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Perhaps the most recognized Muslim leader in the United States, Louis Farrakhan has long sought to build bridges to the Middle East. Despite his controversial reputation in America, he was often treated as a foreign dignitary when visiting Libya and various Middle Eastern nations opposed to United States policies. During his long career, he met with some of the most vilified leaders in the region including Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Yasser Arafat, Hafez and Bashar al- Assad, and Hassan al-Turabi. By doing so, Farrakhan found international forums to voice his criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
Key Words: Louis Farrakhan; Nation of Islam; Elijah Muhammad; Libya, Palestine; Muammar Gaddafi; Saddam Hussain; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Yasser Arafat; Bashar al-Assad; Farrakhan and Obama; Farrakhan and Jews; Farrakhan and Middle East Interventions.
During his long career, Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, has built bridges to Libya and the Middle East in an effort to foster solidarity between North American Muslims and those of radical Arab Muslim countries and Iran. On numerous occasions, he has met with a who's who of some of the world's most vilified Muslim leaders, including Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Yasser Arafat, Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, and Hassan al-Turabi. These trips to the Middle East occasioned criticism in America insofar as they involved regimes designated as rogue states and state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. government
To understand Farrakhan's diplomacy, it must be placed in the context of his organization's history. The Nation of Islam had long advocated the establishment of a separate national territory for African-Americans. In a sense, Farrakhan positioned himself as a leader of an aspiring nation, not unlike the late Yasser Arafat who led the Palestine Liberation Organization. Although this goal may seem fanciful, it resonated with his African-American followers, as the history of the Nation of Islam illustrates.
Background on the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan
The Nation of Islam is considered heretical by most Islamic denominations, but it nonetheless enjoys considerable respect in anti- Western Muslim countries. For many African-Americans, the Nation of Islam has served as a gateway to Islam. The first major effort to promote Islam in America occurred in 1913 when Noble Drew Ali (1886-1929) founded...