View source for Louis Farrakhan

{{Short description|American religious leader (born 1933)}}
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox office holder
| honorific_prefix    = Minister <!-- per talk page discussion -->
| name                = Louis Farrakhan
| birth_name          = Louis Eugene Walcott
| image               = File:Louis Farrakhan 2018.jpg
| caption             = Farrakhan in 2018
| order               = Leader of the [[Nation of Islam]]
| term_start          = 1981
| term_end            = 
| predecessor         = [[Warith Deen Mohammed]]
| successor           = 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1933|5|11}}
| birth_place         = New York City, U.S.<!--No boroughs/neighborhoods, just cities per format.-->
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| education           = [[Winston-Salem State University]]
| occupation          = {{ubl|Leader of the [[Nation of Islam]]|Former [[calypso music]] singer}}
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Khadijah Farrakhan]]|September 12, 1953}}
| children            = 9 (1 deceased)<ref name="Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts">{{cite web|title=Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/us/louis-farrakhan-fast-facts/|publisher=CNN|date=May 22, 2015|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{Nation of Islam|Leaders}}

'''Louis Farrakhan''' (born '''Louis Eugene Walcott''', later '''Louis X'''; May 11, 1933) is an American <!-- extensive source list for these assertions follow below. -->religious leader who has been the head of the [[Nation of Islam]] since 1981, an organization which combines [[black nationalism]] and [[Islam|Islamic teachings]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/05/03/nation-of-islam|title=Why Is The Nation Of Islam Classified As A Hate Group?|date=May 3, 2017|website=WBUR|access-date=April 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/the-weird-time-nazis-made-common-cause-with-black-nationalists|title=The weird time Nazis made common cause with black nationalists |date=August 14, 2017 |last=Hopper |first=Tristin |website=National Post|access-date=April 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-02 |title=Nation of Islam {{!}} History, Founder, Beliefs, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nation-of-Islam |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Prior to the NoI, Farrakhan was a [[calypso music|calypso]] singer who used the stage name '''Calypso Gene''' from 1950 to 1955 and a violinist from 1939 to 1955. The longest-serving NoI leader, he also served as minister of several mosques in [[Boston]] and [[Harlem]] in the 1950s under the leadership of [[Elijah Muhammad]]. Farrakhan is most prominent for [[antisemitic]] statements and racist remarks directed at [[white people]].

After the death of Elijah Muhammad, his son [[Warith Deen Mohammed]] reorganized the original NOI into the orthodox [[Sunni Islam]]ic group [[American Society of Muslims]]. Farrakhan began to rebuild the NOI as "Final Call". In 1981, he officially adopted the name "Nation of Islam", reviving the group and establishing its headquarters at [[Mosque Maryam]]. In October 1995, Farrakhan organized and led the [[Million Man March]] in Washington, D.C. Due to health issues, he reduced his responsibilities with the NOI in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/us/26farrakhan.html|title=Nation of Islam at a Crossroad as Leader Exits|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Neil|last=MacFarquhar|date=February 26, 2007|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref> However, Farrakhan has continued to deliver sermons<ref>{{cite web|title=Louis Farrakhan's 52 Weeks Of Hate|url=http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/louis-farrakhans-52-weeks-of-hate|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|access-date=October 24, 2013|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|url-status=dead}}</ref> and speak at NOI events.<ref name="ADL20150320" /> In 2015, he led the [[20th Anniversary of the Million Man March: Justice or Else]].

