November 9, 2008
Mosque Maryam
Chicago, IL
Minister Louis Farrakhan: "America's New Beginning: President-Elect Barack Obama"
(From video start at 5:00) 46:00.
He prayed and then thanked the congregants and the media - including the foreign press
Congratulations are absolutely in order for President-elect Barack Obama. What happened on last Tuesday has energized the world of man and mankind in a way that has never been seen before in the history of political elections in the United States or anywhere else in those nations who are committed to the principle of democracy.
The huge crowds that president-elect Barack has spoken has never been seen before in a political arena. The only politician to my knowledge that came close to having this effect on people was Senator Robert Kennedy in his bid to become president of the United States. From what we saw on the night he was confirmed as president-elect, the faces that we saw in Grant Park and Harlem and the White House, in different parts of the world - they all reflect that same spirit of incredible joy.
With what we have suffered as a people, it was for many - if not all - black people a confirmation that God had not forsaken us. And even though we have been the last hired and the most fired on the lowest socioeconomic ladder. Even though we suffer from any many maladies that are literally destroying us as a people, President-elect Barack Obama’s meteoric rose is a phenomenon of huge proportion.
People are political scholars scientists of religions or otherwise should attempt to analyze. And from our perspective as followers of Muhammad, we should attempt to analyze this historic event from the point of view of God.
What I saw in the faces of all those who were present at Grant Park here in Chicago, and in other places around the nation and the world was a oneness of spirit that I had personally never seen or heard or felt since the Million Man March. This meant to me, that as the spirit of God was present, when nearly two million black men and women entered to Washington, DC. And many thought we would be there to act foolish. But the spirit that was on that mall, on that day told us that God was present.
That same spirit, said to me, that God was present that night in that place and wherever people of all races and ethnicities and political affiliations were present. There was that oneness of spirit. Well Senator Obama's campaign had unleashed a spirit that even before he became president -elect had unleashed more spirit that had been unleashed in the breasts of black and brown and Asian and poor white and others and young people, particularly young people than I had ever witnessed.
This hope did not come in a vacuum. This desire for changed has intensified in American and throughout the world because of the failure of governments to adequately address the needs of people under their rule. And that is why the message of change resonated so strongly in America. And in resonated in all people across the world because no government, no ruler enjoys a rulership where the people are completely satisfied.
So who is this young man? And how should he be handled in light of his historic victory? And in light of across all spectrums of this society, he was successful in gaining their support. But even in this remarkable even the country still remains divided and polarized.
Mr. Obama won by 8 million votes over his opponent. 65 million votes were for president-elect Obama and 57 million Americans voted for Senator McCain. Almost 70% of those who had the privilege to vote and did vote. 70% of the electorate they say voted. Many of the voters who voted for Sen McCain were older Americans and most reside below the Mason-Dixon line, where racial attitudes and traditions die hard.
How do we read that?
Congregant: Ignorant!
What does that mean? We can change laws but it is difficult to change attitudes. That takes time. And while we as a people would love to see that kind of change, we have to be the contributors to produce a change in attitude with those among those who have been our former slavemasters and their children.
Guns sales across American have surged in the wake of Mr. Obama's election. I was told yesterday morning - I don't really know the truth of it - but I heard that there was a man in South Carolina that took pride in flying his flag at his home, but when it was announced that Barack Obama would be the next President of the United States, the next morning his flag was down and draped over the garbage can.
There is intense emotion that has been built up on both sides. Emotion for and emotion against. And even though Senator McCain's concession speech in my judgment was one of the finest, in my opinion, I had heard him make, it was not enough to relieve the pain of lose and frustration and disappointment to those who felt great pain at Obama's rise, which makes the difficulty of uniting the country even more so.
Now the pollsters should be going out now to see how deep the division and to see what steps can be taken to heal the disappointed pastors, politicians, business people and teachers to help make a smooth transition in many schools the white and blacks broke into different chants": white power, black power, Fights broke out in some schools and I'm sure many of our people have unfortunately lost their lives because of absolute hatred that is manifested now that one of our own has risen to such a high office but you know this is not their America and not ours. We paid a heavy price.
And I'm not saying this with vitriol or hatred but the sweat and the blood of our fathers has soaked the soil of this nation and we have died on every foreign shore were American felt She had an enemy only to come home and find we were the enemy for whom we had fought.
