, May 4. Three months after it invaded Ukraine hoping to overtake the country in a blitz, Russia has bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition with no end in sight. Photo: AP File



“HEARKEN TO YOUR LORD BEFORE THERE COMES FROM ALLAH THE DAY WHICH THERE IS NO AVERTING. YOU WILL HAVE NO REFUGE ON THAT DAY, NOR WILL IT BE YOURS TO MAKE A DENIAL.” —HOLY QUR’AN 42:47

The nations are boiling with anger and intensified push back and counter push back between adversaries is growing daily. Wars and rumors of more wars are on the horizon and the world appears to be swaying into the shadows of total destruction. There are conflicts in Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Observers say tensions are reaching new highs, big power competition is trumping cooperation and collaboration and cynicism has replaced dialogue and disarmament.

 


Governments are seeking security in stockpiles of war-ware and spending billions of dollars on doomsday weapons that they believe would protect their power, wealth, and future. America, the top economic and military power, like her counterparts on the global landscape is perplexed to find peace and maintain influence.

As conditions deteriorate, will arrogance continue to blind them from heeding right guidance and warnings of divine men among them? For decades the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam and his foremost student, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, have proclaimed that the nations have entered a time of Divine Judgment and Universal Change, spoken of in the scriptures.

Minister Farrakhan delivered a near five-hour presentation in February at the Nation of Islam Saviours’ Day 2022 convention at its National Center, Mosque Maryam in Chicago. His address was titled “The Swan Song.”

›

Minister Farrakhan warned that the war in Ukraine opens the door to the prophesized global war of Armageddon. When that happens, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said U.S. soldiers would go away to war in the thousands and come back in the tens, the Minister warned.

“Do you know how the war of Armageddon starts?” asked Minister Farrakhan. “It starts with a Messenger of God teaching people the truth. Then people fall on either side; if you disbelieve the truth then you will continue in your way,” he stated.

 

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan military forces conduct anti-landing drills during the annual Han Kuang military exercises near New Taipei City in Taiwan on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)

“The liars are so thick that you can tell the truth and the truth does not seem to move the lie. Do you know why? Because the forces that uphold the lie are upholding the lie with their power. So, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, my teacher, said that means that it has to be physically removed. It is about to happen,” the Minister warned.

Nuclear proliferation

Along with divine chastisement hovering over America, she also faces the threat of atomic war between the nations of the earth. There are nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons held in arsenals around the world. New research, development and testing by nations are on the rise. Crises with nuclear undertones are festering from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said observers.

“All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening,” said Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations. The UN head lamented that world powers are: “just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,” citing the war in Ukraine.

Brittney Griner, American WNBA Player, displays personal photos while awaiting trial in Russia, Aug. 2. Ms. Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug smuggling in Russian court, Aug 5. Photo: MGN Online

The grim picture was expressed August 1 at the “Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)” at UN headquarters in New York. The conference is convening August 1-26.

Russian diplomat Alexander Trofimov addressing the symposium said the conflict in Ukraine did not warrant Russia’s use of nuclear weapons. But Moscow could decide to use them in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction or a conventional weapon attack that threatened the existence of the Russian state.

“None of these two hypothetical scenarios is relevant to the situation in Ukraine,” Mr. Trofimov disputed. The diplomat accused NATO countries of a “fierce hybrid confrontation” against Russia that “dangerously balances on the edge of open military clash,” reported Iranian Press TV.

“Such a move would be able to trigger one of the two emergency scenarios described in our doctrine,” said Mr. Trofimov. “We obviously stand for preventing this, but if Western countries try to test our resolve, Russia will not back down,” he warned.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty was established to bar the spread, and eventual eradication of the deadly weapons. However, anti-nuclear advocates argue the reverse is happening. The Russia-Ukraine war has rebooted fear and the menacing threat of nuclear war. Meanwhile, member countries to the treaty are increasing their nuclear arsenals.

 

Pro-China supporters hold U.S. flag and a picture of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a protest outside the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine under cover of the threat to use nuclear weapons has fractured the NPT community, heightened the risks of nuclear weapons being used, and increased the likelihood of nuclear proliferation,” said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a multinational coalition of non-governmental organizations, in a statement.

