05/27/1984
IWDM Study Library
Press Conference
New York

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
[background noise]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: I appreciate you all having patience with us. We got up a little bit early this morning and tried to get a little nap and must have napped too long. [laughs]
Participant: Brother Imam would you give us your comments on the publication that we're here to release today?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, sir. The new publication Imam W. Deen Mohammed speaks from Harlem, it contained excerpts that we felt would be desired for not only the Muslim community but also the outer community. We call it the Imam speaks from Harlem because we're aware of the spiritual mood in Harlem and the interest in the well-being of Black people as such in New York area, especially in Harlem.
We feel that these excerpts from the book would be good for the outer community as well as the Muslim community because of that. We address many different topics here. What this represents really is the first collection from these speeches that we had made in Harlem. We hope to follow with book two and have several publications.
Participant: We asked the question [inaudible 00:02:04] overly Christian [inaudible 00:02:22] how you look at the coming presidential election in [inaudible 00:02:33]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: I recognized a certain trend that seems to be very strong today. I think that we have to respect those major trends. We might see them as the trends that the conservative Americans would support. I feel that these major trends have given new opportunities to us. Such trends as a new emphasis now on ethnic groups all being included in the American society and all being dependent on for the well-being and (unclear) and progress of the American society.
We have the Hispanic population increasing in number, becoming a very large minority now. They say soon perhaps will be equal or bigger than the African American minority. It seems to be this major trend that's asking more of individuals and ethnic groups or individual communities such as the Black community, the Hispanic community and other communities. I think that the president that is elected for the coming term should be a president that recognizes major trends and will show leadership.
At least indicating his recognition and giving some kind of spiritual support for this new kind of trend that we see in American life today. I believe the present leader we have in the White House, Mr. Ronald Reagan, the President, I believe that because of him being a conservative, he would support this new major trend that we find now setting patterns for the future of American society.
I don't know if Mondale or the Reverent Jesse Jackson have given this idea serious thought. But I do know that the Reverend Jesse Jackson in his home-base town in Chicago, he does address the Black community, and he addresses the need in the Black community to be more responsible. More responsive to Black needs and more responsible as a Black community.
However, I think that he plays too much, or he gives too much attention to international issues. For example, here recently, I saw him on the news, and he was expressing concern for developments in South America. I guess he feels that as a president, he has to address these international concerns.
I would feel that an African American, aspiring for the presidency of the United States at this particular time, would receive greatest attention and perhaps much more respect from the general population of the American people if he would address the infrastructure and internal needs of our minority community neighborhoods such as the Black, what we call ghetto, Black ghettos throughout America.
If he would address these communities and the community neglect that we still have, while at the same time encouraging more support from the country that is from the president, whoever the president would be, and from the federal government, more support for needed social programs. But I don't think that should be the major emphasis now. I think the major emphasis now should be on getting more productivity and more responsibility on the part of the individual community. I'm not in a position to endorse any candidate at this time, and I doubt if I'll endorse any candidate myself.
Participant: [inaudible 00:08:11] 
Imam W.D. Mohammed: No, it's not the policy of the organization. The policy of observation is to lend its support to all healthy and, I would say, popular, healthy and popular developments in our country. Any representative who's seeking election, if he indicates to us in his campaign and from the study of him, his background, that he wants to see the whole of America go forward and be healthy, we would like to endorse him.
It's not our policy not to endorse. No, we do endorse. I endorsed the mayor, the present mayor of Chicago and sought to get members of our community to help him in his campaign. I also endorsed the former president, Jimmy Carter. We supported him as much as we could. So we will endorse but at the present time, I feel I'm more committed to demonstrating principle right now as an African American person.
Because I feel that that's the urgent need in the African American community. The need is for us to demonstrate principle and not just moral sentiments or emotional sentiments. There is a need to demonstrate principle. If I see that the personality, whether it be Mondale or the Reverend Jesse Jackson, if I see that a personality is not strong enough or is not committed enough to certain principles, in order for that demonstration of support for principles to be seen and understood, the person who is campaigning or the person who is vying for the office of president, he should himself reflect those principles. He should be addressing certain concerns or national concerns, whatever, from a sense of obligation to principle. I don't see that enough in the Democratic leadership right now.
