Editing Louis Farrakhan (section)

== Views ==
Farrakhan has been the center of much controversy with critics saying that his political views and comments are [[antisemitic]] or [[racism|racist]].<ref>{{Cite web |first = Charles|last = Bierbauer|title = Million Man March: Its goal more widely accepted than its leader|url = http://cnn.com/US/9510/megamarch/10-17/notebook|publisher = CNN|date = October 17, 1995|journal = |access-date = July 19, 2007|archive-date = February 21, 1999|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990221011152/http://cnn.com/US/9510/megamarch/10-17/notebook/|url-status = dead}}</ref> Farrakhan has categorically denied these charges<ref>Nation of Islam condemns {{Sic|hide=y|politically|-}}motivated charges of racism {{cite web |url=http://www.noi.org/statements/rift/default.htm |title=Farrakhan and the Jewish Rift; A Historic Reference |access-date=September 6, 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819173056/http://www.noi.org/statements/rift/default.htm |archive-date=August 19, 2007}}, ''Nation of Islam Statements'', October 7, 2000</ref> and stated that much of America's perception of him has been shaped by the media.<ref>Who is Farrakhan? [http://www.finalcall.com/MLFspeaks/intervw1.html], ''Interview with [[The Arizona Republic]]'', March 25, 1996</ref><ref name="Gardell">{{Cite book|last=Gardell|first=Mattias|title=In the Name of Elijah Mohammed: Louis Farrakhan and The Nation of Islam|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1996|isbn=978-0-8223-1845-3}}</ref> His critics have labeled him a cult leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://forward.com/opinion/letters/396106/to-my-black-brothers-and-sisters-im-black-and-jewish-farrakhan-is-bad-for-u/|title=To My Black Brothers And Sisters: I'm Black And Jewish. Farrakhan Is Bad For Us All.|date=March 8, 2018|website=The Forward|access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/31/race.world|title=Chameleon in prophet's robes|date=July 30, 2001|website=The Guardian|access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2007/01/what-jefferson-really-thought-about-islam.html|title=Jefferson's Quran|date=July 9, 2007|website=The Guardian|access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>

=== Racism and black nationalism ===
The [[Anti-Defamation League]] classifies Farrakhan as a racist,<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-10-19|title=Opinion {{!}} Louis Farrakhan's Long Record of Bigotry|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/opinion/letters/louis-farrakhan-anti-semitism.html|access-date=2021-04-27|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] considers the [[Nation of Islam]] (NOI) as a [[hate group]] and a [[Black nationalism|black nationalist]] organization.<ref name="SPLCNOI">{{Cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/nation-islam|title=Nation of Islam|work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011080634/https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/nation-islam|archive-date=October 11, 2019|access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> According to the SPLC, the NOI asserts that [[Black supremacy|black people are racially superior]] to [[white people]]<ref name="SPLCNOI" /> and promotes a "fundamentally anti-white theology"<ref name=SPLCFarrakhan>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/louis-farrakhan|title=Louis Farrakhan|work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> amounting to an "innate black superiority over whites".<ref name="SPLCNOI" /> According to the NOI, whites were created 6,600 years ago as a "race of [[Shaitan|devils]]" by an evil scientist named [[Yakub (Nation of Islam)|Yakub]],<ref name="SPLCFarrakhan" /> a story which originated with the founder of the NOI, [[Wallace Fard Muhammad|Wallace D. Fard]].<ref name="SPLCNOI" />

