08/04/1991
IWDM Study Library
Muslims in America: the Changing Emphasis Washington DC

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Imam Yusuf: This morning we are blessed to have Imam W. Deen Muhammad, live with us. He is here in the city of Washington DC, the Nation's capital. Here with making a presentation to the Council of Masajid sponsored by the Muslim World League. He will be speaking to us this morning on the timely subject, Muslims in America some changing emphasis. We thank you for your attentiveness and your support of this broadcast. And now, we introduce to you Imam W. Deen Muhammad, Muslim American spokesman for human salvation. Imam.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed Thank you, Imam Yusuf Salim. It is indeed always a pleasure and real enjoyment for me to be here in Washington DC, to visit with the Muslims in the area. And also, to see the lovely city and my stay here has been wonderful. I look forward to having a very good afternoon here after our lunch with the convention. I'm going to speak on some changing emphasis for us regarding race, the moral issue, and the material interest or business interest. First, I would like to begin with Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim. With the name, Allah, the merciful benefactor, the merciful redeemer. We witness that there is but one lord and creator. And we witness that Muhammad, to whom the Quran was revealed is Allah's messenger and last prophet. The prayers and the peace be upon him and what follows of that most excellent salute to the last prophet.
In the days of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, may G-d forgive him his sins and grant him paradise and reward him for all of his good work in this life and after. We were concerned to make it known that we wanted separation from the "white race" and that occupied a lot of our energies. In fact, it did set the idea of a race for us in our minds in our thoughts. And that has changed very, very profoundly for us. There has been a great change from that sense of race relations, if I may refer to that as race relation problem.
Today, we don't see the “white race” as we did in those days. In those days we were addressing Honorable Elijah Muhammad's leadership. We were addressing the evils of the European American people who were called the “white race”. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in time saw and acknowledge the changes that were being made in this Country because of the hard work and the great sacrifices of the civil rights movement. And also because of the hard work and the great sacrifices of the black nationalist movement, if I may include the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who was I think, in the forefront of that kind of movement.
He began to invite us to see the change realities for us in this Country and to welcome good treatment from the European American people and be wise to return the same treatment to them. It should be known also that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, though he did speak very, very firmly and he was very cutting with his words against the “white man's” behavior toward us. And again, I want the “white man” in quotes. He also during all the years that I knew him and that's all my life, he stressed that we shouldn't copy the bad ways of the people who are oppressing us, or mistreating us. That just because they were doing evil by us, meeting out injustice to us.
We should not copy their way but we should remain G-d-fearing people and fair people and have decent, honorable, intelligent behavior. He didn't teach us an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He taught us that G-d's justice will come. G-d's justice will come and that we were to be decent and peace-loving people and only fight, only attack when we ourselves were fought against or when we were attacked.
I'm sure that Honorable Elijah Muhammad was voicing what he had read in the Quran, where Allah the Most High, says to us, "Be not aggressors." We live in changed circumstances. That's the point that we're making now, that we live in changed circumstances for the race. Our race consciousness today is one for the social benefits and a race consciousness that will favor us getting social benefits. When we think of ourselves as a race, we think of ourselves as a social body and we would like to see our race, the African American. We would like to see our race attending the needs of the family and preparing the family for a future and a world that is more affluent than any other that I know. I'm speaking of America now as a nation, the rest of the world is more affluent than any other. A world of plenty, in spite of the bad conditions that we may be suffering in many parts of the Country and many, many unfortunate people groups of people may be suffering, joblessness and other serious material problems. But we have to acknowledge that this is when we look at the entire world, the whole world of people, this is an affluent nation.
We should be thinking of ourselves as a social group when we think of ourselves as a race. We have been poisoned by generations and centuries of racism. And we have to now address the effects of racism on our own behavior and make sure that we are not responding in a way that cripple us as a people. I will go now to a moral issue. Similarly, for us, because of the wickedness of the Caucasian people who were discriminating and segregating and terrorizing African Americans in that ugly back page of our history in America, the moral awareness was confused. I would say it was decided by the moral issues imposed upon us by that treatment we got from the European American people. With that change now, the moral issue is brought home. We now want to look at how we are faring morally and if our own moral attitude, our moral perceptions, and moral behavior are crippling us, depriving us of a good life.