“At the same time,” added Ms. Fihn, “all five nuclear-armed NPT member states are violating their disarmament obligations under the treaty and increasing the risk of catastrophic nuclear war.”

In July ICAN issued a legal analysis of the compliance of each nuclear-weapon state—America, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. It concluded each power is in violation of their obligations to the treaty. These violations include:

• Increases in arsenal sizes (Russia, China), or raising the cap on the maximum number of warheads (UK)

• Fueling a new nuclear arms race by spending billions on nuclear weapons each year, including building new and more dangerous weapons systems (United States, Russia, China, France, UK).

• Failing to pursue negotiations in good faith to end the nuclear arms race and to negotiate in good faith for nuclear disarmament (United States, Russia, China, France, UK).

With global discord intensifying, “hiding behind vague affirmations” and “empty promises is not enough,” said Ms. Fihn.

ICAN’s “Squandered: 2021 Global Nuclear Weapons Spending,” report issued in June said in 2021 the nine nuclear-armed nations—U.S., China, Russia, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the UK—doled out $82.4 billion upgrading and maintaining their estimated 13,000 nuclear weapons. The amount represents a nine percent spike from 2020 spending, according to ICAN’s estimates.

The report highlights those countries spent a combined $156,842 every minute of 2021 on weapons of mass destruction, despite a global pandemic and surging food insecurity. The spending failed to deter war, as in Ukraine, and millions of their own citizens struggle for healthcare, housing, heat, gas and food. “Spending on nuclear weapons is violence that costs lives,” the report said. “This corrupt cycle of wasteful spending must be put to an end.”

A world in chaos

For Bill Fletcher, past president of TransAfrica Forum, the state of world affairs is a “multidimensional problem” and reflects an empire of chaos.

“I think that’s a good description of what we’re living through, an empire of chaos, and where things are not being resolved,” said Mr. Fletcher.

There are these multiple things going on such as realignments of nations, particularly with pushback against powers like America. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most of the world vehemently opposed it and just a small number supported Russia.

Some Global South nations weren’t in support of U.S.-led sanctions on Russia, because of dependency on Moscow, explained Mr. Fletcher. Others were furious with the hypocrisy of Western tolerance on issues like Morocco’s invasion of Western Sahara or Israeli occupation of Palestine, while acting for Ukraine under Russian invasion.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who is Black, is currently being caught in the middle of U.S.-Russia escalating tension. Ms. Griner was playing in Russia during the offseason when she was arrested and jailed Feb. 17 for possession of cannabis oil at a Moscow airport. She was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison by a Russian court on drug possession charges on Aug. 4. Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to secure her release including the possibility of a “prisoner swap,” to bring Ms. Griner home.

Analysts argue Ms. Griner is being used by both sides as a political pawn and have called out America particularly for its duplicitous posturing across the world.

Middle East tensions

In the Middle East, America professes freedom, peace, and respect for a “rules-based order,” but uses militarism and bloated military industrial complex to foster conflict and instability, critics argue.

Hypocritically, Washington supplies Israel an annual bag of nearly $4 billion, while supplying lip service to oppressed Palestinians. With Israel and Saudi Arabia, America is at the center of targeting Iran as a regional enemy, causing potential war.

“If you look at a map of where they got interventions, a lot of it has to do with the Middle East and with Israel in the past 30, 40 years, much more than any other region,” said Mazin Qumsiyah, a professor and researcher at Bethlehem University.

“So, it’s understandable … logically, not justifying … that U.S. foreign policy driven by Israeli Zionist interests would target Iran,” he reasoned.

As a Palestinian and social activist, Mr. Qumsiyah told The Final Call that U.S. relations with Arab nations is based on a puppet-on-a-string equation. “Arab monarchies like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have always been puppets of Western governments,” said Mr. Qumsiyeh. “Installed as dictatorial regimes similar to the banana republics in South America … now rebelling against U.S. hegemony,” he said.

They were propped-up to guard regional interests of Washington, its military industrial complex, and Zionists. “That’s their function,” explained Mr. Qumsiyeh, “to serve the interests of hegemony … perpetual war, and conflict in the Middle East, while enriching the pockets of a few people.”

