Louis Farrakhan (born May 11, 1933) is the highly controversial leader of the largely African-American religious movement, the Nation of Islam.

Farrakhan was born Louis Eugene Walcott in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

In 1955 he joined the Nation of Islam, inspired by Malcolm X, and took the name Louis X. He headed the Nation of Islam's Harlem Mosque from 1965 to 1975, and became head of the movement in 1977.

Farrakhan has been a prominent voice in favor of racial segregation, based on his belief that African Americans would do better living independently from whites. On January 12, 1995 Malcolm X's daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, was arrested for conspiring to kill Farrakhan. For more detailed information regarding Malcolm X, Qubilah Shabazz and Louis Farrakhan click here: Shabazz vs. Farrakhan.

He has been banned from entering the United Kingdom since 1986 as "someone whose presence is not conducive to good public order" (David Blunkett, 2002) despite several legal attempts to overturn the exclusion order.

In 1994, Minister Farrakhan was inspired by Allah to call for a million men to march on the Mall in Washington DC. It would be a Day of Atonement, reconciliation, and responsibility. Nearly two million men showed up. On October 16, 1995, he was the keynote speaker at the Million Man March. From that day on it has been recognized as a holiday for African-Americans as The Holy Day of Atonement.

He is considered an excellent classical violinist and considered a career as a clasical musician in his youth. He performed as a calypso singer in the 1950s and released three albums under the name "The Charmer" (leading to his being derisively dubbed "Calypso Louie" by prominent conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh).

Anti-Semitism

Farrakhan has on numerous occasions implied that someJews are part of a conspiracy to rule the United States and the world. He has suggested that those Jews own the U.S. Federal Reserve and that those Jews control black intellectuals and artists. He has implied that Jews working in the U.S. government maintain dual citizenship with Israel.

External links

• Biography on Nation of Islam site http://www.noi.org/mlf-bio.html
• Newspaper founded by Louis Farrakhan http://www.finalcall.com
• Louis Farrakhan's writings http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/cat_index_9.shtml
• Critical View http://www.malcolm-x.org/docs/abt_noix.htm