We helped America to become rich while we remained poor. We helped America become free while we were seeking liberty. We helped am become powerful and oft times it was the government itself that worked to keep us powerless.
But in spite of all of that we rejoice. In spite of all that we have been through to see the tears of Oprah Winfrey matching the tears of their least little brother, who many be a gang member or a gun toter. But they do cry so many people after said there hope for am I hope so there has never been a warner or prophet of who came into that society to feel the wrath of God every prophet preached hoping that the people would turn from away that was not good that the
Talks about Elijah...he's a warner from God but it wasn’t it his heart that America would fall that American would reap warning that her mistreatment of the poor pitiful black man and women was a cause for God's displeasure and that unjust policies of the government that made people across the world hurt for America's benefit is what is causing the judgment of good and the anger of the people of the world.
This is why president-elect Obama received congratulatory telegraphs from across the world. Because America affects the whole world. And what is happening in America in the down turn of her economy is affecting the economies of the whole world. So president-elect Obama's rise has not only given hope to the world it. That this young man can actually bring about the change. That he said he would attempt to bring about.
Verse in the Koran
So if it is God who laid this burden on Barack Obama YOU SAY WELL it was 65 million but we believe that nothing happens except by the active or permissive will of God. So many things were done to make it that he would not see the victory and I don’t have to waste time rehearsing the ugly things that were said and done.
For nine months I have quiet because I saw that the good words that I spoke about this beautiful young man, at our Savior’s Day Convention and the way they were misused and the way I was - I decided that it would be better for me to just keep quiet rather than be drawn into the controversy that was swirling around his pastor Father Pfleger and others. And they kept using my name to try and draw me out but the Minister wanted to see Barack successful. And the Minister decided I would not say anything. I feel freer today, to say the things that are in my heart.
The question for America and the world to ask and answer since everyone on the earth has some religions persuasion - some belief in the almighty we have to ask, was god involved in this young man's victory. Because if God is involved and he is - then it is God who has laid on this young man this horrible burden time at the worst time in the history of America and the world. But it is also God that has given this young man this tremendous capacity to handle what God has put on his shoulders.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, we could see in Mr. Obama his resolve that he understands the gravity of that which has been placed on his shoulders by the American people and the world and also by God. I know that he did not mention God in all the many people who aided him, but I believe in all my heart that he knew that God was with him and even though he might have nit have mentioned God to the very end - what that man has done and what he is doing and will do is in the name of God.
What is the burden that God has laid on this young man, especially now that we believe that God has blessed him with the capacity to handle it?
We have to determine now what time we are living in. What is the demand of the time because that sets the agenda the religious scientist of America and the world should study the teachings of the prophet?
Billy Graham to sit with many presidents to given them...
And brother Barack, I humbly, respectfully say to you that the condition that America and the world is in, you will never be able to turn it around without the help of God and people of goodwill....
We are living in the time of judgment of this present world. The things that are ... on should make the most ill-informed of us. If you can see the collapse of the dollar, see the economy, see that something is happening that should tell you that something of great magnitude is happening that the scholars and scientists of knowledge told us this world have no solutions for.
God has touched the wealth of America and thus sent the whole world into a spiraling downward, because the whole world is connected to the economy policies of America China and Japan are making and effort to extricate themselves from being tied to the dollar. Because America's fiscal policies have hurt the entire world.
Now we don’t know anything about those things. We know the fiscal policies of America - we are suffering right along with the rest of the world.
China's economic growth is 10%. America's annual growth is 2.2%. Japan's economy is strong and China and Japan have become the two richest nations on earth and America now is really poor. America is really really poor.
But to keep up the image of Her former greatness in the world, She has to borrow and borrow and borrow and that has made the future of America's children very bleak unless the God will help Barack.
And the scholars and scientists who are not connected with unjust policies will help Barack turn a negative, as Rev Jackson would say, into a positive.
I heard Lou Dobbs, the independent commentator on CNN say ‘American is tanking’. Others are saying it in other terms that the country is in a free fall and even others are saying that the economy is in a free wall and that the economy will collapse putting America into grave great straits. The scientists and scholars of money are saying if the economy of American collapses then people will be in the streets fighting for bread.
