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IWDM Study Library
Islam and World Politics
C-SPAN Interview
(Parts 1-?)
By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Wallace Mohammed: Worship is the natural worship that is inherent in all people and we are told that the house that we turn to as the symbol giving us a center for our movement and activity. Prayers and pilgrimage that that house was built for all people. G-d says, [arabic language] It was built for all people. We are also told by the Prophet himself, prayers and peace be on him, that the best of us is the one, who best serves people and man. G-d says that we are [arabic language], he says you are excellent community, evolved or brought out of darkness, of ignorance and savagery and corruption and violence, for all people. It is impossible for us to know our religion and then not make our life also of service in the global community and for the benefit and good of the global community.
We have no such idea as absolute ownership in Islam and I think this is another point for Islam or the Muslim community that I hope would make us welcomed in the society of the world. We do recognize absolute ownership for any human being, any religion, any person, absolute ownership is only for G-d. We say the earth belongs to G-d, we say the people belong to G-d, we say that destiny belongs to G-d. Everything belongs to G-d.
Our ownership is limited, has to be qualified and our ownership is basically or essentially a trust and not a possession that we have. For we all will live and die and we leave everything behind is and none of us can know how our interest is going to be protected when we are dead. We only hope that it will be protected. Everything belongs to G-d, he is the only absolute owner of the resources and everything including our selves. This is how Muslims believe. If G-d now is the absolute owner of the earth and all of it's resources and the destiny for man, then we must accept the right of all people in the benefits and in the resources.
We also say that Muslims have no right in Islam to seek a dominance and we know that the long period of wars that involved Muslim nations would suggest otherwise to us. We know that the great conquest for Islam would suggest otherwise to us, but that is not our reference when we are looking for the right behavior or the right position to take; the Quran is our reference. G-d says in the Quran, that he will never give authority or power or rule to anyone who seeks a dominance.
Females have rights in Islam and I'm speaking very briefly on these particular points as much could be said, I suggest that you who are students or are aspiring to know more about Islam, go to a good library and get some of the many books that have been written in English now by scholars on Islam on human rights, the rights of females in Islam.
Females have rights to equal education and the Prophet he promoted this interest in such a great way when he promised that if any man would educate two daughters, and that was at a time when women were looked upon as property, the property of the men to be used for the men's pleasure, their rights weren't respected at all. It was almost a savage, in fact, it was a savage time. The times before the dawning of Islam on the Peninsula of Arabia. The Prophet said, any man who would educate two daughters would be given as a reward paradise.
Women are to compete in business and also in politics or in government. In fact, I don't see any real problem for the rights of women in Islam. Not when Islam is correctly understood and the knowledge is available. I don't see any real problem for the rights of women and I don't think that Pakistan would select a woman twice to be the head of  the government if there was any serious problems for the rights of women. The daughter of Bhutto was selected once and now she's has been selected for the second time to be the President of Pakistan. I think our fears are not well founded, if we understand the religion of Islam, we will have these fears removed from us.
[applause]
Thank you very much.
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, as normal we will take as many questions as we can from the audience. If you have a question and have not written it on a card yet, please do so, raise your hand and a member of our staff will come by and we'll get you as many as we can. Imam Mohammed, the first question is in the introduction it was said that you condemned Islamic Jihad, is that true or did you condemn the exploitation of Islam and Jihad? And please clarify the meaning of Jihad.
Wallace Mohammed: Thank you. The question, do we condemn Islamic Jihad is no, but do we condemn what is improperly seen as Jihad? Yes. In Islam, Jihad is the struggle and the best struggle is the struggle that to achieve what G-d wants, firstly to ourselves, G-d wants us to struggle with the bad forces within our own life, personal life, the bad thoughts we have, the bad tendencies we have, [inaudible 00:07:33] and then the greatest sacrifice we can make as Muslims is to be willing to sacrifice our properties, even our lives to achieve the end that G-d wants on earth and the end that G-d wants on earth is not that any people dominate another people, not that any people progress at the expense of others. That Jihad is the Jihad that we accept, that is our Jihad.
As for the meaning of Jihad, I think I've answered that part of the question. Do we want Jihad? Yes. We must continue to struggle, we believe that life is a continuous struggle and we have to be prepared always to struggle and sacrifice our all for the ends that G-d wants, in our personal life and in society.
Announcer: How does the nation of Islam regard the traditional Sunni-Shiite split controversy?
Wallace Mohammed: I think we are a little bit more tolerant of these divisions and we don't tend to make a lot of fuss over these divisions. We believe that these are developments that were not determined by our religion but determined by the politics and the interaction, the sentiments, the feelings and jealousies that developed between different parties in the history of Islam.