Participant: John David from the Village Voice. What do you call those principles which [inaudible 00:11:06]? What are those principles that you think should be governing someone who inspires to lead the nation?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Moral life. It covers the whole life. When we speak of such issues as the need for more jobs so that more people be employed. Now, we will interpret that as a moral issue, but that is basically an economic issue. I don't see enough concern for purely moral issues. I know that President Carter, he was a man that was, I believe, very morally sensitive and when he addressed the need for support in the international world, overseas, etc, for human life and respect for the will of people to decide their own direction.
When he expressed all that, it was obvious to me, and I believe to most Americans, that he was coming from a moral awareness, a moral consciousness, a moral makeup, a moral consciousness. I don't see in Mondale or in the Reverend Jesse Jackson, that moral commitment, sense of moral need right now for the American people, American society, a sense of moral commitment? I don't sense that when I'm hearing them and looking at them.
I believe that moral courage is lacking, very seriously lacking in America. Not in the candidates only, in America today. Moral courage is very seriously lacking. I would hope that African Americans could stand up and speak with moral authority, with moral courage and say, "Look, the most serious problem Back Americans have is moral neglect in their life. That's the most serious problem we have. Money is serious, job needs are very serious, but the most serious problem we have now is the lack of moral courage in the Black community. I believe it's the same for the whole of America.
Participant: What you said in your [inaudible 00:14:08] a moral construct for fundamental moral base and a concern to be raised by Mondale or Jackson. How do you explain the Jackson, Mondale world view as opposed to Ronald Reagan? [inaudible 00:14:32] that they are more morally stable. For example, their opposition is that the United States in sending more of its people on [inaudible 00:14:42] and they're urging the United States to spend more to ease world hunger. How do you think that that's not morally [inaudible 00:14:50]? Conversely, Ronald Reagan is one who wants to build MX missile or Trident submarines. How do you think that that is in fact morally [unintelligible 00:15:01] than their concern about the [inaudible 00:15:05]?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: If we were just starting out to extend the hand of charity and support to the third world or developing world's needy population, my feeling and attitude will be different, but we are not just starting out. A lot of money, American's money, taxpayer's money. Billions of dollars have already been spent by Democrats and Republicans, mostly by Democrat democratic, a democratic leadership, that is, in the White House to relieve suffering in the impoverished quarters of our globe.
We know what has happened. The same thing has happened overseas that has happened at home. The money has not been appreciated. There has been hypocrisy, I believe, on both the part of the government and private sector that was benefiting from that support. The same kind of corruption we've seen in the welfare system exists overseas, and perhaps worse than what we've had in America where regimes pretend to be interested in the humanity of their nations interested in human development of their nations have only used assistance from the United States to really secure their position, their dictatorship, their positions over their people.
If we really study the development behind the American assistance to these countries, I'm not saying it should stop, but I agree that more control is needed. The hands shouldn't be so free and so open now. We should carefully select people that we get our support overseas. The same kind of caution has to be used at home too. We just shouldn't give money to anybody and give money to any need that cries, but we should carefully select persons who will be responsible, and give money to real need, and give it with a sense of moral commitment.
I feel that on the government's side, a lot of this money has been given but not with a sense of moral commitment. I believe that it was given by some elements in government with the hope that this money would spoil these people. I know that many of us have been spoiled by these gifts. I'm not pleased with it at all.
Now, when it comes to the two, Mondale and the Reverend Jesse Jackson as seen when we look at what President Reagan represents, I know there's a problem deciding or agreeing that the President represents a stronger moral sense or stronger moral direction than the other two candidates.
What I am aware of is this, that President Reagan as a Republican and as a president who senses the need to make the country strong again, that he is committed to big business. He's committed to big business, but at the same time, we have to be aware that there's only so much that the government can do morally for the citizens and spiritually for the citizens.