In other words, we are doing what all religions invite their adherence to do and that is first search your own soul. The moral focus now is on our own behavior, rather than on the behavior of other people. And I think if we keep the moral focus on our own behavior, we are certainly going to make improvements because I find that not only ignorance, and not only the absence of job or the absence of decent income, a fair income, hurt the life and the future of people. But perhaps more so than any other thing the incorrect moral perception can hurt people. People can do very evil things in the name of moral righteousness. We seem to think that morality is the same as a consistent term consistent thing for everybody but it's not. We may live in the same house in the same family and one will have one moral perception and other will have another moral perception. They will be living at odds with each other and hurting each other very seriously because they don't see morally the same way. We have to come up with what is intelligent moral thinking, what is G-d's approved moral thinking for us?
G-d has approved a moral thinking for us. And we as religious people should search our religion and determine for ourselves what is hurting us in our moral thinking and improve upon our moral thinking so that our moral behavior will favor us having a stronger and more productive life. At this point, I would like to leave that issue although it's a big issue and I am just saying very few words and making it very brief and go to the material interest.
In the days of the Nation of Islam, we call the full name and it was Lost and found Nation of Islam. That was to distinguish it from the Ummah, the Nation of Islam International, the international body of Muslims all over the world. During the time of the lost found Nation of Islam which is called Nation of Islam, the material interest was also decided by our situation with the European American people with the "white man." Because we had been denied equal opportunity, we had a program of Self Help. And a program of centralized business operations where the headquarters in Chicago was writing the plans for business growth and business interests for all the members in the Nation of Islam as it was called in those days and still now under the Minister Farrakhan.
Because of that, I think were fated to come to the same end that the great and powerful communist world has come to now. But thank G-d we saw early that that centralized concept for business where everything is managed and operated and decided and directed from national office somewhere located in some city in Chicago. This is not to disrespect any of the good intentions and any of the good works of the Nation of Islam. This is just to make a point and just for clarification and to point to a better way. It is not to say that that wasn't the justified way or a good way for the circumstances back then but it is to point to a better way. We realize that by trying to establish an independent system for us within the American system, that we were putting ourselves in a situation to be pointed to as troublemakers as disruptors of the American order. And was justifying the FBI, the CIA, the intelligence department, the local police department to work covertly if not openly against our efforts.
We were troubled and hurt by infiltrators who would come in as believers in the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And would confuse what we were doing and divert our energies and spoil our morals. And it ended in the Nation of Islam, which was at one time, in spite of the strange religious concepts when we think of what the Quran teaches us. It was a religious organization. And people believe in being decent and barely taught each other that that community or that great congregation of Honorable Elijah Muhammad was changed to one that was given an image of black mafia, et cetera et cetera. In certain cities of this nation, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, and even the New York area, even somewhat in Chicago. We were getting the image of the people who are establishing some black mafia organization or something. Now, we are looking at material interest again as a social requirement. We need business in order to have strong families.
We need business to have healthy families. We need business to have self-sustaining neighborhoods. When I say self-sustaining, I mean neighborhoods that don't require any more assistance from the government than the average neighborhood that we will find in the city. We need to have material interests that will dignify us as an ethnic group. We need to think of pouring money into cultural concerns. Not only into business concerns but also into cultural concerns. We need to think about putting more money into education and I mean private education. We believed in private schools under the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and we believe in private schools today. Our interest in our private schools if anything has increased, it has not been diminished by changes in our moral perception. And a change from I would say a nationalistic Islamic idea or movement to Quranic, true Quran and true to the life of the Prophet idea. I thank you very much. I hope that I have made it very clear what those emphases are in the change for us regarding race, moral perception, the moral issue, and material interest.