We believe that most of it is to be charged to politics, desire for control, etcetera. Jealously between brothers and sisters in Islam, jealousy between nations in Islam. We believe eventually that Shiite and Sunni would be no issue. We may not see it in our generation, we may not see it in many generations but one day we know that if we all stick stay, believing in Quran, firm believers in the Quran and our religion and followers of our prophet, if we remain on that path that eventually the issue for Shiism and Sunni will be gone. We tend to not want to speak too much of ourselves as Sunni Muslims.
We believe that what the founder who conceived our nation of Islam, our organization, the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, we believe that what he did was just put something together. His only real interest was to attract down and out Blacks of America, that was his only real interest. To at least identify as Muslims and identify with Islam. We think that that was his that -- that's what he was really about and -- but we know that his idea of G-d and his idea of leadership in Islam resembles more Shiism or Shia teaching.
That it does the teaching of most Muslims who are Sunni. But we ourselves, we tend to be more comfortable identifying with those that are called Sunni and not those that are called Shia. But I have – I know it sounds like something we've heard before but some of my best friends are Shia's.
[laughter]
Announcer: What are the rights and responsibilities of the title Imam and what are the steps necessary in your faith to achieve this position?
Wallace Mohammed: To achieve the position of Imam?
Announcer: Yes.
Wallace Mohammed: In our religion, there is no real clergy, there's no priesthood and really there's no real clergy in Islam. In our religion the people are responsible. The people are responsible for selecting their leader or the Imam to lead them in a prayer. Based upon two qualifications, the first qualification that he's a decent person, his character’s good and the second qualification is that he be above them in the knowledge of Islam, above them.
They think he's above them in the knowledge of Islam, however, the second qualification is not always the one to determine who will be the leader but sometimes the people are more learned than the Imam. But they think the Imam has the best character and the best devotion to the religion so they will select him to be their leader.
Announcer: Why do you believe that the increasing numbers of violent acts such as the bombing of the World Trade Center are done in the name of Islam?
Wallace Mohammed: Well, Islam is a big force, it's a very significant force. There are about billion Muslims I'm told and Muslims represent nations that gives the global picture. The global picture will be, look at Africa, 50% of Africa Muslims, we look at the Middle East the population there, Indonesia that big country, by the way that was not converted by the sword. They were attracted to the character of Islamic businessmen.
The character of the Islamic businessmen was so impressive to them that eventually, the whole country of Indonesia became Muslim. I hope we can get that character in our Islamic business yet again and Europe, Albania and several other Muslim communities. In Asia, we are now learning that significant number of Muslims in communist China and Muslims in Russia.
Muslims are around the world all around the world and these persons who are reacting to their bad situation. We have to sympathize with them again but not condone their on Islamic behavior. When I say we have to sympathize with them, when you put a person in a situation that they're fighting desperately just to exist, day by day. Then you have to sympathize with those persons and that's the situation that we have for some of the Palestinians who lost their homeland. That’s the situation we have in Kashmir for Muslims who are being denied their right there, and many other places so when Muslims register, the hurt and suffering of Muslims all over the world. When that Muslim that registers that hurt, they’re also being denied his life day after day. Then we can understand the desperate behavior of those individual but we cannot condone that kind of behavior. We have to condemn it and invite them to turn to their religion for support and for guidance and for peace.
[applause]
Announcer: Following that same line of reasoning can you comment on the current situation of Bosnia and what you see in the future for Bosnia?
Wallace Mohammed: Well, I'm not disappointed totally, I’m proud of the interest that I see in the west and especially in America. To get support to the people of Bosnia. At first I thought it was only a case of the Serbs, persecuting the Muslims but as more information came out, we began to see the picture as being not so simple, it's complex. The picture is very difficult it’s a complex situation there and, political elements are there with religious interests. I think it’s going to take time to work it out I just hope that our government, President Bill Clinton and our government leaders and American society will not forget Bosnia and will do all it can or we can to bring justice to that area.
Announcer: Might religious strife be lessened if all governments were secular and not controlled by a particular religion?
Wallace Mohammed: Well, I can tell you this, there's no Muslim-government controlled by Islam that I know of. I would be very comfortable with a Muslim government being under the control of Islam, that doesn’t mean that I would accept a theocracy -- I don't believe in a theocracy, I love this kind of democracy we have here but I think that all the Christians in America would always want us to be under G-d.
It’s in the constitution of the United States or at least the introduction of the constitution. That we be under G-d and I would think that you’ll always want religious conscience and religious interest to be respected. I wouldn't like to answer that question with a yes or no. I would just like to say we don't have religion yet where we want to see religion, once we’ll have it when we to see it, all nation should be under G-d.
