truly understood something Mr. Muhammad had told me: he claimed that when he was going
through the sacrificial trials of fleeing the black hypocrites from city to city, Allah had often sent
him visions of great audiences who would one day hear the teachings; and Mr. Muhammad said
the visions also buoyed him when he was locked up for years in the white man's prison.
The great audience's restless whisperings would cease....
At the microphone would be the Nation's National Secretary John Ali, or the Boston Temple
Minister Louis X. They enlivened the all-black atmosphere, speaking of the new world open to the
black man through the Nation of Islam. Sister Tynetta Dynear would speak beautifully of the
Muslim women's powerful, vital contributions, of the Muslim women's roles in our Nation's efforts
to raise the physical, mental, moral, social, and political condition of America's black people.
Next, I would come to the microphone, specifically to condition the audienceto hear Mr.
Muhammad, who had flown from Chicago to teach us all in person.
I would raise up my hand, "As-Salaikum-Salaam-"
"Wa-Alaikum-Salaam!" It was a roared response from the great audience's Muslim seating
section.
There was a general pattern that I would follow on these occasions:
"My black brothers and sisters-of all religious beliefs, or of no religious beliefs-we all have in
common the greatest binding tie we could have... we all are black people!
"I'm not going to take all day telling you some of the greatnesses of The Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. I'm just going to tell you now his greatest greatness! He is the first, the only
black leader to identify, to you and me, who is our enemy!
"The Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the first black leader among us with the courage to tell usout
here in public-something which when you begin to think of it back in your homes, you will
realize we black people have been living with, we have been seeing, we have been
suffering, all of our lives!
"Our enemy is the white man!
"And why is Mr. Muhammad's teaching us this such a great thing? Because when you know
who your enemy is, he can no longer keep you divided, and fighting, one brother against the
other! Because when you recognize who your enemy is, he can no longer use trickery, promises,
lies, hypocrisy, and his evil acts to keep you deaf, dumb, and blinded!
"When you recognize who your enemy is, he can no longer brainwash you, he can no longer
pull wool over your eyes so that you never stop to see that you are living in pure hell on this
earth, while he lives in pure heaven right on this same earth!-This enemy who tells you that you
are both supposed to be worshiping the same white Christian God that-you are told-stands for the
same things for all men!
"Oh, yes, that devil is our enemy. I'll prove it! Pick up any daily newspaper! Read the false
charges leveled against our beloved religious leader. It only points up the fact that the Caucasian
race never wants any black man who is not their puppet or parrot to speak for our people. This
Caucasian devil slavemaster does not want or trust us to leave him-yet when we stay here
among him, he continues to keep us at the very lowest level of his society!
"The white man has always loved it when he could keep us black men tucked away
somewhere, always out of sight, around the comer! The white man has always loved the kind
of black leaders whom he could ask, 'Well, how's things with your people up there?' But because
Mr. Elijah Muhammad takes an uncompromising stand with the white man, the white man
hates him! When you hear the white man hate him, you, too, because you don't understand
Biblical prophecy, wrongly label Mr. Muhammad-as a racist, a hate-teacher, or of being anti-white
and teaching black supremacy-"
The audience suddenly would begin a rustling of turning....
Mr. Muhammad would be rapidly moving along up a center aisle from the rear-as once he had
entered our humble little mosques-this man whom we regarded as Islam's gentle, meek, brownskinned
Lamb. Stalwart, striding, close-cropped, hand-picked Fruit of Islam guards were a circle
surrounding him. He carried his Holy Bible, his holy Quran. The small, dark pillbox atophis head
was gold-embroidered with Islam's flag, the sun, moon, and stars. The Muslims were crying out
darsice
(darsice)
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