The NOI's division into two factions after Elijah Muhammad's death was caused in part by the fact that new leader Warith Mohammed<!-- Muhammad is used in the source, but WP uses 'Mohammed' for his article and in this article mostly. -->  wished to reject the Yakub myth, while national spokesman Farrakhan wanted to reaffirm it.<ref>{{cite book|last=Deutsch|first=Nathaniel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o7IwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA152|title=Inventing America's "Worst" Family: Eugenics, Islam, and the Fall and Rise of the Tribe of Ishmael|publisher=University of California Press|year=2009|isbn=9780520255241|location=Berkeley, Los Angeles & London|page=152}}</ref> At an event in Milwaukee in August 2015, Farrakhan said: "White people deserve to die, and they know, so they think it's us coming to do it".<ref>{{cite web|date=August 31, 2015|title=Farrakhan Promotes Million Man March with Anti-Semitism & Bigotry|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/farrakhan-promotes-million-man-march-with-anti-semitism-bigotry|access-date=May 3, 2019|work=Anti-Defamation League|archive-date=March 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325163512/https://www.adl.org/blog/farrakhan-promotes-million-man-march-with-anti-semitism-bigotry|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Antisemitism===
Both the [[Anti-Defamation League]] and [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] consider Farrakhan an antisemite. Farrakhan has accused Jews of controlling large sections of the media, the US government and the global economy, regularly referring to these Jews as "Satanic". He has repeatedly described [[Adolf Hitler]] as a "great man" and claimed Jewish involvement in the [[Atlantic slave trade]], [[Jim Crow laws]] and black oppression in general.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ap |date=1984-07-17 |title=Farrakhan Again Describes Hitler as a 'Very Great Man' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/17/us/farrakhan-again-describes-hitler-as-a-very-great-man.html |access-date=2023-06-29 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Farrakhan: In His Own Words {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/farrakhan-his-own-words |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=www.adl.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Louis Farrakhan |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/louis-farrakhan |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] included some of Farrakhan's comments on its list of the Top 10 antisemitic slurs in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Top Ten Anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel Slurs|url=http://www.wiesenthal.com/atf/cf/%7B54d385e6-f1b9-4e9f-8e94-890c3e6dd277%7D/TT_2012_3.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319104318/http://www.wiesenthal.com/atf/cf/%7B54d385e6-f1b9-4e9f-8e94-890c3e6dd277%7D/TT_2012_3.PDF|archive-date=March 19, 2013|access-date=January 4, 2013|publisher=Simon Wiesenthal Center}}</ref>

In June 1984, after returning from a visit to [[Libya]], Farrakhan delivered a sermon that was recorded by a ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' reporter. A transcript from part of the sermon was published in ''[[The New York Times]]'':

{{blockquote|Toward the end of that portion of his speech that was recorded, Mr. Farrakhan said: "Now that nation called [[Israel]] never has had any peace in 40 years and she will never have any peace because there can be no peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shipp|first=E. R.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/29/us/tape-contradicts-disavowalof-gutter-religion-attack.html|title=Tape Contradicts Disavowal of 'Gutter Religion' Attack|work=The New York Times|pages=A12|date=June 29, 1984|access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>}}

After it was reported that Farrakhan called [[Judaism]]  the "gutter religion", he repeatedly denied referring to Judaism as such by explaining that he was instead noticing what he believed was "the [[Israeli Government]]'s use of Judaism as a political tool." In a June 18, 1997, letter to a former ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' editor [[Jude Wanniski]] he stated:

{{blockquote|Countless times over the years I have explained that I never referred to Judaism as a gutter religion, but, clearly referred to the machinations of those who hide behind the shield of Judaism while using unjust political means to achieve their objectives. This was distilled in the New York tabloids and other media saying, 'Farrakhan calls Judaism a gutter religion.'

As a [[Muslim]], I revere Abraham, Moses, and all the Prophets whom Allah (God) sent to the children of Israel. I believe in the scriptures brought by these Prophets and the Laws of Allah (God) as expressed in the [[Torah]]. I would never refer to the Revealed Word of Allah (God)—the basis of Jewish Faith—as 'dirty' or 'gutter.' You know, Jude, as well as I, that the Revealed Word of Allah (God) comes as a Message from Allah (God) to purify us from our evil that has divided us and caused us to fall into the gutter.

Over the centuries, the evils of Christians, Jews and Muslims have dirtied their respective religions. True Faith in the laws and Teaching of Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad is not dirty, but, practices in the name of these religions can be unclean and can cause people to look upon the misrepresented religion as being unclean.<ref name="noi.org"/>}}

In response to Farrakhan's speech, Nathan Pearlmutter, then Chair of the Anti-Defamation League, referred to Farrakhan as the new "Black [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]" and ''[[Village Voice]]'' journalist [[Nat Hentoff]] also characterized the NOI leader as a "Black Hitler"  while he was a guest on a New York radio talk-show.