[applause]
Announcer: Questions have come forward regarding some -- Let me combine them into one. What is your personal opinion on the death sentence placed upon him and also would you please talk about your feelings regarding his visit with President Clinton recently?
Wallace Mohammed: I thought that the death sentence on him was symbolic. Though real for him because there are Muslims who won’t read it as symbolic to create a certain effect and to send out a message. And that is that Muslims love their religion very dearly and we won't tolerate insult like he’s guilty of. But according to our religion anyone can differ with us in Religion. Religion is not to be imposed on anyone and forced upon anyone.
G-d is too big for us to force people to serve him. The Scriptures are too precious and too great for us to force those scriptures on anybody. We are to tolerate people differing with us in religion. But I think we are to condemn anybody who makes such an attack of sacred matters and sacred concerns and chief personalities in the religion.
I'm not really offended only by his disrespect for Islam but I’m offended by  his disrespect for the Queen of England. The thing that some of us will tolerate someone throwing dirt, filth on our enemy and us, as long as our enemy gets the worst part of it. [laughs]
Announcer: How does the nation of Islam look upon Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Dr. Jeffreys?
Wallace Mohammed: Well, we look upon them as leaders who play music to black folks. Sometimes their music cause black people to do an indecent dance.
[laughter]
Announcer: Please comment on the accuracy of the portrayal of your father in the film Malcolm X?
Wallace Mohammed: Let me first say that I think that it was a good film when it comes to Hollywood, but accuracy, no. I saw resilience to my father. The actor did a very great job I know very well, I can’t think his name right now. Freeman yes.
He did a very good job of capturing the--, I would say the humble. The humble posture of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and the seriousness the of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, but that’s only a very small part of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad.
The Hon. Elijah Muhammad had a humorous side, and he had a lively side, he had an aggressive side to him and much of that was missing. I just think a small facet of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad was projected, and when it comes to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad as a teacher of Malcolm, then it didn’t do with credit to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. The Hon. Elijah Muhammad didn’t only attract Malcolm to his mission or to Malcolm’s own mission, the Hon. Elijah Muhammad gave Malcolm a lot of good education, a lot of good moral teaching, a lot of good wisdom, and I think much of that was missing in the film.
Announcer: America comes from the tradition of Judea-Christian ethic, we seem to have a difficult time understanding how to handle situations in the Middle East with Islamic lands. What would you suggest to the government in the United States as how to deal with Islamic nations?
Wallace Mohammed: I think the government of the United States is in a much better situation now to deal with the heavy question, issues that has to deal with regarding the situation in the Middle East, but I would just say that the government needs to do more, I would say unbiased, unprejudiced inquiry or study into the life nature and life of the Muslim society. Not just the Middle East, but the Muslim society. Get to know, what motivates us, what turns our life on in our religion, what values hold up our life, and get to know better the history of the people that they are dealing with directly.
How did they come to be in that situation they’re in. Were they always in that situation? No. The Muslims that I meet from the area tell me that one time before the World War II, they were enjoying good atmosphere for themselves with their neighbors; the Jews of that area. Not only that, I think we should now even accept to help the parties see better.
I think if our government studies the life of the people there, they will be able to make a contribution to even the solutions  that those people may think are best for them. I’ll be very plain the Palestinian leadership, they may see solutions and these solutions may not all be the right solution.
The government of Israel also may be in the same situation. If our government leaders who are not directly involved, sometimes outsiders if they’re sincere, they can make real contribution to a settlement, to a peaceful and acceptable settlement.
I think we should also be willing to put ourselves in that position, say that maybe if we understand them better. We can help them with their own solutions, not just listen to their solutions but help them with their own solutions. I don’t know if that’s being done or not but that’s what I would advise.
Announcer: Before Mrs. Glazier comes back to close the program, we have time for this one last question, it’s an extension of some of your previous remarks. Please give specific examples of how Muslims can be a greater value to American society?
Wallace Mohammed: Well, I have experienced it, so I can tell you. First thing you have to do is, whether you like America or not, accept that you are here and you’re not going to another place. I know you’re not because I don’t see you making any plans to. We’re here, we’re not going anywhere else.
You have to regard the place that you’re living in, where you’re having your children and where you’re going to leave your children., because all of us are going to die, and we are going to leave our children here, you have to regard that place as your place no matter how bad it is.
To me it’s not bad, it’s much more good then it is bad. If you think it’s not you think it’s more bad than it is good, still you have to live here and you have to regard this place as your own, that’s the first step. Regard this place as your own because you’re here and you’re going to leave your children here. Regard it as your own. Once you do that, then things happen for you psychologically to work out all the other problems.