I agree with the President, that the President's hands are somewhat tied when it comes to correcting the moral life of the citizens, but as the president, he can himself show principle and take certain positions based upon the principle that amounts to an attitude on the on his part. That attitude will then be seen in the private sector as a sanction for their have better aspirations, for their aspirations to help each other, to work with each other. I think what the Republicans are saying is that we would like to see more charity coming from the private sector to the private sector and more concern coming from the private sector to the weak members or the weak communities of the private sector.
I believe that. I believe that government has become too big and it has gone out too far to try to solve all the problems of the American people. I believe that when it comes to the moral needs of American people, and certain non-governmental needs in the life of American people, I think the government should only stand upon principle to establish itself as being for that principle, being supportive of that as a principle, but not actually accepting that government should now get involved and take upon itself responsibility for carrying out or for working out a program to solve those problems in the private sector.
I believe those problems are problems that are basically problems for the private sector not for the federal government. I know I sound very Republican perhaps right now, but don't think that I'm Republican, I'm not. I'm not Republican. I don't think I'm Democratic or Republican. I'm something in between. I think most Americans should be something in between right now.
Participant: [inaudible 00:21:48] 
Imam W.D. Mohammed: No, that's another one of those, in fact, that's the same concern that I mentioned early earlier, that I believe that should receive less attention now. More attention should be given to the needs-- Well, there is a problem. I recognize a problem and I think it's a traditional one out of the force of habit. We tend to argue too much. I think the Freedom Movement have come under the gravity of that tendency just to argue. If we can get to constructive work and call the people to constructive work, I believe because of the nature of the globe now in this day and time, we live in a global community that is one for the first time perhaps in the history of man.
We can watch television, look at the television and see the whole globe. Satellites out there bring man into one living room. You can't have that arbitrary power and arbitrary decision on the part of races neither on the part of the nations. Everybody has to accept each other as members with full rights to life on this planet and try to work together. I think if we encourage now more responsibility because the earth is too populated, life is too complex for us to just cry and say, "Well, where's papa? Where's Papa? Who's in charge?" We can't look so much outside of ourselves now for supervision in our lives.
The world has just become too difficult because of this complexity of life and the heavy increased population on this earth. Either the population is going to be eliminated because of inability to cope with this new life and this new heavy responsibility that's on life or we are going to have responsible leadership for our communities. I'm not talking about racism now because racism to me is, is gone. That's a thing of the past. Anyone who's a racist today, he's an alien.
He's doesn't belong here with that, he's an alien. Likewise for nationalism. Anyone who adheres fanatically to a nationalism today, he's out of date. The earth, the nature of the earth today just won't allow these narrow views and single authority. Farrakhan, he represents the Nation of Islam. If you have been listening to what he's been saying lately, he's showing a new direction or at least a willingness to open up.
I don't think you'll find any blacks that have been any more narrow and any more alone or isolated in their world than the members of the Nation of Islam, under the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. I think this should be a sign to the rest of the world that the Nation of Islam, forced to come out of its narrow view and think in much broader terms. Once Farrakhan realized that he can't solve the problem for the world and all the problems for himself as an arbitrary authority I think he'll be all right.
I think all of us would be better off if we recognize that. I think the president of the United States if he doesn't recognize that the country's going to be in trouble too. We have to recognize that all these nations, all these societies have equal rights on this planet and the earth has gotten too small and we're crowding it on each other. We have to clean up, straighten up, it's the only way.
Participant: [inaudible 00:26:25] Now the presidential campaign will soon be over, [inaudible 00:26:39] what type of coalition [inaudible 00:26:41].
Imam W.D. Mohammed: There's a great need for it. There's need for communication between or among groups. There's a writer. His name is John. He wrote a book on 10 major trends now that he sees shaping the future of America. This writer, he says that in the future, there is going to be a development toward ethnicity or ethnic groups will become stronger and more conscious, ethnic groups. At the same time, a movement a development also towards individualism. He sees two trends that seem to oppose each other that are going to be growing at the same time. I believe that. I believe that he has accurately described what is developing and what's going to be a major trend in the future.