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute that tracks conflicts and global weapons sales, America is the leading supplier of war-ware. The U.S. Department of Defense announced Aug. 3, the Biden Administration approved a $5 billion plus arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The deal includes a $3.05 billion sale of 300 Raytheon Patriot MIM-104E missiles to Saudi Arabia, and 96 Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles worth $2.25 billion for the UAE.

The decision came a day after a two-month extension of an UN-brokered cease-fire in Yemen was inked, where a U.S. backed, Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE waged war against Iranian backed Houthi rebels. Some Mideast watchers say the deal shores up U.S. anti-Iran aims in the region.

U.S. foreign policy lacks a moral compass

“There is no morality, it’s now just a matter of supporting imperialism,” said Dr. Wilmer Leon, commentator, author, and political scientist.

Supporting imperialism causes America to continually fan the flames of conflict, contends Dr. Leon. “So, that the United States can justify to the American electorate selling weapons to foreign countries,” he adds.

American weapons firms like McDonnell Douglas, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin profit from America’s penchant for conflict, which Dr. Leon argues is a “money laundering scheme,” using U.S. taxpayers’ dollars.

America as a nation divided and unraveling was witnessed in the “see no evil, hear no evil” handling of the touchy visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in early August. The trip sparked more fire and anger in U.S. – China relations. To China the trip was a menacing chest bump against its sovereignty. Beijing long claimed Taiwan as its territory, which America has accepted since 1979 under its “One China policy.” But despite the recognition which the Biden administration says remains, Washington holds vast unofficial ties with Taipei including selling it arms.

The friction has heated drastically with China conducting “precision missile strikes” Aug. 4 off Taiwan’s coasts as part of military exercises, which raised tensions in the region. Beijing announced the live-fire drills in response to Ms. Pelosi’s visit.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen criticized the drills in a public video address, saying China “destroyed the status quo and violated our sovereignty” with its “irresponsible actions.” She urged China to be “reasonable and restrained,” said media reports.

“We are calm and not impulsive, we are reasonable and not provocative,” she said. “But we will also be firm and not back down.”

Beijing accused Washington of using the island of 23.8 million people to meddle, which they contend will fail. “The U.S. intensified their efforts to try to play the Taiwan card, continuously adding fuel to the fire, making plans to contain China through Taiwan,” insisted Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council.

President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party “relying on external support, willingly took on the role of pawns and stepped-up provocations in the quest for independence,” said the spokesperson Aug. 2.

The Biden administration kept aloof from the matter, saying the trip was solely a choice of Ms. Pelosi, representing a separate branch of the U.S. government. The visit could have been dismissed as a routine junket made by lawmakers if Ms. Pelosi were not third in line for the U.S. presidency as House Speaker. Others said the trip was reckless.

Global analyst Bill Fletcher was blunt, calling the trip “idiotic and unnecessary.” She should not have gone, he argued. The trip was “pointless,” and caused tensions to be “unnecessarily heated,” between the two powers, he reasoned.

It appears the nations are preparing for disaster, without calculating on the presence of a Higher Power whose stockpile is more destructive.

“We can see the world is on the brink of not only war, but destruction from a lot of other things—which people call natural things—look at the weather,” said Abdul Akbar Muhammad, the International Representative of the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan.

“The fire … the floods … the amount of rain and in the midst of it all is the drumbeat of war in China, Ukraine, Russia, and all that’s happening in the East Bloc,” Minister Abdul Akbar Muhammad added.

“One would have to be knocked out cold, dead, or oblivious not to see the hand of God in the calamities,” said Abdul Akbar Muhammad.

Minister Farrakhan also warned his teacher has taught that the war in Europe would start with conventional weapons but would eventually involve nuclear weapons.

“It is a very dreadful time that the populations of the earth are now living in,” wrote The Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his monumental book, “Our Saviour Has Arrived,” published in 1974.

On page 212, Elijah Muhammad compared the motion of change to the fall of ancient Babylon, a wicked nation of the past destroyed for its evil.

“‘At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.’ Here the Bible teaches us, and we see today, at the fall of the old world, there is a great noise of war, the fighting of war, the destruction of nations, towns, and cities and the killing of their citizens,” wrote Elijah Muhammad, referencing the biblical book of Jeremiah 50 :46.