If I have a few minutes, I think it's very important for us Muslims to always to see our religion correctly. I don't know of any briefer way to do this than to quote our Prophet Muhammad, prayers and peace be upon him. He told us that this religion is structured or built upon five essentials, Buni Al-Islamu ala khamsen. He said these essentials are to witness, openly, to acknowledge openly that there is but one G-d and Muhammad is the Messenger of G-d. That statement is the most important statement of faith that bring all Muslims together in one community of brothers. That statement says perhaps more than meet the eye. For a long time, I heard the declaration of faith, la 'ilaha 'illa Allah Muhammadur rasulullah, there is but one G-d and Muhammad is the messenger of G-d, or G-d's messenger. I just registered as it was said. But then I began to think there are some religions that say, the prophet of G-d is also the “Son of G-d” or “G-d with G-d”.
Our declaration protects us from ever confusing the two. G-d is G-d and Muhammad is His Messenger only, not G-d. The Prophet said that we are to pray. The second of those essentials we are to pray. We know Muslim make salat prayer five times a day. The Prophet says that we are to give in charity to be charitable. As a third essential he said that we are to fast in the month of Ramadan. We fast every year, one month of the year, during the daylight hours. We don't only abstain from water or drink and food; we abstain from sex during the daylight hours and we abstain from anger. If we had a temper, we work hard to keep that temper cool during the daylight hours of fast and we just have an all-around effort to present ourselves in the best way. To ourselves, to our families, to friends, to the public, and most of all to G-d.
The last of those essentials is the Hajj the pilgrimage, that brings Muslims from every corner of the world from all nations from every continent, from all nations where Muslims reside to meet in Mecca, in the holy precincts there at the Masjid al-Haram, the sacred Masjid in the sacred precincts there. And to gather on the Mount ‘Arafat where we get to know you each other and benefit from meeting each other and having interchange with each other. That Hajj symbolizes the importance for us in Al-Islam of seeing ourselves as one people. One people in spite of our different nationalities, our different colors, we are one people. The same thing we advocate for the Muslim perception, we advocate for the perception of all people. We are to see humanity on this earth as one people and G-d says, "And you were once one community." Thank you very much.
Imam Yusuf: Thank you, Imam. You have just been listening to Imam W. Deen Mohammed, Muslim American spokesman for human salvation. And we're sure all of you were enlightened, I certainly was. You didn’t hear us in the background. We wish we could even go further. Now many of you that are a regular listening audience, you aware that this is usually half an hour broadcast, but as we say praise be to Allah, that this morning, it will be one hour. So, please stay tuned and if necessary, those you know that are very interested, you might want to call a few of your relatives or your friends, or other of our Muslim brothers and sisters here. And let them know that we are blessed this morning with having Imam W. Deen Muhammad with us.
Also, with us this morning, we have the Muslim Journal, the weekly publication of our community. We have the Muslim Journal, Washington DC correspondent, sister Amatullah Okakpu. She is going to be at this time giving questions to the Imam, he can make comment, and comment and answer as he sees fit, but while we're doing this, you may still be involved.
You may call this number, naturally is Washington DC, so it's area code 202 if you happen to be in the Maryland area, but its area code 202-432-1450. Will be repeating it occasionally 432-1450. At this time, we will hear some questions from our Muslim journal correspondent sister Amatullah Okakpu.
Amatullah: Bismillahi Rahmanir rahim, with the Merciful Benefactor, the Merciful Redeemer, we ask His blessings upon His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his companions and the prophets all. As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam.
Amatullah: We welcome your brother Imam to be with us in Washington DC. As-Salaam alaykum.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam.
Amatullah: We'd like to thank you for the insight that you just came out, radio listening audience. I wanted to ask a few questions about your visit this past weekend for the Muslim community and people at large. At the first conference of Muslim Imams in North America where you were the keynote speaker at the Banquet. How vital are these types of conferences to the Muslim community? And do you see a direct or indirect impact on the society at large, as a result of them?
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Yes, there are very valuable to us first as Muslims in America, where people are encouraged to speak their own minds and to criticize what's happening in society. Where we have different religious bodies and sometimes hostilities exist in between some of these religious people that are on the different sides of the religion. It is important that we present ourselves make an effort, make a real effort to present ourselves to the American people as we are.
In the past, we have not been situated in terms of our religious interest. We were not situated to really present ourselves as we are. Muslims are brothers of Muslims no matter where they're from, what the color of their skin, we are brothers of Muslims. These conventions are giving us a chance to present ourselves in one focus where outsiders see us altogether as we are and should always be one people, one Muslim community of international members.