In response, Farrakhan announced during a March 11, 1984, speech which was broadcast on a Chicago radio station:
{{blockquote|So I said to the members of the press, 'Why won't you go and look into what we are saying about the threats on Reverend Jackson's life?' Here the Jews don't like Farrakhan and so they call me 'Hitler'. Well that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He wasn't great for me as a Black man but he was a great German and he rose Germany up from the ashes of her defeat by the united force of all of Europe and America after the [[World War I|First World War]]. Yet Hitler took Germany from the ashes and rose her up and made her the greatest fighting machine of the twentieth century, brothers and sisters, and even though Europe and America had deciphered the code that Hitler was using to speak to his chiefs of staff, they still had trouble defeating Hitler even after knowing his plans in advance. Now I'm not proud of Hitler's evil toward Jewish people, but that's a matter of record. He rose Germany up from nothing. Well, in a sense you could say there is a similarity in that we are rising our people up from nothing, but don't compare me with your wicked killers.<ref name="noi.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.noi.org/statements/rift/Wanniski12-22-1997.htm|title=Minister Farrakhan rebuts fraudulent "Judaism is a Gutter Religion" canard|work=The Nation of Islam|date=August 5, 2010|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polyconomics.com/memos/mm-971222.htm|title=Memos on the Margin-971222 Letter from Louis Farrakhan|publisher=Polyconomics.com|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref>}}

At a later meeting of the Nation of Islam at [[Madison Square Garden]] in 1985, Farrakhan said of the Jews: "And don't you forget, when it's God who puts you in the ovens, it's forever!"<ref>{{cite book|last=Hitchens|first=Christopher|title=[[God Is Not Great]]|publisher=Atlantic Books|year=2007|isbn=9781843545743|location=London|page=219|author-link=Christopher Hitchens}}</ref> He has also claimed that [[History of the Jews in Germany|German Jews]] financed the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] in a speech at the Mosque Maryam, Chicago in March 1995: "German Jews financed Hitler right here in America...International bankers financed Hitler and poor Jews died while big Jews were at the root of what you call the Holocaust".<ref name="ADL20150320" /> Almost three years later at a Saviors' Day gathering in the same city, he said: "The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]] on the road."<ref name="ADL20150320" />

On March 23, 2002, Farrakhan visited [[Shaare Shalom Synagogue|Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom]] in Kingston, [[Jamaica]], which was his first visit to a synagogue,<ref name="FC new beginning">Muhammad, Richard. [http://www.finalcall.com/national/jamaica04-02-2002.htm "A new beginning in Jamaica"], ''[[The Final Call (newspaper)|The Final Call]]'', April 2, 2002.</ref> in an attempt to repair his relationship with the Jewish community.<ref name="first visit" /> Farrakhan was accepted to speak at Shaare Shalom in the native country of his father, after being rejected to appear at American synagogues, many of whom had fear of sending the wrong signals to the Jewish community.<ref name="FC new beginning" /><ref name="first visit" />
[[File:Louis Farrakhan06.jpg|thumb|Farrakhan in [[Iran]], 2018]]
Farrakhan made antisemitic comments during his May 16–17, 2013 visit to Detroit in which he accused President Obama of having "surrounded himself with Satan…members of the Jewish community". Jews, according to Farrakhan, "have mastered the civilization now, but they've mastered it in evil".<ref>{{cite web|date=May 21, 2013|title=Detroit Religious Leaders Praise Farrakhan After Latest Anti-Semitic Outburst|url=http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/detroit-religious-leaders-praise-farrakhan-after-latest-anti-semitic-outburst|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109091927/http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/detroit-religious-leaders-praise-farrakhan-after-latest-anti-semitic-outburst|archive-date=January 9, 2015|work=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> In a weekly lecture series titled "The Time and What Must Be Done", which began during January 2013, he prophesied the downfall of the United States soon and said the country faced divine punishment if his warnings were rejected.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 9, 2013|title=Louis Farrakhan's 52 Weeks Of Hate|work=Anti-Defamation League|url=http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/louis-farrakhans-52-weeks-of-hate|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422144613/http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/louis-farrakhans-52-weeks-of-hate|archive-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