Farrakhan's antisemitic statements and views have been condemned by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], the [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL),<ref name=":0">*{{Cite web|title=Louis Farrakhan|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/louis-farrakhan|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Southern Poverty Law Center|language=en}}
*{{Cite web|title=The Nation of Islam "Louis Farrakhan: America's Leading Anti-Semite"|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/profiles/the-nation-of-islam|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en}}
*{{Cite web|date=2020-06-29|title=Fox Soul Announces It Will Not Broadcast Louis Farrakhan July 4 Address|url=https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/318157/fox-soul-july-4-louis-farrakhan-in-deleted-tweet/|access-date=2021-04-21|website=Jewish Journal|language=en-US}}
*{{Cite news|title=Revisiting Louis Farrakhan's Influence Amid Celebrities' Anti-Semitic Comments|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/19/892855781/revisiting-louis-farrakhans-influence-amid-celebrities-anti-semitic-comments|access-date=2021-04-21|website=NPR.org|language=en}}
*{{Cite web|last=Burke|first=Daniel|date=2019-05-09|title=A Catholic church hosted Louis Farrakhan for an anti-Facebook speech. At least one Jewish group was not happy about it|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/us/farrakhan-speech-chicago-church/index.html|access-date=2021-04-21|website=CNN|language=en}}
*{{Cite news|title=Republican Jewish Coalition calls for resignation of 7 Democrats over 'ties' to Farrakhan|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republican-jewish-coalition-calls-resignation-democrats-ties-farrakhan/story?id=53601481|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref><ref name="ADL20150320">{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/anti-semitism/united-states/farrakhan-in-his-own-words-2015-03-20.pdf|title=Farrakhan In His Own Words|work=The Anti-Defamation League|date=March 20, 2015|access-date=July 9, 2020|archive-date=September 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914015254/https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/anti-semitism/united-states/farrakhan-in-his-own-words-2015-03-20.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and other organizations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stockman|first=Farah|date=December 23, 2018|title=Women's March Roiled by Accusations of Anti-Semitism |language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/us/womens-march-anti-semitism.html|access-date=October 29, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Farrakhan's views and remarks have also been called [[homophobic]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/on-the-dangers-of-following-louis-farrakhan-2-197347/|title=On the Dangers of Following Louis Farrakhan|last=Gray|first=Briahna Joy|date=March 13, 2018|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=December 1, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> He has denied assertions that he is antisemitic, racist, or anti-gay.<ref name="first visit">{{cite news|last=Farrakhan|first=Louis|date=March 26, 2002|title=Louis Farrakhan's first visit to a Jewish Synagogue... 'It took courage to bring me here|work=[[Gleaner Company|Jamaica Gleaner]]|url=http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020326/news/news1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016003843/http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020326/news/news1.html|archive-date=October 16, 2010|quote=I am called and [sic] anti-Semite, I am called a hater, but if you look at those who follow me, you do not have one record of one of my followers doing one thing against a member of the Jewish faith, a member of the white community, or the black community, so if I am such a hater, why don't my followers demonstrated that hate, we have never picketed one Jewish establishment, because we have always related well to the Jewish people.}}</ref><ref name="TJP20200706">{{cite news|last=Oster|first=Marcy|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/louis-farrakhan-rebuts-charges-of-antisemitism-in-july-4th-speech-634002|title=Louis Farrakhan rebuts charges of antisemitism in July 4th speech|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|agency=JTA|date=July 6, 2020|access-date=July 18, 2020|quote=They tell lies to make you think I am a bigot or antisemite, so that you won’t listen to what I’m saying. So far they’ve been pretty successful.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=-Farrakhan|first=Louis|url=http://www.noi.org/letter-to-president-bush-12-01-2001/|title=Letter of warning to President George Bush: December 1, 2001|work=The Nation of Islam|date=December 2001|access-date=November 16, 2014|quote=the propaganda that makes me appear to many as anti-White, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and anti-Gay. None of these names accurately describe who I am.}}</ref> Farrakhan was banned from [[Facebook]] in 2019 along with other public figures [[Meta Platforms|Meta]] considered to be political or religious extremists,<ref name="Atlantic20190502">{{Cite news|last=Lorenz|first=Taylor|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/05/instagram-and-facebook-ban-far-right-extremists/588607/|title=Instagram and Facebook Ban Far-Right Extremists|work=The Atlantic|date=May 2, 2019|access-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref><ref name="ChicST20190519">{{cite news|last=Charles|first=Sam|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/2/18619271/louis-farrakhan-banned-from-facebook-over-policies-on-violence-hate|title=Louis Farrakhan banned from Facebook over policies on violence, hate|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=May 2, 2019|access-date=September 10, 2020|quote=Facebook has banned the longtime leader of the Chicago-based Nation of Islam as part of the tech giant's efforts to rid its websites of hate speech and 'dangerous' people and organizations.}}{{subscription required}}</ref> and the official Nation of Islam [[YouTube]] channel was removed for "[[hate speech]]" in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sales |first=Ben |date=2020-10-07 |title=YouTube removes Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam channel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/youtube-removes-louis-farrakhans-nation-of-islam-channel/ |access-date=2025-11-25 |work=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref>{{TOC limit}}

==Early life and education==
Farrakhan, who is Black,<ref name="brit">{{Cite web |title=Louis Farrakhan {{!}} Biography, Nation of Islam, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Farrakhan |access-date=2022-05-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> was born Louis Eugene Walcott on May 11, 1933 in [[The Bronx]], [[New York City]].<ref name="Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts" /> He is the younger of two sons of Sarah Mae Manning (1900–1988) and Percival Clark, immigrants from the [[Anglo-Caribbean]] islands. His mother was born in [[Saint Kitts]], while his father was [[Jamaicans|Jamaican]]. The couple separated before their second son was born, and Walcott says he never knew his biological father.<ref name="matt">{{cite book|first=Mattias|last=Gardell|title=In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farrakhan and The Nation of Islam|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|location=Durham, North Carolina|date=1996|isbn=978-0822318453|page=119}}</ref> Walcott was named after Louis Walcott, a man with whom his mother had a relationship after becoming separated from Percival Clark.<ref name="Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts" /> In a 1996 interview with [[Henry Louis Gates Jr.]], Walcott speculated that Percival Clark, "a light-skinned man with straight hair from Jamaica", may have been [[History of the Jews in Jamaica|Jewish]].<ref name=JWeekly>{{cite news|url=https://www.jweekly.com/1996/04/26/farrakhan-claims-his-father-may-have-been-a-jew/|title=Farrakhan claims his father may have been a Jew|newspaper=[[The Jewish News of Northern California]]|date=April 26, 1996|accessdate=March 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Henry Louis Jr. |last=Gates|author-link=Henry Louis Gates Jr. |title=The Charmer |date=April 29, 1996 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |pages=116–121 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/04/29/the-charmer |access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>

After Walcott's stepfather died in 1936, the Walcott family moved to [[Boston]], where they settled in the largely African-American neighborhood of [[Roxbury, Massachusetts|Roxbury]].<ref name="matt"/>

Walcott received his first violin at the age of five. By the time he was 12 years old, he had been on tour with the Boston College Orchestra.<ref name="matt"/><ref name="Holland">{{cite news|last=Holland|first=Bernard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/19/arts/sending-a-message-louis-farrakhan-plays-mendelssohn.html?pagewanted=all|title=Sending a Message, Louis Farrakhan Plays Mendelssohn|quote=Mr. Farrakhan acknowledged the symbolism in his playing of music by a European Jew. … Speaking in a quiet but insistent voice, he said he would "try to do with music what cannot be done with words and try to undo with music what words have done."|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 19, 1993|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> A year later, he participated in national competitions and won them. In 1946, he was one of the first black performers to appear on the [[Ted Mack (television host)|Ted Mack]] ''[[Original Amateur Hour]]'',<ref name=Holland/> where he also won an award. Walcott and his family were active members of the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] St. Cyprian's Church in Roxbury.<ref name="matt"/>