This is not an hour that we should just rejoice, rejoice. This is an hour that we should be very, very thoughtful and reflective and prayerful. The Secretary of the Treasury Paulson says that they have many tools to keep the economy up, but I think he is running out of tools.
I'm not saying this as a joke. Cause there is nothing funny about what is going on and what this young man has to face. They're talking about another stimulus package. Not only did president-elect Obama say stimulus package either now before the end Bush' term and another one after he is inaugurated. Which means the Federal Reserve as to print up new money with nothing to back it or borrow money from foreign countries that are very strong in America's dollar.
Well, there a lot of things that need to be done, all right - but there is no money to do it. So whatever America gets - she has to borrow. There's not enough money coming in from taxes to even service the debt, much less pay down the principle. America is 10 trillion dollars in debt and it is growing everyday and depending on how you look at the books - because some scholars say that there are two sets. The one that says She's 10 trillion in debt. But then when you aid Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and similar obligations the total rises to 60 trillion dollars. The debt that American is in is worth more than all the land and all the buildings on the land.
You didn't hear that did you?
Now president-elect Obama is being briefed on matters of security and intelligence and security that he would not have known as a presidential candidate. They are opening up realities to him that make the outlook for his success even more bleak. And these are just the man-made disasters.
We have watched our brother, young and vibrant and handsome and eloquent and have seen him get grayer and wait, wait this is just a campaign. Oprah Winfrey said the other night it looks like that he may be saying in words to himself: 'What have I have gotten myself into?'
Yes it is heavy, but I don't believe that Almighty God has wasted a moment in bringing that man to where he is. He is a very special human being and the more you know about him - this man not only is brilliant but he is a masterful organizer. And in his acceptance speech that night, he said we have to organize block by block. Now look to organize American like this it's going to place on every one of us and the American people a responsibility for the future.
We cannot say that because he is there, everything is gonna be alright. And I can just go back to sleep. No. No. No. The whole country is awake watching Barack.
One brother called me today and said watching Barack we got interested in politics. we got interested in the process, and registering. Now we know something about the Electoral College and how many votes it needs. And we're involved now.
Yes, and I believe president elect Obama will have to get everyone involved because the job of helping him is not just with his cabinet or Congress the job of helping this nation out of its condition is a responsibility that everyone has something to do about.
If you look at the weather, the natural disasters are causing America to spend an awful lot of money she doesn't have...natural disasters money has to be spent and that's what FEMA is all about. But they too need more money put into them. Where is the money coming from? And if these disasters increase, God would bring calamity after calamity after calamity until there is submission on the part of those who rule - this injustice cannot continue or calamities will continue.
We can do something about stopping the calamities by committing ourselves to the principle of justice. (40;00)
These are critical emergencies but the ongoing intractable problems of war and the threat of war in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Russia, The Congo, and Sudan. These are pressing international problems. But there is also the incredible poverty of billions of people on tour planet - living at $2.50/day or less.
The incredible poverty of Haiti and the disasters that are striking Haiti. What is America's role? How can American help when American right not needs help - but American can help.
There is no accident that we are here. We didn't come on the Nina, Pita or the Santa Maria.
There is a scripture in the Bible. All things work for good for all those who love the world according I don't care who brought us here or who sold us from Africa or elsewhere. What's important is why did God permit it and what is the good end in it all?
And what part do we play in producing the good end. There’s and immigration reform that is needed and energy policy and Medicare system and Social Security system and unworkable health care system. All of these thing immediate attention.
There hasn't been a president since Franklin Roosevelt that has to deal with the collapse of the country. Then of course we must tack on to that the immense hatred that is among the citizens of America, that do not wish to ever see a black man and a black family as the first family in the white House. There are some who believe it is called a White House is because only a white person should be in that house. And for a black person to be there as a baker or a cook or a security guard some would see that as sacrilege.
Mr. McCain in his convention speech spoke of President Roosevelt's invitation to Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House and how it was taken as an outrage and even now code words are being used to stimulate certain behavior in those whites show feel tremendous loss that Senator McCain did not win.
Well we have handed barrack obama a job that that only God could help him solve. There is a parable a history in the holy Koran that I would like to use as warning and guidance. If God has given this young man to us as a mercy to give America a chance to change and to produce change in the world that the least of us can have a benefit f their lives, then I give you this history.................
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