In March 2015, Farrakhan accused "Israelis and Zionist Jews" of being involved in the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{cite news|date=March 5, 2015|title=Farrakhan: 'Israelis And Zionist Jews' Behind 9/11 Terror Attacks|work=CBS DC|url=https://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/03/05/farrakhan-israelis-and-zionist-jews-behind-911-terror-attacks/|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> (In 2012 and 2017 speeches, he said the American government were behind 9/11.)<ref>{{cite news|last=Sacirbey|first=Omar|date=February 27, 2012|title=Louis Farrakhan blasts Jews, Obama|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Religious News Service|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/louis-farrakhan-blasts-jews-obama/2012/02/27/gIQAUwsZeR_story.html|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Boorstein|first=Michelle|date=November 16, 2017|title=Saying God picked Trump, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan portrays him as both truth-talking hero and racist villain|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/11/16/saying-god-picked-trump-nation-of-islam-leader-louis-farrakhan-portrays-him-as-both-truth-talking-hero-and-racist-villain/|access-date=September 10, 2020}}</ref> In his Saviours' Day speech in February 2018, Farrakhan described "the powerful Jews" as his enemy. He approvingly cited President [[Richard Nixon]] and the Reverend [[Billy Graham]]'s derogatory comments about Jews' "grip on the media", claiming that Jews are responsible for "all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men".<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenwood|first=Max|date=February 28, 2018|title=Tapper rips Farrakhan after anti-Semitic speech|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/376119-tapper-rips-farrakhan-after-anti-semitic-speech|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Tatum|first=Sophie|date=March 1, 2018|title=Nation of Islam leader Farrakhan delivers anti-Semitic speech|publisher=CNN|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/28/politics/louis-farrakhan-speech/index.html|access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>
On February 20, 2019, at the Nation of Islam's annual [[Saviour's Day]] gathering, Farrakhan declared, "I represent the Messiah. I represent the Jesus and I am that Jesus".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/farrakhan-claims-to-be-jesus-in-saviours-day-address|title=Farrakhan claims to be Jesus in 'Saviours' Day' address: 'I am the Messiah'|first=Caleb|last=Parke|date=April 4, 2019|website=Fox News}}</ref>
		 
A three-hour speech by Farrakhan on July 4, 2020 was carried by Revolt TV's YouTube channel,<ref name="JJ20200706">{{cite news|last=Bandler|first=Aaron|date=July 6, 2020|title=Farrakhan Calls ADL CEO 'Satan' in July 4 Address|work=Jewish Journal|url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/318512/farrakhan-calls-adl-ceo-satan-in-july-4-address/|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref> He claimed [[Jonathan Greenblatt]], the head of the anti-bigotry nonprofit [[Anti-Defamation League]], is Satan, and described [[Alan Dershowitz]] as "a skillful deceiver" and "Satan masquerading as a lawyer".<ref>{{cite news|last=Kerstein|first=Benjamin|date=July 8, 2020|title=Public Campaign Launched to Remove Three-Hour Antisemitic Speech by Louis Farrakhan From YouTube|work=The Algemeiner|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/07/08/public-campaign-launched-to-remove-three-hour-antisemitic-speech-by-louis-farrakhan-from-youtube/|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref> Greenblatt responded in a tweet: "This is routine for Farrakhan—give him a platform, he never fails to espouse hatred."<ref name="JJ20200706" /> Farrakhan made the factually inaccurate claim that Jews are required by their religion to poison prophets and claimed Jews had "broken their covenant relationship with God" and were the "enemy of God".<ref name="ADL20200704">{{cite news|date=July 15, 2020|title=Farrakhan Remains Most Popular Antisemite in America|work=Anti-Defamation League|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/farrakhan-remains-most-popular-antisemite-in-america|access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref> However, in his speech, Farrakhan also said: "If you really think I hate the Jewish people, you don't know me at all," adding "[I've never] uttered the words of death to the Jewish people."<ref name="TJP20200706" /> As of July 15, 2020, Farrakhan's speech had been viewed more than 1.2 million times on YouTube.<ref name="ADL20200704" />