Walcott attended the [[Boston Latin School]], and later attended and graduated from the [[English High School of Boston|English High School]].<ref name="Judis">{{cite news|last=Judis|first=John B.|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E4DC1531F93BA2575BC0A960958260|title=Maximum Leader|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 18, 1996|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref> He completed three years at [[Winston-Salem State University|Winston-Salem Teachers College]], where he had a track scholarship.<ref name="Holland" />

[[File:Louis Farrakahn and his lovely wife Khadijah Farrakhan (48591892891).jpg|thumb|Khadijah and Louis Farrakhan, 1996]]
In 1953, Walcott married Betsy Ross (later known as [[Khadijah Farrakhan]]) while he was in college.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|first=Clarence|last=Waldron|title=Minister Louis Farrakhan Talks About Miraculous Recovery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kTsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|date=March 5, 2007}}</ref> Due to complications from his new wife's first pregnancy, Walcott dropped out after completing his junior year of college to devote time to his wife and their child.<ref name="Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts"/><ref name="auto">{{cite web |last1=Bergeron |first1=Elena |title=Mustapha Farrakhan Jr. struggles to balance his name with his game |url=https://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=3644907 |website=ESPN |access-date=23 March 2021 |language=en |date=6 November 2006}}</ref>

==Music career==
In the 1950s, Walcott began his professional music career as a singer billed as "The Charmer". It was during a tour in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], that he took this nickname.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMGaBrPGyG0 |title=Mike Wallace 60 Minutes (Full) Interview With Min. Farrakhan (1996) |date=2021-07-05 |last=TruthControversy🔙 |access-date=2024-06-19 |via=YouTube}}</ref> At this point, earning $500 a week, Walcott was touring the northeastern and midwestern United States, sometimes also using the nickname "Calypso Gene".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lei|first=Richard|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/10/14/louis-farrakhan-calypso-charmer/40613502-02c1-48c0-8cde-8c0024d06015/|title=Louis Farrakhan, Calypso Charmer|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 14, 1995|access-date=May 12, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|quote=Recordings of Farrakhan's pre-Nation of Islam work are exceedingly rare, if they exist at all.}}</ref> In 1953–1954, preceding [[Harry Belafonte]]'s success with his album ''[[Calypso (album)|Calypso]]'' (released in 1956), he recorded and released a dozen cheeky, funny tunes as "The Charmer" in a mixed [[mento]]/[[calypso music|calypso]] style, including "Ugly Woman", "Stone Cold Man" and calypso standards like "Zombie Jamboree", "Hol 'Em Joe", "Mary Ann" and "Brown Skin Girl". Some were reissued: "Don't Touch Me Nylon" has mild, explicit sexual lyrics as well as "Female Boxer", which contains some sexist overtones<ref>{{Cite web |title=Editions, Galerie, Librairie Sonore et Vignobles Frémeaux & Associés |url=https://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1304&Itemid=13 |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=www.fremeaux.com |language=en}}</ref> and "Is She Is, Or Is She Ain't" (inspired by [[Christine Jorgensen]]'s sex change operation).<ref>Farrakhan's ''Is She Is, Or Is She Ain't'' and ''Don’t Touch Me Nylon'' calypso tunes (as The Charmer) were reissued here: {{cite web|url=https://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1787&Itemid=13|title=L'edteur de référence du patrimoine musical et de la Librairie Sonore: Caribbean (Music) in Americas 1915–1962|work=Notre Mémoire Collectiv Fremeaux |access-date=July 18, 2020|language=fr}}</ref>

When Farrakhan first joined the NOI, he was asked by [[Elijah Muhammad]] to put aside his musical career as a calypso singer.<ref>{{YouTube|9s2hW2PUVtU}}</ref> After many years, Farrakhan decided to take up the violin once more primarily due to the urging of prominent [[European classical music|classical]] musician [[Sylvia Olden Lee]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=black nationalism {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/black-nationalism|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref>

On April 17, 1993, Farrakhan made his return concert debut with performances of the ''Violin Concerto in E Minor'' by [[Felix Mendelssohn]]. Farrakhan intimated that his performance of a concerto by a Jewish composer was, in part, an effort to heal a rift between him and the Jewish community. (Mendelssohn's family converted to Christianity).<ref name="Holland" /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' music critic [[Bernard Holland]] reported that Farrakhan's performance was somewhat flawed due to years of neglect, but "nonetheless Mr. Farrakhan's sound is that of the authentic player. It is wide, deep and full of the energy that makes the violin gleam."<ref name="Holland" />'

In 2021, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven's]] birth, Farrakhan performed Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61 with the [[New World Symphony (orchestra)|New World Symphony]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farrakhan's Agapic Birthday Gift: Beethoven's Violin Concerto {{!}} The Schiller Institute |url=https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2021/05/13/farrakhans-agapic-birthday-gift-beethovens-violin-concerto/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=schillerinstitute.com}}</ref>

==Nation of Islam==
{{Tone|date=September 2024|section}}
In February 1955, Walcott was headlining a show in Chicago, Illinois, called ''Calypso Follies''. There he first came in contact with the teachings of the Nation of Islam (NOI) through Rodney Smith, a friend and saxophonist from Boston. Walcott and his wife Betsy were invited to the Nation of Islam's annual [[Saviours' Day]] address by [[Elijah Muhammad]]. Prior to going to Saviours' Day, due to then-Minister [[Malcolm&nbsp;X]]'s media presence, Walcott had never heard of Elijah Muhammad, and like many outside of the Nation of Islam, he thought that Malcolm&nbsp;X was the leader of the Nation of Islam.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gardell|first=Mattias|chapter=The Resurrection of the Nation of Islam |chapter-url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2015/chapter/239250/The-Resurrection-of-the-Nation-of-Islam |language=en |doi=10.1215/9780822382430-007|title=In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam|location=Durham, North Carolina|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1996 |pages=119–143 |isbn=978-0-8223-1852-1}}</ref>