“There is disagreement and confusion of the heads of nations,” he further wrote.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad explained this is the time for the destruction of an entire world. However, America is first for her record of injustices done worldwide, and domestically to the Black once-slaves and Indigenous Native American populations.

The Earth, land, and sea are set in battle array. Every type of deadly weapon is fashioned and is now being used against man and man. The nations are reeling in the corruption their hands have shaped.

“There cannot be any peace for man under these conditions,” wrote Elijah Muhammad. He warned that the actions of the world leaders have angered God and His chastisement is now present.

 

From The Final Call Newspaper

Islam comes when everything else has failed: Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad delivers powerful message at Mosque Maryam

By Michael Z. Muhammad, Contributing Writer
- August 2, 2022





Black America is under attack spiritually, mentally, psychologically, and physically—but the Nation of Islam has the solution to Black survival. The Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the leadership and guidance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan contain the redemptive and resurrecting power Blacks need in these critical times as solutions for problems within our communities, said Student Minister Wesley Muhammad.

He spoke emphatically and meticulously, laying proof through contemporary examples of the assault on Black people when he spoke during a recent Sunday lecture at the Nation of Islam’s headquarters at Mosque Maryam in Chicago. His message, titled “When All Else Fails,” was also streamed live via internet.

Photo: Haroon Rajaee

The Nation of Islam has been a strong and consistent voice against the U.S. government’s depopulation plot with its stance against the Covid-19 vaccine, Student Minister Muhammad—member of the Nation of Islam Executive Council, author, researcher and highly sought-after presenter—said as he began his presentation illustrated with slides for the in-person and online audience.

“The Honorable Brother Minister Farrakhan said, God wants you and I to try everything that we have in our head as a solution, different from what Allah has given as a solution,” he said. “The pestilence from heaven (Covid-19) has shown Black Americans that we can’t escape God and His plan by setting up alternatives. God said separation, but we wanted integration. We wanted civil and voting rights, but God said independence,” pointed out Min. Muhammad, who holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies.



The Nation of Islam should not be judged by how closely we follow others’ aims and objectives but rather by our own work, he pointed out.

A wicked enemy

Student Minister Muhammad illustrated the nefarious deeds committed by Caucasians against Black people while pointing out that these atrocities are not just history but are continuing today. When Black people begin to understand how the way of life of the Nation of Islam is the solution to overcoming these brazen attacks, it becomes clear what the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad was taught by God to bring to the Black man and woman is the solution to our needs, he declared July 24.

“Most of the time when we use the word eugenic, we should be using dysgenics because White folks do not have a eugenic project for Black people, but they most definitely have us trapped in a dysgenics project,” he explained. “Eugenics is the science of selective breeding to produce good offspring through the elimination of poor hereditary traits. Dysgenics, on the other hand, involves the evolutionary weakening of a population through the production and reproduction of damaged offspring and the passing on of poor and injurious hereditary traits. In contrast, the aim of a eugenics project is the evolution of a healthy, strong, improved target race. A dysgenics project aims to produce a weak, impaired degenerated population.”

This country’s federal, state, and city governments have purposefully trapped Black people in a dysgenic program, he argued. “This project is responsible for so much of what constitutes Black life in America. He (the White man) is a scientist, and the Negro is his experiment,” Student Minister Muhammad said. There are active, deliberate policies and actions taken by federal, state and local governments that harm Black and Brown people, he continued.

Lead service water pipes are more prevalent in Illinois than elsewhere, he said, citing how Chicago has an above-average number of such water lines. Ninety-five percent of these poisonous pipes can be found within Black and Brown zip codes, he continued. Lead is toxic and has proven harmful if ingested or inhaled by humans.

“Lead is a dangerous metal that can slowly poison children over time. Children in the South and West (sides of) Chicago have higher lead exposure rates, leading to smaller brain volume as they grow up. These children may struggle with executive functions like decision-making skills or regulated moods,” he said.

Lead pollution can be linked to higher homicide rates. In counties with the highest levels of lead exposure, there was an increase in homicides. The Chicago zip codes, that have been identified as having high lead poisoning match up perfectly against those areas that suffer from increased violence, the student minister pointed out, referencing research and news articles on the subject.