I think that a coalition is very much needed, but I would like to see a coalition, not just for Blacks, but a coalition of those minorities that make up any immediate area. Like in New York here, you have different minority groups. There should be a coalition of these minorities where their leaders can come together and exchange views and address common problems. I see that development for the African American people and I've been told that the old ideas, some of the old ideas of the Nation of Islam are being seriously considered that Blacks from Christian society and also Farrakhan's people on the Muslim side are now talking about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's Program of Economic Development and unity for the Black man.
Now, I don't know if it's done and if it's done in the right way it will be healthy and good for us. I would like to be a part of that coalition. If it's based upon a desire for recognition as Black people, it's not going to succeed. It's not going to be successful. I know that's a need in us, but that's a need that should be taken care of with different kinds of remedies. I don't think we should use the stage or television or public audience to vent emotions and frustrations that are best-taken care of outside of the world view and outside of the public view.
When we come before America we should come before America not to be recognized as Black. I think that has hurt us. We should come before America to say to America, "If we're not ready now we hope to be ready to carry our responsibility, our shared responsibility for the well being and strength and growth of this nation. I think we should come before America to promote political progress, economic progress a strong America as Americans. Not just to get recognition to ourselves. In other words, we've been moaning too long. It said that people are moaning and groaning in the wilderness. They wanted a liberator.
Well, I think we've come out of that time now. We don't need the mourn and groan any more and we don't need a liberator that will have Pharoah change his heart. I don't think we need that any more.
Participant: [inaudible 00:31:44] As we all know Mr Farrakhan has given his point around the [unintelligible 00:31:50] and justified the fact that we might have difficulties in the past. Right across United States all sections related with that [inaudible 00:32:04] community leaders. Have come out in support of Reverend Jackson. The Black race and people of color.
I think they did this because the type of work that Reverend Jackson is doing is, in fact, good for the American people, good for America. By not giving Reverend Jackson your support, are you saying in fact, that you do not believe that what Reverend Jackson is doing is not good for America, for the American people?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: At certain times, a thing can be good. A lot of things are good for us. I'm looking at not just what-- I'm not looking at what he's advocating for right now only. I'm looking at the spirit of his campaign. The spirit of Reverend Jesse Jackson's campaign and the emotional signals that comes with his campaign. I'm looking at what the effect of that is on the situation of African Americans today, now.
When I look at that, I find that it feeds, his campaign seems to feed blind direction. What do I mean by blind direction? Emotional, excessive emotionalism and excessive concern for blacks. I'm aware too that his campaign says to the American population. All America. The strongest urge in African American people is the urge to be recognized as blacks. Because if you would talk to, as you perhaps have, I believe you have, if you would talk to any average African Americans seriously about the Reverend Jesse Jackson worth us as president of the United States. I believe they will tell you that his worth to us is his, I would say being a part of us.
Knowing our problems, sensing our problems, being a part of us, having walked with us, having been a leader in the civil rights movement et cetera et cetera. He's a man that carries black American's hearts and black Americans sensitivities. I believe that's his worth to us. Well, what is his worth to the United States of America? What is his worth to all the people of America? I don't believe the problem for all the people of America-- As black people, we have to be willing, if we're going to have a black man go forward as president of this United States, we have to be willing to have that black man represent all the people of the United States. Not just us, you can't represent yourself.
He has to represent all the people of the United States. He has to represent what is the greatest needs, what are the main issues the greatest issues for all Americans. What's the main need for all Americans. And if that so happens to be our needs, great. But I don't think so. I think now all America-- In fact most Americans now they're not as inclined to give an ear to the complaints of African Americans as they were perhaps 10 years ago or five years ago or maybe even two years ago.