In 1955, Walcott fulfilled the requirements to be a registered Muslim/registered believer/registered laborer. He memorized and recited verbatim the 10 questions and answers of the NOI's Student Enrollment. He then wrote a Saviour's Letter that must be sent to the NOI's headquarters in Chicago. The Saviour's Letter must be copied [[wikt:verbatim|verbatim]], and have the identical handwriting of the Nation of Islam's founder, [[Wallace Fard Muhammad]].<ref name="Lincoln"/>

After having the Saviour's Letter reviewed and approved by the NOI's headquarters in Chicago in July 1955, Walcott received a letter of approval from the Nation of Islam acknowledging his official membership as a registered Muslim/registered believer/registered laborer in the NOI. As a result, he received his "X." The "X" was considered a placeholder, used to indicate that Nation of Islam members' original African family names had been lost. They acknowledged that European surnames were [[slave name]]s, assigned by the slaveowners in order to mark their ownership. Members of the NOI used the "X" while they were waiting for their Islamic names, which some NOI members received later in their conversions.<ref name="Lincoln">{{cite book|last=Lincoln|first=C. Eric|title=The Black Muslims in America|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.|year=1994|isbn=978-0-8028-0703-8|url=https://archive.org/details/blackmuslimsinam00linc_0}}</ref>

Hence, Louis Walcott became Louis&nbsp;X. [[Elijah Muhammad]] then replaced his "X" with the "holy name" Farrakhan, which is a corruption of the [[Arabic]] word فرقان ''furqan'', which means "The Criterion". On a very different tone from his calypso songs, he recorded two tunes as Louis X, criticizing [[racism]] in ''A White Man's Heaven Is a Black Man's Hell,'' a record album which was issued on Boston's ''A Moslem Sings'' label in 1960.<ref>Farrakhan's ''A White Man's Heaven Is a Black Man's Hell'' activist song as Louis X was reissued [https://www.fremeaux.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1787&Itemid=13 here].</ref> The summer after Farrakhan's conversion, Elijah Muhammad stated that all musicians in the NOI had to choose between music and the Nation of Islam.<ref name="Holland"/>

===Early ministry roles (1956–1980)===
After nine months of being a registered Muslim in the NOI and a member of Muhammad's Temple of Islam in Boston, where Malcolm&nbsp;X was the minister, Farrakhan became his assistant minister. Eventually he became the official minister after Elijah Muhammad transferred Malcolm&nbsp;X to Muhammad's Temple of Islam No. 7 on West 116th St. in [[Harlem, New York City]]. Louis X wrote in the Dec. 4, 1964, issue of Muhammad Speaks, the organization's newspaper: "The dye is set and Malcolm shall not escape. Such a man is worthy of death."

After Malcolm X's assassination in 1965, Elijah Muhammad appointed Farrakhan to two prominent positions that Malcolm held before being dismissed from the NOI. Farrakhan became the national spokesman/representative of the NOI and was appointed minister of the influential Harlem Mosque, where he served until 1975.
[[Warith Deen Mohammed]], the seventh son of Elijah and Clara Muhammad, was declared the new leader of the Nation of Islam at the annual [[Saviours' Day]] Convention in February 1975, a day after his father died. He made substantial changes in the organization in the late 1970s, taking most of its members into a closer relationship with orthodox Islam, and renaming the group "World Community of Islam in the West". Eventually, Warith Deen Mohammed renamed the group the [[American Society of Muslims]]. He rejected the deification of the Nation of Islam's founder [[Wallace D. Fard]], the [[Mahdi]] of the Holy [[Qur'an]], and the [[messiah]] of the [[Bible]]. Mohammed also welcomed white people—who were once considered devils and enemies by the NOI—as equal brothers, sisters, and friends. Mohammed gave some white people X's, and he extended efforts at inter-religious cooperation and outreach to [[Christians]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-021020-mohammedprofile-story.html|title=W. Deen Mohammed: A leap of faith|last=Terry|first=Don|website=chicagotribune.com|date=October 20, 2002 |language=en-US|access-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref> and [[Jews]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rac.org/reform-jewish-movement-mourns-imam-wd-mohammed-advocate-peace|title=Reform Jewish Movement Mourns Imam W.D. Mohammed, an Advocate for Peace|date=September 3, 2014|website=Religious Action Center|language=en|access-date=December 16, 2018|archive-date=December 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217112114/https://rac.org/reform-jewish-movement-mourns-imam-wd-mohammed-advocate-peace|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Farrakhan joined Mohammed's movement and served as a Sunni Imam under him for {{fraction|3|1|2}} years from 1975 to 1978.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} In 1978, Farrakhan distanced himself from Mohammed's movement. According to ''The New York Times'', Farrakhan "could not embrace its new philosophy. In particular, Mr.
Farrakhan opposed the concept of working with whites to solve the problems of
blacks".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/07/archives/black-muslim-movement-divided-in-dispute-over-doctrinal-changes.html|title=Black Muslim Movement Divided In Dispute Over Doctrinal Changes|last=Sheppard |first=Nathaniel |work=The New York Times |date=March 7, 1978|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

In 1979, Farrakhan's group founded a weekly newspaper entitled ''[[The Final Call (newspaper)|The Final Call]]'', which was intended to be similar to the original ''Muhammad Speaks'' newspaper that Malcolm X claimed to have started.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malcolm X|title=The Autobiography of Malcolm X|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|year=1964|isbn=978-0-345-37671-8}}</ref>