The correlation between the legalization of marijuana and Chicago’s most violent years since 1994 cannot be ignored, he continued. The highly published researcher also shared how so-called legalized medical, recreational, or street pot contains artificial THC in excessive amounts, damaging the same prefrontal cortex of the brain as lead poisoning, consequently resulting in increased aggression, hostility, and violence. THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana and is what makes people feel “high.”

There is a deliberate effort through the legalization of marijuana via “weed” dispensaries that is contributing to many of the problems facing Black people and particularly youth, he argued.

 

Slide shows illustration of the regenerative power of the teachings of The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

“Black men of this generation were born to settle White America’s 400-year-old score, says Minister Farrakhan. Without God our youth cannot survive given synthetic drugs, codeine-laced cough syrup, and fast-food containing BPA, DDT, and THS they also consume,” added Dr. Muhammad.

The government has ensured that these born warriors will be neurologically and biochemically tailored to explode their rage, not on the 400-year-old enemy but on Black neighbors, wives, or girlfriends, said Student Minister Muhammad.

The Divine Solution

The Nation of Islam has been able to see into the root cause of Black peoples’ problems, and it has the solution, he asserted. The Nation of Islam is not simply a religion, it’s a prescribed lifestyle because Allah God gave it to us as means for healing from the ravages that have plagued our sojourn in America, he continued.

“What the Honorable Elijah Muhammad offers the Black man and women is spiritual, intellectual and moral repair, but also physical, physiological, biochemical and neurological repair.

“If Chicago adopted just aspects of our lifestyle, communal healing would be effective,” he added. He pointed to “How To Eat To Live” by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad to illustrate this point.

“For example, our unique dietary lifestyle can repair damage caused by the lead poisoning caused by the city of Chicago. Lead poisoning has been associated with the growth of several types of cancer, which are epidemic in Black America today, as well as neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, which has also been described as Black America’s silent epidemic.”

Disturbing image shows White policemen with a young Black man wearing deer antlers showcased as a hunting trophy in Chicago. Photos: Haroon Rajaee

Dr. Wesley Muhammad shared that the Nation of Islam’s dietary lifestyle is based around a unique fasting protocol, which includes fasting for three days every month or the “National Fast.”

“Our fasting protocol can trigger a host of physiological and neurological processes that repair or regenerate whole systems at the cellular level. Our three-day National Fast, for example, is now known to stimulate stem cells in our immune system, allowing us to replace an old deficiency with one new stronger than before! A similar process is triggered in the brain, stimulating neurogenesis or the growth of neurons, brain cells, and removing damaged neurons or brain cells,” he noted.

“Every other system, every other religion, every other agenda, whatever limited good they may do, they are still incapable of repairing what Satan has broken. Only Allah has the power to repair God’s people. There is no one else who can do that but God. And God gave us Islam as a religion,” he pointed out.

The power of truth

The power of hip hop culture and its potential for community impact cannot be understated, Dr. Wesley Muhammad noted during his message. No one has more influence among Black people than a rap artist which makes them critical players in shaping thinking and behavior today, he stated.

“The black stallion hip hop can lead Black people towards redemption, or it can lead us toward degradation and doom,” he observed. “If the culture wants to get back on track, it should follow our lead, like it did in the beginning. Hip hop had its golden years when it was deferential to Islam.”

Dr. Wesley shared how the teaching of The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad can prevent, even regenerate, damage done to the human body.

Islam provides a way to restore divine femininity and masculinity in Black people as the Western world is moving toward an ultimate gender-neutral goal, he explained.

The key to happiness is incorporating God into your life and having a structure for truthfulness, said Dr. Muhammad. “The power of the truth that we speak must be supported by a structure of equal power.”

He told listeners that each one of us must live our best life. “Your best selves are living gods, and by being living gods, you have much more than a bank. You have mastery over yourself, which gives you power over Satan and knowledge of the environment around you.”

“Islam comes when all else fails, and everything this world has offered has failed. Black man and woman, let us stop running from our divine destiny. Join the Nation of Islam!” he concluded.

To view this message in its entirety, visit media.noi.org.