I think the value for the public or for the American people at large is to have that cleared in their mind, so they won't be fearing that Muslims are coming here, and they're hostile toward each other. They're subject to have a fight here in this country. See people imagine things, imagination get stretched and they say, "Well, they're not the same as those white Muslims. The black Muslims are different." And they will begin to fear our presence in the country. And I think for a long time our presence was feared in the country, quietly maybe, but some I think they did voice that concern, that Muslims present a problem.
That's being corrected. We hope that the time will come very soon when America will see us as people joining the best efforts of all Americans.
Amatullah: Thank you, brother Imam. One of the issues at the weekend conference was developing the family institution and observing the Islamic Family Law. How important is it for the Muslim community to develop, maintain and preserve their Islamic culture?
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Yes. Again, this is another great importance for us. In our religion, there's a lot of attention given to family. G-d says family relatives, close relatives, the word is translated, close relatives. “And close relatives have a priority in the book of G-d”. This comes in the context of charity and defense of poverty, just sacrifices for causes.
And G-d is telling us that we cannot sacrifice for other causes and leave our families in bad shape, you see. The family is very important for us in this religion. And culture for us brings to mind one in one only concern and that is, that that culture respects the excellence of man, the excellence of human beings. That that culture respects the excellence of human beings.
Our religion has never come to change the culture of any people. But it has come only to compliment the excellence in that culture and to, if anything, enhance the culture, yes. We expect one day soon to have annual celebration, celebrating our African roots, our African past, the contributions of our African ancestry. We will be joining other African nationalist minded people. I think there's going to be a really beautiful cultural day for us in America.
Amatullah: I’m sure it will be. The number again is 432-1450 and you're listening to Imam W. Deen Mohammed. We have a couple of phone calls. I would like to go to the phones if we may. As-Salaam-Alaikum, you're on the air.
Participant: Wa alaykum salaam. I would like to have the Imam comment on a couple of verses from Chapter 7, verse 185 and Chapter 12, verse 111. And also, Chapter 39:23. They are dealing with hadith in the Quran.
Amatullah: Do you have a question?
Participant: Yes. It says in those chapters. It says, “Which hadith besides this do they believe in?" And also, the other Chapter, which id chapter 12 verse 111. It says, "This is not a fabricated hadith. This Quran confirms all previous scriptures that provide the details of everything." And also the next Chapter 39 of Verse 23 and it says, "G-d has revealed the best hadith" Could the Imam comment on these Verses.
Amatullah: Okay. Imam, do you understand what he's asking?
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Yes, I think so. Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Yes, brother, we are aware that the Quran itself is also called Hadith. Haditha means to converse or to narrate or just to speak or to inform by speech. The Quran also is referred to as Hadith in those three places you cited. But we have to be aware also that the reports on what prophet Muhammad, the prayers and peace be on him, said to his companions. And what he said when he was addressing certain concerns and teachings. His life, the conversations that we find in his life are also called the Hadith.
Those conversations, that Hadith that I'm referring to now as a Hadith of the last prophet of G-d, the prayer and the peace be on him. Are the second most important Hadith for us. And we don't refer to the Quran as Hadith, we refer to the Quran as Quran.
Amatullah: For brevity of time, we'd like to ask our callers that they can limit their questions to one. We have one more on the line. As-Salaam-Alaikum, you're on the air.
Aisha Mateen: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam. This is sister Aisha Mateen.
I want to ask brother Imam last year at Washington DC, we're reopening a new school and the new administration. I put in the paper a call for a Moral Conscious Walk. Do you think now is the time since we having so much trouble in the country and all around the world? Is it time for the Muslims to go ahead and have the moral walk, maybe when you come next year for the M.A.C.A fund? That's my question, I'm very nervous on the air.
Amatullah: Your question is can we have more walks?
Aisha Mateen: No. A moral.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: I understand, yes.
Amatullah: Okay.
Aisha Mateen: Is there time now for the Muslims to move ahead because we in such trouble world that we're the ones that have the best books in the best action and the way of doing things, is now time for someone in the right to stand to move ahead and let's take a walk. I was asking the Imam; does he think that the time now for us to go ahead and do that?
