Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
Vol. LXI
The Weekly Newspaper For Southern Jewry
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, August 30,1985
When Farrakhan speaks,
Andy Young doesn’t listen
Atlanta mayor defends Islamic minister
Since 1925
No. 35
Mayor Young in his office.
This exclusive telephone inter
view with Mayor Andrew Young
was commissioned by The South
ern Israelite, the Long Island Jew
ish World, the Baltimore Jewish
Times, the Cleveland Jewish News
and the St. Louis Jewish Light.
by Edwin Black
In a world where blacks and
Jews have found tensions between
them rising, Atlanta Mayor Andrew
Young has always stood out as a
voice for moderation and'reason.
But in a recent frank interview on
the subject, a new Andrew Young
was revealed—or more precisely,
one that has not yet been disco
vered. The candid Andrew Young
confirms, among other things, that
he agrees with “9/10ths” of what
Minister Louis Farrakhan says,
and that Farrakhan is a legitimate
force for positive change in society.
These and other statements made
by Young suggest that he is either
extremely naive about the issues
dividing Jews and blacks, or has
developed a tolerance for the grow
ing wing of black anti-Semitism.
Most poignantly, Young is con
vinced that Farrakhan, leader of
the Nation of Islam, is “a legiti
mate player in the mainstream of
black ideas” making “a very posi
tive contribution.” Farrakhan was
widely condemned during the last
election for preaching race hatred
liberally laced with virulent anti-
Semitic and anti-Israel statements.
But in May of this year, Farrakhan
announced the granting of a $5
million interest-free loan by Libyan
strongman Col. Muammar Kha-
daffi for the creation of a black
commercial concern to be known
as POWER (People Organized and
Working for Economic Rebirth).
Since then, Farrakhan has injected
themes of black economic self-help
to his public oratory. This has
enhanced his appeal within all strata
of the black community.
Young explains that Farrakhan’s
new emphasis on economic power for
blacks will provide a “legacy of
small business—restaurants and dry
cleaners, which if they follow in the
tradition of Malcolm X and Elijrh
Muhammad, will be extremely success
ful across the black community,
but which have no political signifi
cance.” Rather, Farrakhan’s ideas
should be viewed as “simply mech
anisms for survival for people who
have been locked out of the econ
omy...They are no threat to any
body,” Young declares.
But whereas previous economic
self-help schemes, such as those
promoted by Operation Breadbas
ket and Operation PUSH, did seek
to diversely integrate blacks into
American economic enterprise, Farra
khan’s POWER corporation plans
to become a centralized economic
conglomerate in the black com
munity, manufacturing toothpaste
and toiletries to raise money for a
central entity. The proceeds would
merely enhance its political posi
tion, which includes the further
ance of Farrakhan’s anti-Jewish
and anti-Israeli ideology.
Young understands the differ
ence between PUSH and POWER
but says Farrakhan’s plan is still
“wonderful...because it would em
ploy lots of people...If his (Far-
rakhan’s) primary focus is jobs,
then you gotta see that... as a very
positive contribution.”
Some might raise the spectre of
Adolf Hitler who similarly used
Jews as a scapegoat to promote
economic rehabilitation for Depres
sion-wracked Germans. But Young
answers that society can endure
Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism because
unlike Germany, “America is a
very healthy pluralistic society...
which has the capacity to correct
itself, and that is particularly true
of the black community.”
As such, “Farrakhan is a legiti
mate player in the mainstream of
black ideas,” explained Young. In
fact, according to Young, Farrak-
“expressing a certain level of frus
tration and hostility.” Young added
that this is particularly appealing
to black students who invite Far
rakhan to address their campuses.
“Then they feel good and they go
back to studying, and they come
out at the end of four years, and
they go to work in major white
corporations.” Mayor Young by
passed the notion that these black
students might carry into these
corporations Farrakhan’s message
of black power through dislodging
the mythical yoke of Jewish con
trol.
On the contrary, Young main
tained that despite the rhetoric and
methodology, “Up to now, it’s been
very innocent...His main themes
are...controversial in some sense,
but they’re not attacking anybody
particularly.” Nonetheless, in the
next breath. Young admitted that
if Farrakhan were asked, he would
indeed probably denounce Young
himself “as an Uncle Tom” under
the control of white Jewish Zionists.