In October 2023, Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam sued the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for defamation damages in the amount of [[USD]] $4.8 billion, contending that the defendants have falsely characterized Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam as anti-Semites.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thesource.com/2023/10/23/minister-louis-farrakhan-and-nation-of-islam-sue-adl-and-swc-for-defamation-over-anti-semite-label/ |title=Minister Louis Farrakhan and Nation of Islam Sue ADL and SWC for Defamation Over "Anti-Semite" Label |website=The Source |date=October 23, 2023}}</ref> The case was dismissed in April  2024.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-08/judge-tosses-louis-farrakhan-lawsuit-adl-simon-wiesenthal-center Judge tosses Louis Farrakhan lawsuit against ADL and Simon Wiesenthal Center], latimes.com. April 8, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024.</ref>

===Hurricane Katrina===
In comments in 2005, Farrakhan stated that there was a {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=on}} hole under one of the key [[levee]]s that failed in [[New Orleans]] following [[Hurricane Katrina]]. He implied that the levee's destruction was a deliberate attempt to wipe out the population of the largely black sections within the city. Farrakhan later said that New Orleans Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] told him of the crater during a meeting in [[Dallas, Texas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2197.shtml|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414182025/http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2197.shtml|url-status=dead|title=FinalCall.com News|archivedate=April 14, 2015|website=www.finalcall.com}}</ref>

Farrakhan further claimed that the fact the levee broke the day after Hurricane Katrina is proof that the destruction of the levee was not a natural occurrence. Farrakhan has raised additional questions and has called for federal investigations into the source of the levee break.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/kane929|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016003853/http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/kane929|url-status=dead|title=Blackamericaweb|archivedate=October 16, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackelectorate.com/print_article.asp?ID=1476|title=Politics Mondays: The Intentional Destruction of Levees in New Orleans – A Conspiracy Theory? Not in the Light of History|publisher=Blackelectorate.com|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> He also asserted that the hurricane was "God's way of punishing America for its warmongering and racism".<ref name="CHHW">Michael Eric Dyson, ''Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster'' (2006), pp. 178–202. {{ISBN|0-465-01761-4}}.</ref>

Experts including the Independent Levee Investigation Team (ILIT) from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] have countered his accusations. The report from the ILIT said "The findings of this panel are that the over-topping of the levees by flood waters, the often sub-standard materials used to shore up the levees, and the age of the levees contributed to these [[Bridge scour|scour holes]] found at many of the sites of levee breaks after the hurricane."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~new_orleans/report/CH_7.pdf | title=Independent Levee Investigation Team Final Report – Chapter 7: The New Orleans East Protected Area | access-date=December 12, 2006 | author=Independent Levee Investigation Team at UC Berkeley | date=July 31, 2006 | publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley]] | pages=1–30 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906210816/http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~new_orleans/report/CH_7.pdf | archive-date=September 6, 2006 }}</ref>

===Barack Obama===
In 2008, Farrakhan publicly criticized the United States and supported then-Senator [[Barack Obama]] who was campaigning at the time to become the president of the United States of America.<ref name=RamirezDorning/><ref name="Finalcall.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/Farrakhan_addresses_world_at_Saviours_Day_2008_4427.shtml |title=Farrakhan addresses world at Saviours' Day 2008 |first=Askia |last=Muhammad |date=March 5, 2008 |work=The Final Call |access-date=December 14, 2016 }}</ref> Farrakhan and Obama had met at least once before that time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-appearances/the-politics-of-race-and-the-photo-that-might-have-derailed-obama |title=The Politics of Race and the Photo That Might Have Derailed Obama |first=Vinson |last=Cunningham |date=January 28, 2018 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=February 3, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northstarnewstoday.com/history/10867/ |title=Photo of Sen. Barack Obama with Farrakhan Surfaces |first=Hazel Trice |last=Edney |date=January 20, 2018 |work=NorthStar News Today |access-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206002448/http://www.northstarnewstoday.com/history/10867/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Obama/Biden|Obama campaign]] quickly responded to convey his distance from the minister. "Senator Obama has been clear in his objections to Farrakhan's past pronouncements and has not solicited the minister's support," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.<ref name=RamirezDorning>Margaret Ramirez and Mike Dorning, [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/02/25/farrakhan-sings-obamas-praises/ "Farrakhan sings Obama's praises; Senator has criticized him, says support not sought"], ''Chicago Tribune'', February 25, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2016.</ref> Obama "rejected and denounced" Farrakhan's support during an [[NBC]] presidential debate.