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Yes. First, let me correct what you said that I'll be coming next year for the M.A.C.A fund. I don't know of that. I've never heard of that before. I have no plans of coming here for the M.A.C.A fund. The Mecca fund is all over the country and I hope is flowing into our office coming into our office.
Some states we only have four people donating, a big state, the whole state only four people send contributions. In some states, no contributions at all. I do have a concern for that, but I will not come to Washington DC for the M.A.C.A fund. I believe that we can gain a lot. I believe that a moral walk will be very effective. Very effective, I support that.
Amatullah: Thank you. We have another call.
Participant: I have a question for the Imam.
Amatullah: Yes, go ahead you are in the air. Turn your radio down.
Participant: The question I wanted to ask is regarding the responsibility for family members one to another to explained in the Quran.
Amatullah: Okay.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: I'm not sure I understand the question.
Participant: Well, basically regarding relationship treatment between one brother and another brother, the way that they treat each other.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Okay, I'm clear. I just want to make sure I was clear. I wasn't quite clear. I understand what you're asking. Yes, we go to the Quran, the Quran is the authority in our life. The number one authority in the life of a Muslim is the Quran, the Word of G-d to Muhammad the prophet upon him be the prayer and the peace.
We go through the Quran to correct our treatment of each other. And we also go to the teachings of the Prophet, he addressed also those concerns. One of the statements of the Prophet is that the Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. Another one is that the Muslim is a mirror for his brother. Another one is that he said, "You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another." We can go to the Quran but also go to the sayings of the Prophet because we accept both and we consider that they are from G-d, even what the prophet said. We consider that that was inspired by Allah to the prophet. Allah says in the Quran of the Prophet, "You do not speak anything of yourself, but only that that is inspired."
Imam Yusuf: Yes, I am Imam Yusuf Salim. Imam meaning leader of the community, especially in the salat at the masjid. And I feel somewhat compelled with talking to the listening audience. We know they're Muslims as well as people in the broader community listening and I want to respond concerning the Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
As the guest with the M.A.C.A fund, I want to make it clear that Imam W. Deen Muhammad is the Muslim American spokesman for human salvation. He has his ministry and he have his Dawah efforts mean his propagation efforts. You that are listening, I'm serious, you may be a church, you may be a synagogue, you may be a neighborhood association, you are free and we encourage you to invite the Imam in his Dawah efforts to come and address you and speak to certain concerns.
Now, in Muslim communities, the essential activity or focal point is usually the Masjid. But the person that is speaking you this morning, he is not part of the administration of the local Masjid here. The person in charge of administration is speaking to you now and that is Imam Yusuf Salim. And certainly, I have a made statements that we plan on inviting the Imam and that will be our responsibility as community members here. But he is not a part of the administration here locally or anywhere locally.
He has his ministry and you can read more about this and hear him again every week. We have a Muslim journal, and we are blessed to feature where he has made speaking engagements and we have some of the timely topics. And also, we have this broadcast here that we share with you each and every Sunday morning. I hope I brought clarity and not confusion. Thank you.
Amatullah: Okay. We have more call on the line we like to go to. As-Salaam-Alaikum, you're on the air. Are you there?
Participant: Can you hear me?
Amatullah: Yes.
Abdullah: As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Amatullah: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam.
Abdullah: This is brother Sultan Muhammad Abdullah.
Amatullah: As-Salaam-Alaikum. Could you please turn your radio down?
Abdullah: Good, I just wanted to call and give our Imam W. Deen Mohammad the greetings from my wife and from DVTT.
Iman W. Deen Mohammed: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam Brother Sultan Muhammad, good to hear your voice and I plan to visit your store there and you have to treat me as a customer now, I like to buy something.
Abdullah: When do you come on again.
Iman W. Deen Mohammed: I hope I'll be back in the city Soon. Sultan Abdullah, so pardon me, yes. I'll be in the city soon and I'll have you contacted by Imam Salim.
Abdullah: It will be our honor and our pleasure. We want you to know that we support you.