During the interview, Young was
confronted with anti-Jewish quo
tations of recent Farrakhan speech
es, which clearly mixed the philo
sophy of black economic gain and
absolute political power among
blacks with classic Jew hatred.
Those quotations included some
from a late July speech in Washing-
blacks from diverse backgrounds.
For example: “Any foolish black
leader who would come out to
repudiate me based upon Jewish
control and Jewish money should
be thrown out by every black peo
ple organization. Throw them
out!... You will not lead black peo
ple, in control by Jews... you either
come up and stand for us or you
get the hell away from us...Who is
your master? Is it Jesus Christ, or is
Young counters,“He (Farrak
han) insists he’s being misread.”
The mayor added that he agrees
with “9/ lOths” of what Farrakhan
says, explaining, “When he talks
about the economic empower
ment... about people’s self-respect,
those are the things people need to
hear. In the speeches I have heard
him make, I have never heard him
say anything against Jews. And
that’s on two occasions that I lis
tened to him from beginning to
end.”
Hoping not to be misunderstood,
Young asserts that he is willing to
deplore Farrakhan for anti-Semitic
statements if he can verify them,
but he would not go beyond Far-
rakhan’s denial that he has uttered
even a single anti-Jewish remark.
Young was asked how he would
feel if the situation were reversed, if
it involved the Ku Klux Klan advo
cating poor white economic rebirth
through hate mongering against
blacks—historically a fundamental
tenet of Klanism. “I have always
said that the Ku Klux Klan is made
up of poor white people," responded
Young.”...who are part of the
mainstream of America’s social and
political life, and they need to be
helped not hated.”
Perhaps black moderates such
as Andrew Young are willing to
ignore the anti-Semitic side of Far
rakhan because the long coalition
between blacks and Jews is indeed
coming to an end. For his part,
Young wants to salvage that coali
tion “because I grew up in an...
essentially Old Testament tradition
of the Children of Israel coming
out of Egypt. That was the imagery
See Andy Young, page 6.
han was doing nothing more than ton, D.C., which attracted 10,000 it the Jewish leaders in America?”
The world according to Farrakhan
Farrakhan alleged that ac
cording to “reports” he had
heard, ‘‘Israeli hit squads’’
had been sent to the United
States to assassinate (the Rev.
Jesse) Jackson. — Philadel
phia, March 9,1984.
‘‘Here...the Jews don’t like
Farrakhan, so they call me
Hitler. Well, that’s a good
name. Hitler was a very great
man...” — March 11, 1984
radio address.
" The presence ofa state called
Israel is an outlaw act.. .(Isra
el) will never have any peace
because there can be no peace
structured on injustice, lying,
and deceit and using the name
of God to shield your dirty
religion under His holy and
righteous name.” — Sunday,
June 24,1984, speech at Na
tion of Islam headquarters
in Chicago, broadcast on lo
cal WBEE radio.
Louis Farrakhan
“Hitler aided the Jews in
getting to Palestine (and) in
setting up the Jewish state.”
He added that Jews should
not condemn Farrakhan for
his statements in praise of
Hitler “while at the same
time you hide a deal that was
made with Hitler..." — in
Boston and elsewhere during
1984.
Farrakhan described Israel
as “an outlaw state,” which
“is going to produce that
which the Scripture calls Ar
mageddon.”—June 19,1984,
interview, Boston Herald.
Farrakhan blamed Jews for
the colonial slave trade, for
"sucking the blood of our
poor people...for the loss of
the Miss America title by a
black woman, Vanessa Wil
liams...” — July 24, 1984,
Press account, Detroit, Little
Rock Missionary Baptist
Church.
“The Jewish leadership is
spiritually blind If the Ameri
can government and the Rea
gan administration allow
such a lobby which is spir
itually blind to have the great
power to influence the guid
ance of this nation then they
will guide this nation to its
destruction. ”—J uly 30,1984,
luncheon speaker at the Na
tional Press Club.