====Assassination of Malcolm X and aftermath====
The day that Malcolm&nbsp;X was assassinated in Harlem, Farrakhan happened to be in [[Newark, New Jersey]], on rotation, 45 minutes away from where Malcolm&nbsp;X was assassinated.<ref name="brit"/>

Farrakhan made numerous incendiary statements about Malcolm X, contributing to what was called a "climate of vilification".<ref name=Stanford>[http://news.stanford.edu/pr/95/950117Arc5411.html "Farrakhan helped build climate for Malcolm X's death"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504164834/http://news.stanford.edu/pr/95/950117Arc5411.html |date=May 4, 2021 }}, Stanford University News Service, January 17, 1995, accessed December 3, 2010</ref> Three men from a Newark NOI mosque—[[Thomas Hagan]], [[Muhammad Abdul Aziz]] (aka Norman 3X Butler) and Kahlil Islam (aka Thomas 15X Johnson)—were convicted of the killing and served prison sentences. Only Hagan ever admitted his role.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newman|first=Andy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/nyregion/20parole.html?_r=0|title=Killer of Malcolm X Is Granted Parole|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 19, 2010|access-date=July 3, 2013}}</ref>

Many, including Malcolm X's family, have accused Farrakhan of being involved in the plot to assassinate Malcolm&nbsp;X.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rickford |first=Russell J. |author-link=Russell J. Rickford |title=Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X |year=2003 |publisher=Sourcebooks |location=Naperville, Ill. |isbn=978-1-4022-0171-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bettyshabazzrema00rick/page/437 437, 492–495] |url=https://archive.org/details/bettyshabazzrema00rick/page/437 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Evanzz |first=Karl |title=The Judas Factor: The Plot to Kill Malcolm X |year=1992 |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |location=New York |isbn=978-1-56025-049-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/judasfactorpl00evan/page/298 298–299] |url=https://archive.org/details/judasfactorpl00evan/page/298 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kondo |first=Zak A. |title={{sic|hide=y|Conspiracys}}: <!-- Yes, it's misspelled, but that's the title of the book --> Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X |year=1993 |publisher=Nubia Press |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=28837295 |pages=182–183, 193–194 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Marable |first=Manning |author-link=Manning Marable |title=[[Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention]] |location=New York |publisher=Viking |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-670-02220-5 |page=305 }}</ref> For many years, Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X, harbored resentment toward the Nation of Islam—and Farrakhan in particular—for what she felt was their role in the assassination of her husband.<ref>Rickford, pp. 436–439, 492–495.</ref> In a 1993 speech, Farrakhan seemed to confirm that the Nation of Islam was responsible for the assassination:

<blockquote>We don't give a damn about no white man law if you attack what we love. And frankly, it ain't none of your business. What do you got to say about it? Did you teach Malcolm? Did you make Malcolm? Did you clean up Malcolm? Did you put Malcolm out before the world? Was Malcolm your traitor or ours? And if we dealt with him like a nation deals with a traitor, what the ''hell'' business is it of yours? You just shut your mouth, and stay out of it. Because in the future, we gonna become a nation. And a nation gotta be able to deal with traitors and cutthroats and turncoats. The white man deals with his. The Jews deal with theirs.<ref>Rickford, p. 492.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/brotherministerthemartyrdomofmalcolmx_c0098f.htm |title=Brother Minister: The Martyrdom of Malcolm&nbsp;X |access-date=August 1, 2008 |last=Wartofsky |first=Alona |date=February 17, 1995 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdRFZ2uQkU| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419213500/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdRFZ2uQkU| archive-date=2011-04-19 | url-status=dead|title=Farrakhan on Malcolm X's Assassination, 1993|publisher=YouTube.com}}</ref></blockquote>

During a 1994 interview, [[Gabe Pressman]] asked Shabazz whether Farrakhan "had anything to do" with Malcolm&nbsp;X's death. She replied: "Of course, yes. Nobody kept it a secret. It was a badge of honor. Everybody talked about it, yes."<ref name=Times940313>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/13/nyregion/widow-of-malcolm-x-suspects-farrakhan-had-role-in-killing.html |title=Widow of Malcolm&nbsp;X Suspects Farrakhan Had Role in Killing |date=March 13, 1994 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 11, 2010 }}</ref>

In a ''[[60 Minutes]]'' interview that aired during May 2000, Farrakhan stated that some of the things he said may have led to the assassination of Malcolm&nbsp;X. "I may have been complicit in words that I spoke", he said. "I acknowledge that and regret that any word that I have said caused the loss of life of a human being."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/farrakhan-admission-on-malcolm-x/ |title=Farrakhan Admission on Malcolm&nbsp;X |access-date=August 2, 2008 |date=May 14, 2000 |work=[[60 Minutes]] |publisher=[[CBS News]] }}</ref> A few days later Farrakhan denied that he "ordered the assassination" of Malcolm&nbsp;X, although he again acknowledged that he "created the atmosphere that ultimately led to Malcolm&nbsp;X's assassination."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finalcall.com/columns/mlf/2000/mlf-60minutes05-15-2000.html |title=Farrakhan Responds to Media Attacks |access-date=August 2, 2008 |date=May 15, 2000 |work=[[The Final Call (newspaper)|The Final Call]] }}</ref>

===Leadership of Nation of Islam (1981–present)===
In 1981, Farrakhan and his supporters held their first Saviours' Day convention in Chicago, Illinois, and took back the name of the Nation of Islam. The event was similar to the earlier Nation's celebrations, last held in Chicago on February 26, 1975. At the convention's keynote address, Farrakhan announced his attempt to restore the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad's teachings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finalcall.com/national/savioursday2k/farrakhan.htm|title=Farrakhan continues Hon. Elijah Muhammad's mission|publisher=Finalcall.com|access-date=November 16, 2014}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2024}}

