Reporter calls Farrakhan a "figurehead"...

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
And I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

As-Salaam Alaikum (God's Peace be Unto You), Mr. Sosibo.

My name is Reuben Muhammad, and I am a Member of the Nation of Islam under the Leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

I am writing you in response to a recent article of yours, titled "Nation of Islam comes to town", dated March 1, 2008, and posted at the Mail & Guardian Online website.

I have somewhat researched your name via the internet, and it appears that you are well known in the circles in which you operate, for your journalism and critiques of certain literary works. This also suggests that you are, or should be, familiar with the principles of respectable journalism.

As you know, Mr. Sosibo, with the Divine Gift of Expression comes a Divine Responsibility to make sure that whatever communications or expressions we originate are as factual as possible, since those who are the recipients of our expression are directly affected by the content and quality of what we express.

To bear witness to the point, may I add that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad taught us that the Brain of Man is Created to think Right...which means "on the Basis of Truth". Since our actions, our words, our relationships, our decisions, etc. are all affected by what we THINK, then anything that affects or influences the THINKING of the Human Being also affects the entire Life of the Human being.

As long as the Mind is given Truth to operate on, then Sanity and Order prevail among the Human Family. However, if and/or when "falsehood" is introduced into the Mind, and accepted as Truth, the result is a misperception of reality. Once a person misperceives reality, his or her ability to effectively reason his or her way through Life is likewise hindered, causing him or her to make faulty associations, form faulty beliefs, make faulty decisions, and commit unjust actions against others.

From these principles we can easily see the advantages of being Truthful in our communications, as well as the disadvantages and dangers of being "not" Truthful in our communications...dangers which are all the more exaggerated in times of war and conflict (such as the present), where too many people are willing to sacrifice Truth - and apparently the lives and/or reputations of innocent people - for the sake of having their personal agendas prevail.

Please consider these words by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad regarding "Hiding the Truth":
"Hiding the truth is a very serious thing to do. It causes harm and disappointment and causes one to be misled. It causes loss of property and life. It causes loss of friendship, beloved ones and loss of confidence and trust. In court, it causes heavy penalties and someone's being sent to prison or to death for that of which they are innocent."
-Our Saviour Has Arrived, Chapter 4

Why am I bringing these things to your attention? It is because I found your article to be flawed in many respects, and an irresponsible attempt to express your position -- an attempt which could easily mislead your readers as to the Truth of the subject about which you wrote. There is much "false data" in your article which I believe needs to be addressed.

By "false data", I mean...

Data that is completely false, or
Data that is partly false, partly true, or
Data that is true, but incomplete, or
Data that is true and complete, but misrepresented or misunderstood, or
Any combination of the above...

...which inevitably causes the Mind to draw false inferences from the data provided.

You began your article by saying that "The Nation of Islam, a religious, social and political organisation most popular in the United States, has proclaimed that black people in South Africa need to reconsider their future under democratic rule, which, it says, is a hindrance to their collective prosperity."

You allege, by the structure of the statement, that "the Nation of Islam", as an Institution, holds this position. Yet, you do not cite any words of the Leader and National Representative of the Nation of Islam - the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan - to support this claim. Why not?

Instead, you referenced the words of one "Sultan Ala Deen", whom you assert is a "representative" of the Nation of Islam; but you fail to mention in what capacity he "represents" the Nation of Islam. This creates a false association where the reader is now programmed to equate every subsequent statement by Bro. Sultan with "the official position of the Nation of Islam."

In truth, every Member of the Nation of Islam carries as part of his or her function, the responsibility to properly "represent" the Nation of Islam, to which he or she belongs; but NONE of us are qualified to Officially "represent" the position of "the Nation of Islam" EXCEPT the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan...and whomsoever He designates to do so.

Did you take time to verify Brother Sultan's relation to Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam before you printed this article?

Did you attempt to contact the Hon. Louis Farrakhan and verify the "position" you attribute to the Hon. Louis Farrakhan and Nation of Islam by virtue of Brother Sultan's alleged comments?

If you did, then why did you not post the words of confirmation from the Hon. Louis Farrakhan?

If you did not, why not?

Why did you not post exactly what Bro. Sultan said on the issue, instead of posting your "summary" of what he said, forcing the reader to trust your interpretation? How do we know the few words which you cited of his comments are in context?

In my humble opinion, Mr. Osibo, this is irresponsible, at best, given the implications of having alleged comments of a reported "member" of the Nation of Islam transformed into the "Official Position" of "the Nation of Islam", without first verifying such position WITH "the Nation of Islam" and its Leader - the Honorable Louis Farrakhan.

The next, and most crucial, error in your article is the way in which you represent the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, himself. You referred to our Leader and Teacher as the Nation of Islam's "figurehead".

figurehead: a person who is head of a group, company, etc., in title but actually has no real authority or responsibility.

I beg your Pardon!

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is regarded by us, IN the Nation of Islam as the Duly and Rightfully Designated Supreme Authority in the Nation of Islam; said Authority being Bestowed upon him by Almighty God, Allah, Himself; and His Christ - the Honorable Elijah Muhammad! THIS is OUR position, which is verified by the Scriptures of the Holy Qur'an and Bible, and verified by the Work and History of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan in comparison with such Scriptures.

Why did you use the word "figurehead" with regard to Minister Farrakhan, when you well know what the word means and implies?

How did you come to evaluate the Hon. Louis Farrakhan, a Man who is well known and much loved as a Champion for Freedom, Justice and Equality for Black People, not only in America, but even across the continent of Africa, and reasoned that he is but a "figurehead"? By what standard have you evaluated such a Man? Please be specific!

What perception of the Honorable Louis Farrakhan are you attempting to produce in the minds of your readers? It is obvious that you want your readers to accept YOUR perception of Minister Farrakhan as their own. This is DANGEROUS! Your perception of Minister Farrakhan is incorrect!

What do you think will be the effect of imposing your incorrect perception on the Minds of Human Beings whom you did not Create?

Considering the Supreme Value of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan to the Survival of our People all over this planet, as ordained by God, Himself; how would you categorize your article?
Will it help your readers to see this Divinely Guided Man more clearly? ...or Less clearly?

Do you want to be responsible for corrupting the perceptions of your readers, ill-affecting their Minds with false information so that they misperceive the Man that God has Given them for their Guidance? Do you want that burden on your head? Do you wish to be an opponent of God's Will?

In my humble opinion, Mr. Osibo, the PROPER thing to do...the Right and Wise thing to do...would be to Contact the Headquarters of the Nation of Islam and get verification from the Honorable Louis Farrakhan's Office before posting the words of a "member" (if he is, in fact, a Member) as the "official position" of the "Nation of Islam".

Also, I, personally, find your reference to the Honorable Louis Farrakhan - the Man whom God has used to Inspire and Save the lives of untold Millions of Human Beings - as a mere "figurehead" HIGHLY OFFENSIVE, and I am DEMANDING a PUBLIC APOLOGY from YOU and from the "Mail & Guardian Online" Website for publishing such an insulting reference to our Leader and Teacher.

I am confident that I am not the only one who holds this position.

I pray that you will carefully consider the seriousness of this matter, and take the appropriate action(s).

Respectfully,

Reuben Muhammad