ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that he considers Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi a friend and won't distance himself from him despite the deadly crackdown on protestors in the turbulent North Africa country.
Farrakhan didn't talk specifics about the uprisings
in Libya as he spoke to thousands of followers during his Chicago-based
organization's annual convention in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont.
"Name one ruler that has the 100 love of his
people," Farrakhan said. "You can't find one."
Gadhafi is in the midst of a desperate and
increasingly violent bid to retain power, and has used his military and foreign
mercenaries to try to crush the revolt.
Farrakhan, 77, visited Gadhafi in the 1980s and has
since considered him a friend. He said that if Gadhafi is persecuted for crimes
against humanity, the same should apply to former President George W. Bush for
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also said the U.S. shouldn't intervene in
Libya with an armed response.
"I'm warning you this is a Libyan problem, let
the Libyans solve their problem," he said.
Farrakhan also said he expects that uprisings
happening in the Middle East will soon come to the U.S. He mentioned Tunisia,
Egypt and other countries but didn't offer specifics on his stance on the
unrest, except to say that leaders should not attack innocent protesters.
Farrakhan's speech Sunday capped off a weekend of
events celebrating Saviours' Day, which celebrates the movement's founder.
Muslims at the four-hour speech — women dressed in white skirt suits with
matching hijabs and men in Nation of Islam uniforms — frequently cheered the
minister.
The Nation of Islam has espoused black nationalism
and self-reliance since it was founded in the 1930s, though in recent years has
included other groups including Latinos and immigrants.
Farrakhan's speech touched on a wide range of
historic topics through the lens of the Nation of Islam, including several
severe weather incidents and a history of Shriners and freemasons. He also
spoke at length about Scientology; Farrakhan has recently embraced some
concepts of the religion.
Farrakhan also spoke of the Nation's belief in UFOs
and the belief that sightings are on the rise.
The group has long believed in an unidentified flying object called "the wheel" or "The Mother Plane." A Saviours Day session on the topic Saturday attracted a standing-room-only crowd.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)