We find that most Americans now are looking at us and say, "Well, that's their habit." They're looking at us as people who are got up that have a habit. "Well, that's their habit." They might even cheer us but they're not going to go with us. They're not going to help us. They're not going to support us. You watch and see, when the elections come you're going to find that a lot of the support that has gone with Reverend Jesse Jackson is going to desert him. They're going to desert him. The more serious it gets the more people are going to drop out. They're not going to support him.
It's simply because he's addressing issues in the spirit of the past. He's addressing things that are really not the major problems. The major problem is now is not feeding hungry people. I would say this, I have to agree with him that too much money is spent on hardware and throwing objects up in the space. I agree with that but we shouldn't say that money ought to come to poor people.
No, a lot of that money should come-- In fact, the money even shouldn't be there. They shouldn't have all that money to spend. The federal government shouldn't have that much money to spend. That's my feeling. If more of that money was left to the private sector, we'd have a stronger private sector. It shouldn't tax that much. The federal government shouldn't be taxing that much.
We have a lot of problems. I can't say to you that I'm against. No, I'm not against, but I can't be for simply because I think to be for now will not give me an opportunity to demonstrate what I think should be demonstrated now. That is that moral directions, moral commitment, practical, practical solutions are more important than or race anything else right now.
Participant: You indicated that many of the African American politicians today are just preachers. That they're willing to go back [inaudible 00:38:42] In terms of that or do you see you're efforts in terms of the series of political awareness seminar across the United States, do you see that as an effort to correct the situation in African American politics or African American representation in politics?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, I was speaking from an experience really that I had in my own neighborhood in Chicago. Last year and again this year, a group of whites represents the products and religion. They've been coming into our neighborhood seeking to convert people to their religion. I learned from one of the person's in my neighborhood who had been talking to these people that they explained their presence in the black community as a need because churches have left their responsibility.
Churches have left their traditional and historic role and responsibility, and I believe that. I agree with that. Most churches especially in minority communities, they have left the purity of their religion, the purity of their life, the major spirit and drive in their religion, they have left that. What they are doing, they are just trying to remain current, whatever is current. If it's Michael Jackson, they get up there and preach Michael Jackson. Whatever happens, to be on the minds of the people at the time, they seem to be giving themselves to these changing winds instead of following a set direction that their scripture had established for them or their church has established for them.
When I look at the preachers, I see in them a likeness to the politicians and I say, "Look at this preacher now, he looks like a politician." Then I say, "It's not the preacher looking like a politician, it must be the politician resembling the preacher". The civil rights movement, it has mostly been led by leaders of the church and I think that's because, I think it was E. Franklin Frazier who said that the church was our first institution and at one time, he said it was the only institution that blacks have and it has had to address all of our needs and all of our concerns and the leadership that came out of there now is seen everywhere.
In the Congress, in more towns, wherever we go, you see the influence. I'm wondering if the Jewish people-- I think we can learn a lot from history. The Jewish people in arguing their cause, they became fixated, giving to just arguing their cause. You can get in a groove and you lose sense of what's happening outside of you. Conditions outside of you can be changing and you don't recognize it, you're just in that groove. When I say that our politicians need to go to the seminary so they can be educated, I mean that something has happened in America that has taken the church off its course and off its pure base.
At the same time, the political leadership we have, it has to be aware that it has got into a groove and it is arguing perhaps out of the force of habit, just arguing more than it is interpreting the situation and I will say forming direction upon clear-sighted interpretations. I don't see enough of that. A lot of things, I say, I'd be in the spirit too sometimes.
Participant: Speaking of the group, the black community has been [unintelligible 00:43:45] freedom grove for a long time and we have come to expect the black community [unintelligible 00:43:51] the leaders speaking about it basically to the short-range solutions within the [unintelligible 00:43:58] and the emotions of the people. You are a leader in the African American community and based on what I have heard of you, refuse to participate and you being effective and not [unintelligible 00:44:12] and be an African American leader.
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, sir, Mr. Brown, I'm convinced I can. If my congregation was getting smaller, perhaps I'd rethink.