Following the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], Farrakhan explained, during a [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]] television interview, that he was "careful" never to endorse Obama during his campaign. "I talked about him—but, in very beautiful and glowing terms, stopping short of endorsing him. And unfortunately, or fortunately, however we look at it, the media said I 'endorsed' him, so he renounced my so-called endorsement and support. But that didn't stop me from supporting him."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finalcallmedia.com/media/3/BET_Interview/|title=BET Interview with Minister Louis Farrakhan|date=February 6, 2009|publisher=Finalcallmedia.com|access-date=November 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228132406/http://www.finalcallmedia.com/media/3/BET_Interview/|archive-date=February 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 28, 2011, Farrakhan, speaking at the [[American Clergy Leadership Conference]], lambasted Obama over the wars in [[Iraq conflict (2003–present)|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Afghanistan]] and the [[2011 military intervention in Libya|intervention in Libya]], calling him an "assassin" and a "murderer". "We voted for our brother Barack, a beautiful human being with a sweet heart," Farrakhan said, in a video that was widely shared on the [[Internet]]. "But he has turned into someone else," Farrakhan told the crowd. "Now he's an assassin."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/louis-farrakhan-obama-murderer-assassin_n_880973.html|title=Louis Farrakhan: Obama Is A 'Murderer,' An 'Assassin'|date=June 21, 2011|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref>

===Dianetics===
A connection between the [[Church of Scientology]] and the Nation of Islam is reported to date from the late 1990s when Farrakhan was introduced to its teachings by the musician [[Isaac Hayes]], who was the Church of Scientology's International spokesman for its World Literacy Crusade.<ref name="SPLC20110707">{{cite news|last=Nelson|first=Leah|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2011/06/07/black-supremacist-nation-islam-pushes-white-dominated-scientology|title=Black Supremacist Nation of Islam Pushes White-Dominated Scientology|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=June 7, 2011|access-date=February 11, 2021|quote=Astoundingly, L. Ron Hubbard, the late Scientology founder for whom Farrakhan has nothing but praise, reportedly was a notorious racist who supported South African apartheid and described black Africans as barbarous, savage and primitive.}}</ref>

On May 8, 2010, Farrakhan publicly announced his embrace of [[Dianetics]] and has actively encouraged Nation of Islam members to undergo [[auditing (Scientology)|auditing]] from the Church.<ref name=Scientology>{{cite magazine |title=The Mothership of All Alliances |first=Eliza |last=Gray |url=http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/108205/scientology-joins-forces-with-nation-of-islam |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |date=October 5, 2012 |access-date=November 19, 2012}}</ref> Although he has stressed that he is not a [[Scientologist]], but only a believer in Dianetics and the theories related to it, the Church honored Farrakhan previously during its 2006 Ebony Awakening awards ceremony (which he did not attend).<ref name=Scientology /><ref>{{cite news |title=Louis Farrakhan renews call for self-determination among Nation of Islam followers |first1=Shelley |last1=Rossetter |first2=Thomas C. |last2=Tobin |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/louis-farrakhan-renews-call-for-self-determination-among-nation-of-islam/1128781 |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date=October 18, 2012 |access-date=November 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105093720/http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/louis-farrakhan-renews-call-for-self-determination-among-nation-of-islam/1128781 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 }}</ref> Farrakhan has also urged European Americans to join the Church of Scientology, stating in his 2011 Saviour's Day speech, "All white people should flock to [Scientology founder] [[L. Ron Hubbard]]." Reportedly, according to the SPLC, Hubbard was a racist who supported the [[apartheid]] regime in South Africa.<ref name=SPLCFarrakhan /><ref name="SPLC20110707" />