Amatullah: Thank you, brother Sultan Abdullah. The number is 432-1450. We have another call on the line. As-Salaam-Alaikum, you're on the air.
Participant: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam. Can't hear you that well, but if I'm on air, I have a question. As-Salaam-Alaikum the Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
IWDM: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam.
Participant: Some Muslims are in the area I come in contact with feels that you identify too closely with America or George Bush. And think also they have the wrong idea that you support everything that George Bush does or that the American government does. I'd like for you to respond to that if you would, please.
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Yes. I have said that it is important for us to realize that we are citizens of this country, and to realize that in order to get the benefits that are do us as citizens of this country, we have to claim something. I think the more we claim, the better our situation is, and I claim as much as any American citizen claim.
I claim the whole. Where ever there is for our citizens in America, I make the same claim. To do that, I can't just point to the things that I'm displeased with in the life of this country. I must also point to things and it's more important for me to talk to things I'm pleased with. I think we do too much tearing down and not enough building up. If I'm on record for being a goody goody, who loves America, and loves our presidents, or support our president, then I'll just have to suffer that.
Amatullah: Thank you for your question. The number is 4321450. We have a number of calls are flashing here. We'd like for you to be a little brief, but continue to bring the calls in. As-Salaam-Alaikum, you're on the air.
Participant: Good morning.
Amatullah: Good morning, sir.
Participant: I would like to integrate into that phone like to Imam W Deen Mohammed and also to Imam Salim, to yourself and all those gathered at the radio station.
Amatullah: Could you turn your radio down, please.
Participant: Yes, I did.
Iman W. Deen Mohammed: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam.
Participant: Brother Imam, as usual, it’s always a pleasure to speak to you and have you here in Washington. As you know, most of the inner cities around the country we are suffering from a blight of crack cocaine and murder among young black or African American kids.
It seems to be almost a plague like and it's very difficult for us to reach to the kids and talking to them all of my life. But they all seem to have the same mindset about getting money any way they can get it and then necessary consequences that come for that type of life. We're just looking for whatever strategy so directions that you may be thinking about to address that and once again give you the greetings As-Salaam-Alaikum.
Iman W. Deen Mohammed: Wa-Alaikum-as-Salaam. Yes. I feel very good to say to you that we do have Imams that are joining the efforts to address the problem of destruction in the life of our young men, destruction by drugs and violence. Last night at the convention was hosted by Rabita, World Muslim League. One of the African American Imam, his name is Surat Wa-Hajj. He was cited for his bravery and for his great sacrifices to meet the drug dealers and to meet the problems of drugs and violence in his city.
We have Imam in Dallas and also Imam here Washington DC, that were on national news for their bravery to get out and meet the evils of drugs and violence in our cities. I'm not saying that we satisfied with what we're doing, but I'm saying that we are very pleased that we do have Imams and Muslims on the front line of the war against drugs in destruction in the life of our youth.
Imam Salim: I like to add if I may, I like to add something on another side of that. And I know I've mentioned to our believers here. And that is we should also offer alternatives. Sometimes all of that’s available is the sport life and the drug of life. We should also work diligently with efforts, organizations that are already established in our communities. Volunteering as parents, volunteering as men and women. Some of us with rich skills and background to offer other alternatives to them, getting the seniors.
Those are some which resources are pioneers and seniors and our neighborhood. We should solicit, their help also to offer other alternatives to the youth and let them see another way. Thank you.
Amatullah: Yes, that was one of my questions in this city and others they're beginning to have mentor programs where professional African American men are helping the young male child to get a better start in life at a young age. Also, there are many citizens young and old, are volunteering their services to help. Do you see these types of programs as being effective in the long run?
Iman W. Deen Muhammad: Well, certainly, certainly they effective. I think the most effective help that we can give our youth is to give them a better environment at home. We give them a better environment at home. I think we will be doing our best. Not that we should not be organizing the neighborhoods and supporting efforts of government, also government making efforts to fight drugs and violence and all of us citizens should support all of these big efforts. But I think really, the biggest effort is the effort that we can make at home.
It is important that the young men see the male, the adult male in the family, the father as the most effective one, but if not the father, the adult male in the family.