[laughter]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: I'm convinced I can. They say that children-- I don't want to give anybody the idea that I look at American people as children. Because I'm a man who believes that much of our problems that we have exist because we don't recognize that the American common man has really grown up and matured and I think that we need much more respect on the part of leadership, everywhere for the worth of the common man today in American but at the same time, I'm aware of a certain psychology and I know that all of us have a bit of child in us. The child never completely goes away.
The older person or the newer person just dominates that more but that child is still there. They say children sometimes make unnecessary noise and fuss and cause destruction because their [sound cut]. This is a hunger that is in the African American people too. Under the white man, the slavery and for many many decades after slavery, we could not exercise a sense of authority. Now we have problems that doesn't require legislation in order for us to solve them. These are problems that a community of people or a coalition of people for the black community can solve but we have to do it with more courage. We have to do it with a sense of direction. We have to do it with a desire to give up control.
Give up authority over people. To me, this is moral courage. If I have the moral courage, the moral sense to see that if Wallace exercise too much authority in the life of his community and if the people see him as being too important to them in their life, that's going to hurt them.
They have to see that really Wallace, if he is a good leader, he represents their better aspiration and he represents their will, their better will, and their courage. He should only speak for the good of his whole community and should influence his community to take on more responsibility. More responsibility in the international, in the bigger scene whether it's the nation we call the United States or in international where more responsibility in the bigger scene as a group and more responsibility in the smaller scene as individuals to encourage them and inspire them towards what they're now calling the participatory democracy. I advocate that for our community, the Muslim community.
If we want to be true to our Islamic religion, we'll have to go on to grow into a participatory democracy where individuals will have more responsibility and because of them having and accepting more responsibility, the will have more dignity and a greater sense of value and purpose on this earth. That's the way I see it and I think that has paid off for me. I don't think it's hurting me. I don't go with the trend.
Participant: [inaudible 00:48:11]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: No, not exactly. This is for [unintelligible 00:48:16] Rashid.
[laughter]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: I hope he's a good monitor for the rest of us. No. This book is not addressing all those concerns but some of those concerns I address, - I believe the spirit of this book-- Wouldn't you say so?
Participant: [unintelligible 00:48:48] has brought more problems in that community [unintelligible 00:48:53]. Farrakhan's endorsement seems to have gotten more Muslims involved with the process. Do you encourage that and do you encourage Muslims to [inaudible 00:49:12] more often and proactively?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, sir, I do. We do. Yes, sir, we do encourage that. While we have misgivings and complaints, misgivings because Farrakhan represents something that G-d has blessed us to overcome. We believe that he is changing. We believe that he's changing. We believe that perhaps he has the same interest that we have. We're not sure. He may even have our interest. His process is too slow and his desire to keep everybody comfortable on that extremist side is not good for even those extremists, that's my opinion you see. Don't think that my position means that nothing is good is coming out it, a lot of good is coming out of it. I do believe that the Reverend Jesse Jackson's campaign is giving us a lot of pluses. If we can harness this energy and direct it constructively and if after the election, as the gentleman said. If after the election we can get together again and say now look at this consciousness, look at this race consciousness we have. Look at this new opportunity for black people to do things together and say now let's direct it in the proper way so that we really make some progress in areas that have been neglected.
Farrakhan, he advocates economic development, economic progress. I think he said he's going to build a plant in Gary for processing fish that's going to be brought over from overseas or somewhere, maybe from Peru or somewhere. Nation of Islam is going to get it from Peru. I don't know where but he said he's going to bring fish and he said they are going to do the processing there and everything. That will be good for Gary, that's good for the black people of Gary. That's good for the mayor, the black mayor of Gary, that's very good for them. If we can come together after the election and harness this great energy and this great heightened consciousness that the Reverend Jesse campaign has brought about, then I would say we really got some out of it. And I hope that's what will happen.
Moderator: [unintelligible 00:51:47] there's just going to be each a question in the [inaudible 00:51:50], get some answers. 