Since the announcement in 2010, the Nation of Islam has been hosting its own Dianetic courses and its own graduation ceremonies. At the third such ceremony, which was  held on Saviours Day 2013, it was announced that nearly 8,500 members of the organisation had undergone Dianetic auditing. The Organisation announced it had graduated 1,055 auditors and had delivered 82,424 hours of auditing. The graduation ceremony was certified by the Church of Scientology, and the Nation of Islam members received official certification. The ceremony was attended by Shane Woodruff, vice-president of the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre International. He stated that "The unfolding story of the Nation of Islam and Dianetics is bold, it is determined and it is absolutely committed to restoring freedom and wiping hell from the face of this planet."<ref>{{cite web|title=Nation of Islam Auditors graduation held for third Saviours' Day in a row |first=Asahed |last=Mohammed |url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_9651.shtml|publisher=Final Call |date=February 28, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2012}}</ref>

===Donald Trump===
[[File:Louis Farrakhan.jpg|thumb|Louis Farrakhan in 2016]]
During the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries]], Farrakhan praised Republican candidate [[Donald Trump]] as the only candidate "who has stood in front of the Jewish community and said 'I don't want your money.'" While he declined to endorse Trump outright, he said of Trump, "I like what I'm looking at."<ref>{{cite web|title=Louis Farrakhan praises Donald Trump |first=Nolan |last=McCaskill |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/louis-farrakhan-donald-trump-220021|publisher=Politico|date=March 1, 2016|access-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref> In 2018, Farrakhan again praised Trump for "destroying every enemy that was an enemy of our rise". He included the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) in this group.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/farrakhan-praises-trump-for-destroying-his-enemies-1.6130805|title=Farrakhan Praises Trump for Destroying His Enemies – the FBI and Justice Department|work=Haaretz|date=May 28, 2018|access-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref>

Conservative pundits [[Candace Owens]] and [[Glenn Beck]] both took note of Farrakhan's position, with Owens saying, while she did not "endorse Farrakhan's views", it remained a "really big deal" that Farrakhan had "aligned himself with Trump's administration" and Beck declaring that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and urged "reconciliation" between conservatives and Farrakhan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Glenn Beck and Candace Owens Celebrate Louis Farrakhan's Praise of Trump |first=Aidan |last=McLaughlin |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/glenn-beck-and-candace-owens-celebrate-louis-farrakhans-praise-of-trump/|publisher=Mediaite |date=May 28, 2018|access-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Obeidallah|first=Dean|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/yes-you-read-it-right-the-right-welcomed-louis-farrakhans-support-of-donald-trump|title=Yes, You Read It Right: The Right Welcomed Louis Farrakhan's Support of Donald Trump|work=The Daily Beast|date=May 30, 2018|access-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Police ready to escort Louis Farrakhan (Nation of Islam leader) on Union Avenue Memphis TN (20884655055).jpg|thumb|Farrakhan's police escort in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], 2015]]

===Women and allegations of sexism===
Farrakhan received sexual discrimination complaints filed with a New York state agency when he banned women from attending a speech he gave in a city-owned theater in 1993.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/31/us/facing-complaints-of-bias-farrakhan-speaks-to-women-only.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=Facing Complaints of Bias, Farrakhan Speaks to Women Only | date=July 31, 1994}}</ref> The next year he gave a speech only women could attend.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> In his speech for women, as ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported,

<blockquote>Mr. Farrakhan urged the women to embrace his formula for a successful family. He encouraged them to put husbands and children ahead of their careers, shun tight, short skirts, stay off welfare and reject abortion. He also stressed the importance of cooking and cleaning and urged women not to abandon homemaking for careers. 'You're just not going to be happy unless there is happiness in the home,' Mr. Farrakhan said at the Mason Cathedral Church of God in Christ in the Dorchester section, not far from the Roxbury neighborhood where he was raised by a single mother. 'Your professional lives can't satisfy your soul like a good, loving man.'<ref name="nytimes.com"/></blockquote>
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