On October 24, 1989, at a press conference at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., Farrakhan described a [[Vision (religion)|vision]] which he had on September 17, 1985 in [[Tepoztlán]], Mexico. In the vision, he was carried up to "a Wheel, or what you call an [[unidentified flying object]]", as in the Bible's [[Book of Ezekiel]]. During this experience, he heard the voice of [[Elijah Muhammad]], the leader of the Nation of Islam.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Farrakhan indicated that Elijah Muhammad "spoke in short cryptic sentences and as he spoke a scroll full of cursive writing rolled down in front of my eyes, but it was a projection of what was being written in my mind. As I attempted to read the cursive writing, which was in English, the scroll disappeared and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad began to speak to me". [Elijah Muhammad said], "President Reagan has met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan a war. I want you to hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., and announce their plan and say to the world that you got the information from me, Elijah Muhammad, on the Wheel".<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.noi.org/statements/transcript_891024.htm|title=The Nation of Islam|date=October 24, 1989|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011064314/http://www.noi.org/statements/transcript_891024.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2006}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2024}}

During that same press conference, Farrakhan stated that he believed his vision had been proven: "In 1987, in ''The New York Times''{{'}} Sunday magazine and on the front page of ''The Atlanta Constitution'', the truth of my vision was verified, for the headlines of ''The Atlanta Constitution'' read, 'President Reagan Planned War Against Libya.'" Farrakhan added "In the article which followed, the exact words that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad spoke to me on the Wheel were found; that the President had met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and planned a war against Libya in the early part of September 1985".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Farrakhan visited Turkey at invitation on February 18, 1996, and met with the country's leading [[Islamism|Islamist]] political figure, [[Necmettin Erbakan]], and his [[Welfare Party]]'s officials. He said that the Turkish people must decide whether it wants to have a [[Secularism in Turkey|secular]] or [[Islamic state|Islamic government]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/3201eb9156c3823f9317a535794cfb13|title=Farrakhan Says Turkey at Crossroads|date=February 19, 1996|work=AP News|access-date=December 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/244314|title=TURKEY: AMERICAN BLACK LEADER LOUIS FARRAKHAN VISITS TURKEY AT INVITATION OF NECMETTIN ERBAKAN'S WELFARE PARTY|date=February 18, 1996|work=AP News|access-date=December 14, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Louis Farrakhan 1997.jpg|thumb|upright|Farrakhan in 1997]]

====Million Man March====
In October 1995, Farrakhan convened a broad coalition of what he and his supporters claimed was one million men in Washington, D.C., for the [[Million Man March]]. The count however fell far below the hoped-for numbers. The National Park Service estimated that approximately 440,000 were in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/36682/the-3-to-5-million-man-march|title=The 3 to 5 Million Man March|date=January 16, 2009}}</ref> Farrakhan threatened to sue the [[National Park Service]] because of the low estimate from the Park Police.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|last=Janofsky|first=Michael|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E2DA1139F932A15753C1A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=Federal Parks Chief Calls 'Million Man' Count Low|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 21, 1995|access-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref>

Farrakhan and other speakers called for black men to renew their commitments to their families and communities. In Farrakhan's 2{{frac|1|2}} hours he quoted from [[Spiritual (music)|spirituals]] as well as the Old and New Testaments and termed himself a prophet sent by God to show America its evil.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wilgoren|first=Debbi|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/10/22/farrakhans-speech-masons-mysticism-more/5c9427bc-7223-499b-8caf-7e9e5a236079/|title=Farrakhan's Speech: Masons, Mysticism, More|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 22, 1995|access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> The event was organized by many civil rights and religious organizations and drew men and their sons from across the United States of America. Many other distinguished African Americans addressed the throng, including: [[Maya Angelou]]; [[Rosa Parks]]; [[Martin Luther King III]], [[Cornel West]], [[Jesse Jackson]] and [[Benjamin Chavis]]. In 2005, together with other prominent African Americans such as the [[New Black Panther Party]] leader [[Malik Zulu Shabazz]], the activist [[Al Sharpton]], Addis Daniel and others, Farrakhan marked the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March by holding a second gathering, the [[Millions More Movement]], October 14–17 in Washington D.C.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4960804|title=Millions More March Draws Black Activists|date=October 16, 2005|work=NPR|access-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref>

=== Succession ===
It is unknown who will lead the Nation of Islam after Farrakhan's death. [[Ishmael Muhammad]] has been speculated to be a potential successor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panafricanalliance.com/louis-farrakhan-nation-of-islam/|title=Life After Louis Farrakhan: Who Will Be the Next Leader of the NOI?|last=Malik|first=Asad|date=June 2018|website=www.panafricanalliance.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417045139/https://www.panafricanalliance.com/louis-farrakhan-nation-of-islam/|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/us/10cncfarrakhan.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Farrakhan Using Libyan Crisis to Bolster His Nation of Islam|work =[[New York Times]] |date=2011-04-09 |accessdate=2011-04-11  |first=David |last=Lepeska}}</ref> Before 1993, [[Khallid Muhammad]] was "the most likely heir apparent".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Sylvester |title=Who Will Take Over From Farrakhan? |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,22665,00.html |access-date=17 October 2022 |agency=Time |publisher=Time Magazine |date=April 5, 1999}}</ref>

== Views ==
Farrakhan has been the center of much controversy with critics saying that his political views and comments are [[antisemitic]], [[racism|racist]], and [[Homophobia|homophobic]].<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><ref name=":1" /> 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>

===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>

===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]]