Imam W.D. Mohammed: All right.
Participant: In light of what you just said on [inaudible 00:51:56].
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, I would but I think if I ran for any office, it would be obvious that I'm coming from a strong moral base. I'm not saying that a president should get up and wave moral banners saying I'm a moral man, no. He should address real problems in the life of the American people. It should be obvious that he's coming from a real moral base. That way of just speaking in the spirit of the people at the time and trying to please the greatest number so you can get the greatest number to vote for you, to endorse you, that's hurting the country. I think there is a bit of demagoguery on the part of most of our leaders, most of our American leaders, the political leaders.
Where they're saying, "How can I get these people to back me?" If I look at the American people and say, "How can I get the American people to back me? Okay, I'm going to put that first and morals second." I like to use the Bible because I think there's a lot of wisdom that we need in these holy books that's older than the politics of our nation [laughs]. A great man, a great leader in the Bible, he said, "Woe is me when everybody should praise me." Believe me, I'm aware that I have really taken a great risk in voicing negative feelings about the campaign of Reverend Jesse Jackson. I know I stand to have the rage of my people come against me. I do it with that recognition that woe is me when everybody should praise me.
[laughter]
Moderator: [unintelligible 00:54:12] tackle two more questions. [inaudible 00:54:14]
Participant: [unintelligible 00:54:18] Recently a Muslim ran for [unintelligible 00:54:26] but recently a Muslim ran for office. When I stood for president 14,000 students and he ran on a moral basis and he ran as a Muslim. He won by an overwhelming majority, Elijah Muhammad [unintelligible 00:54:45].
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, congratulations.
Participant: Now what's happened is that I don't think and I'm not sure but I don't think that as a Muslim he would have been able to win in the '60s. My question to you is what's the difference between a Muslim in the '60s and a Muslim now in the '80s? [inaudible 00:55:04].
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes. The Muslim in the '60s, he was more nationalistic. The Muslim in the '80s is more universal. The Muslim now is more universal, Muslim in the '60s, nationalistic. When we think of nation, especially when we consider ourselves not, if the legal doors have been open, we still consider ourselves not quite welcome into America by many Americans, by a great number of American people. If we're going to deal with that problem and change the attitude of those Americans. After all, the federal government and legislation, it has practically all it can do to change the attitude of Americans towards each other.
If we want to get over now, if we're going to get by that, it's going to have to be with a universal spirit rather than a nationalistic spirit. That's what's going to make more Americans feel comfortable with us. It's naturalist to go back to Africa, that's natural for us, not quite being in America yet [chuckles].
Participant: I don't have anything to do with [unintelligible 00:56:31] but I have a question that's somewhat [unintelligible 00:56:36] to me. You made reference to clergymen preaching Michael Jackson and that's what the people want to hear. What are your observations about Farrakhan's observations about Michael Jackson?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Well, I don't think he had any observations at all. I don't think he observed that Michael Jackson was hot, he's in the news. That anybody who said something about Michael Jackson might get into the news.
[laughter]
[background conversations]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: Yes, I know what he's experiencing.
[laughter]
Imam W.D. Mohammed: We understood each other.
[laughter]
Participant: There are some who even suggest that your campaign includes the strategy prior to the convention to [unintelligible 00:57:40] change direction of and then have some type of bargaining power with the "black voters." Now that said, you tend to lend yourself to support prior to the primary. With your position now that you will not endorse him at this particular point, do you plan on any type of endorsement prior to the primary?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: No, I don't but I do recognize that the Reverend Jesse Jackson, he's a very able person, a true person. I do see him working strategies. He's working strategies to help a lot of situations that need help. I recognize that and we give him credit for that.
Participant: Will you make any endorsements in favor of the Reverend before November?
Imam W.D. Mohammed: I don't think so unless G-d shows us something he hasn't shown us yet.
[laughter]
Participant: Thank you very much.
[00:58:50] [END OF AUDIO]