===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>

=== Racism and black supremacy ===
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) a [[hate group]] with a theology of [[black supremacy]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Nation of Islam |url=https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/nation-islam/ |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en-US}}</ref> According to the SPLC, the NOI has a "lengthy record" of [[antisemitism]], promotes [[black separatism]], and asserts that black people are superior to [[white people]].<ref name=":1" /> 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">{{cite news |title=Louis Farrakhan |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/louis-farrakhan |access-date=May 5, 2019 |work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]}}</ref> a story which originated with the founder of the NOI, [[Wallace Fard Muhammad|Wallace D. Fard]].<ref name="SPLCNOI">{{Cite news |title=Nation of Islam |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/nation-islam |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 |work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]}}</ref>

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>

===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>
<!---NOTE: When adding any examples to this section, you should include an explanation, with reliable sources, of _who_ objected to Farrakhan's words or actions, to satisfy Wikipedia's policies on neutrality and verifiability. Mere personal disagreement with Farrakhan is not enough. -->

==Relationship with Muammar Gaddafi==
In 1985, Farrakhan obtained working capital in the amount of $5 million, in the form of an interest-free loan from [[Libya]]'s Islamic Call Society to be repaid within 18 months which was to be used to create a toiletries firm with black employees.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sargent|first=Edward D.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/05/04/5-million-qaddafi-loan-to-go-to-toiletry-firm/cf68f65f-e71b-4dee-ae6b-f14f70f84706/|title=$5 Million Qaddafi Loan To Go to Toiletry Firm|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 4, 1985|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref> Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]] had also offered Farrahkan guns to begin a black nation. Farrakhan said that he told Gaddafi that he preferred an economic investment in black America.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Worthington|first1=Rogers|title=Farrakhan Stand Bad For Business|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/10/28/farrakhan-stand-bad-for-business/|access-date=March 14, 2017|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 28, 1985}}</ref>

In January 1996, when Farrakhan visited Libya, Gaddafi pledged giving him a gift of $1 billion and a personal award of $250,000. As economic activity between the two countries had been restricted by the US government since 1986 following allegations of Libya's connection to terrorism, the financial transfer was blocked. It was unclear if Gaddafi would have been in a position to finance the money transfer.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stevenson|first=Richard W.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/28/us/officials-to-block-qaddafi-gift-to-farrakhan.html|title=Officials to Block Qaddafi Gift to Farrakhan|work=The New York Times|date=August 28, 2020|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-08-29-mn-38706-story.html|title=Farrakhan Denied $1 Billion From Libya|work=Los Angeles Times|agency=Associated Press|date=August 29, 1996|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref>

At the time of the [[Arab Spring|wider uprisings in the Arab world]] and the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|Tsunami in Japan]] in a Chicago press conference on March 31, 2011,<!-- SPLC source: "Farrakhan...warned Thursday during a rambling press conference at the group's headquarters in Chicago" (the previous day) --> Farrakhan said President Obama's action in supporting the rebels in Libya were going to advance the arrival of UFOs, or divine spaceships, as punishments for black sufferings. Depicting Obama as engulfed by the people surrounding him, he said: "The stupid mistake that we make is to think that the president is the supreme power. Never was. Money is the power in America. … All of you know what I'm talking about, Zionist control of the government of the United States of America."<ref>{{cite news|last=Nelson|first=Leah|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2011/04/01/black-extremists-blast-obama%E2%80%99s-decision-weaken-qaddafi-one-predicting-spaceships|title=Black Extremists Blast Obama's Decision to Weaken Qaddafi, With One Predicting Spaceships|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=April 1, 2011|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref> When Gaddafi was killed in October 2011, Farrakhan blamed Obama's advisors whom he called "wicked demons".<ref>{{cite news|last=Haggerty|first=Ryan|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2011-10-26-ct-met-farrakhan-20111026-story.html|title=Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan condemns killing of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref>

==Social media==
Farrakhan lost his verified status on his [[Twitter]] posts in June 2018, denying him full verification, after asserting the [[Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases|Harvey Weinstein scandal]] was about "Jewish power".<ref>{{cite news|last=Weich|first=Ben|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/louis-farrakhan-nation-of-islam-harvey-weinstein-scandal-jewish-power-1.465434|title=Louis Farrakhan 'loses Twitter blue tick' after blaming Harvey Weinstein scandal on 'Jewish power'|work=The Jewish Chronicle|location=London|date=June 13, 2018|access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> The following October, Twitter said that it would not suspend Farrakhan's account after he posted a tweet that compared Jews to termites: Twitter substantiated its inaction by stating that he had not broken the site's rules.<ref>{{cite news|last=Doherty|first=Rosa|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/louis-farrakhan-keeps-his-twitter-account-despite-comparing-jews-to-termites-1.471160|title=Louis Farrakhan keeps his Twitter account despite comparing Jews to termites|work=The Jewish Chronicle|location=London|date=October 18, 2018|access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> After a Twitter rule change on hateful conduct in July 2019, the tweet—"I'm not an anti-Semite. I'm anti-Termite"—was removed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dolsten|first=Joseph|url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/louis-farrakhans-2018-tweet-comparing-jews-to-termites-is-gone-after-twitter-policy-change|title=Louis Farrakhan's 2018 tweet comparing Jews to termites is gone after Twitter policy change|agency=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|date=July 9, 2019|access-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref>

At the beginning of May 2019, Farrakhan was banned from [[Facebook]], along with other prominent individuals considered by the company to be extremists, with antisemitism believed to be the reason for Farrakhan's removal.<ref name="Atlantic20190502" /><ref name="ChicST20190519" />

During a speech at Saint Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago a week later, Farrakhan stated he had "never been arrested" for "drunken driving" and asked: "What have I done that you would hate me like that?" The Nation of Islam said his speech was Farrakhan's response to the "public outrage over the unprecedented and unwarranted lifetime ban" from Facebook. He insisted he was neither a misogynist nor a homophobe and that: "I do not hate Jewish people".<ref name="CNN20190510">{{cite news|last=Burke|first=Daniel|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/09/us/farrakhan-speech-chicago-church/index.html|title=A Catholic church hosted Louis Farrakhan for an anti-Facebook speech. At least one Jewish group was not happy about it|work=CNN|date=May 10, 2019|access-date=May 10, 2019|quote=Farrakhan denied being misogynistic and homophobic. He said, 'The white people who think I'm a hater,' don't know him. 'No one that is with me has ever committed a crime against the Jewish people, black people, white people, no matter what your color is'.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/11/louis-farrakhan-denies-antisemitism-satanic-jews|title=Louis Farrakhan denies antisemitism – then refers to 'Satanic Jews'|work=The Guardian|agency=Associated Press|date=May 11, 2019|access-date=May 12, 2019}}</ref> [[Blase J. Cupich]], the [[Archbishop of Chicago]], condemned the decision of the church in allowing Farrakhan to speak there.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schlumpf|first=Heidi|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/cupich-condemns-farrakhan-appearance-chicago-church| title= Cupich condemns Farrakhan appearance at Chicago church|work= National Catholic Reporter|date=May 14, 2019| access-date=May 28, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Home of Louis Farrakhan (30788246228).jpg|thumb|Farrakhan's home in [[Kenwood, Chicago]], 2018]]

==Personal life==
===Family===
Farrakhan has been married to [[Khadijah Farrakhan]] since 1953.<ref name="auto1"/> He is the father of nine children and the grandfather of basketball player [[Mustapha Farrakhan Jr.|Mustapha Farrakhan Jr]].<ref name="Louis Farrakhan Fast Facts"/><ref name="auto"/> Farrakhan's eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., died on June 2, 2018.<ref name="dead">{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/6/4/18327984/louis-farrakhan-s-eldest-son-dies-in-arizona|title=Louis Farrakhan's eldest son dies in Arizona|date=June 5, 2018|website=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref>

===Health===
Farrakhan announced that he was seriously ill in a letter on September 11, 2006. The letter was directed to his staff, the Nation of Islam members, and supporters. The letter, published in ''[[The Final Call (newspaper)|The Final Call]]'' newspaper, said that doctors in [[Healthcare in Cuba|Cuba]] had discovered a [[peptic ulcer]]. According to the letter, Farrakhan lost 35 pounds (16 kg) due to subsequent infections, and he urged the Nation of Islam leadership to carry on while he recovered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2931.shtml|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414182018/http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2931.shtml|url-status=dead|title=FinalCall.com News|archivedate=April 14, 2015|website=www.finalcall.com}}</ref>

Farrakhan was released from his five-week hospital stay on January 28, 2007, after major abdominal surgery. The operation was performed to correct damage caused by [[adverse effect|side effects]] of a [[Brachytherapy|radioactive "seed" implantation]] procedure that he received years earlier to successfully treat [[prostate cancer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_3220.shtml|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129081725/http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_3220.shtml|url-status=dead|title=FinalCall.com News|archivedate=November 29, 2014|website=www.finalcall.com}}</ref>

Following his hospital stay, Farrakhan released a "Message of Appreciation" to supporters and well-wishers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noi.org/statements/|title=NOI Statements, 2007|publisher=The Nation of Islam|access-date=November 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828060418/http://www.noi.org/statements/|archive-date=August 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and weeks later delivered the keynote address at the Nation of Islam's annual convention in Detroit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sd2007.com/webcast/|title=Farrakhan 2007 NOI Convention Webcast, February 25, 2007|publisher=Sd2007.com|access-date=November 16, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405064329/http://www.sd2007.com/webcast/|archive-date=April 5, 2013}}</ref>

In December 2013, Farrakhan announced that he had not appeared publicly for two months because he had suffered a heart attack in October.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/farrakhans-first-appearance-after-heart-attack-features-anti-semitism|title=In First Appearance After Heart Attack, Farrakhan Continues Anti-Semitism|work=Anti-Defamation League|date=December 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504042311/http://blog.adl.org/anti-semitism/farrakhans-first-appearance-after-heart-attack-features-anti-semitism|archive-date=May 4, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Awards==
* 2005, a [[Black Entertainment Television]] (BET) poll voted Farrakhan the 'Person of the Year'.<ref>
{{cite news|last=Lemon|first=Don|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2007-03-09/us/btsc.lemon_1_louis-farrakhan-nation-of-islam-leader-million-man-march?_s=PM:US|title=A more conciliatory Farrakhan: 'I've evolved'|access-date  = July 8, 2011|work=CNN|date=March 26, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201022052/http://articles.cnn.com/2007-03-09/us/btsc.lemon_1_louis-farrakhan-nation-of-islam-leader-million-man-march?_s=PM:US|archive-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
* [[Nation of Islam and antisemitism]]
* [[African American–Jewish relations]]
* [[Black theology]]
* [[Black separatism]]
* ''[[The Hate That Hate Produced]]''
* ''[[The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews]]''
* [[Mustapha Farrakhan Jr.]]
* [[1972 Harlem mosque incident]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|last=Muhammad|first=Jabril|title=Closing The Gap: Inner Views of the Heart, Mind & Soul of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan|publisher=FCN Publishing Co|year=2006|isbn=978-1-929594-99-3}}
* {{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}}
* {{Cite book|last=Farrakhan|first=Louis|title=A Torchlight for America|publisher=FCN Publishing Co|year=1993|isbn=0-9637642-4-1|url=https://archive.org/details/torchlightforame00farr}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.noi.org/mlfbio.htm Nation of Islam's Official Louis Farrakhan Bio Sketch]
* [http://www.finalcall.com Final Call Newspaper, founded by Louis Farrakhan]

{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrakhan, Louis}}
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