In remarks for local and foreign media at the end of his visit to Cuba, the leader of the "Nation of Islam" demanded justice from the White House for the five Cuban anti-terrorism fighters illegally held in US prisons.
He said it was necessary to visit Cuba in order to learn first hand that the ideas of the Revolution are more humanistic than those known by him from all religions.
He referred to the organization of the people in Cuba, which guarantees the preservation of life in case of natural disasters, and he compared it with the tragedy suffered by New Orleans residents hit by Hurricane Katrina and the US government's failure.
Farrakhan highlighted the way Cuba guarantees free health and education for all and recalled that in his country any youngster who studies medicine ends up with a debt of about $150,000, while Havana grants scholarships to poor youngsters of the world.
He recalled that despite the US blockade and threats of invasion, Cuba offered to send 1,000 doctors to aid US Katrina victims, which was rejected by President George W. Bush.
In Cuba, we saw the miracle of Operation Miracle, as well as young people training to be social workers, he stressed.
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Farrakhan Blasts Preventive War Strategy
on Cuba TV Program
By Roberto Perez Betancourt
Havana, March 28 (AIN) Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of Nation of Islam religious and socio political organization, rejected the Bush Administration s preventive wars, in remarks made Monday on the Cuban radio and TV program The Round Table.
Farrakhan and his delegation were the guests on the hour-and-a-half prime time program and the minister recalled a letter he sent to President Bush back in 2001, warning him about the dangers of unleashing a war on Iraq.
We are witnessing times of global war, and those who promote war and violence should be defeated. Only when this happens will weapons be turned into plows, said Farrakhan.
He added that some day, the American people will love the Cuban people, once they get to know the truth that has been hidden by the US government through a media machinery that must be defeated.
Cubans should be proud of their achievements and their perseverance in fighting those who try to oppress them, said the anti-poverty and anti-racism leader.
The Nation of Islam was founded in the 1930s. It achieved great recognition after current leader Louis Farrakhan organized the Million Man March on the Washington Mall in 1995 to promote self-reliance among blacks.
Farrakhan said that after the Federal government's failure in dealing with the destruction left by Hurricane Katrina, the Nation of Islam decided to organize ministries to assess the most pressing problems of blacks, Latinos and poor people in general. This, he explained, is a reason why they decided to visit Cuba, a country that is prepared to successfully face natural disasters, with a minimum loss of human lives.
Asked by Round Table moderator of the current fate of the Katrina victims, Minister Farrakhan said that seven months later, the victims of the storm are scattered in 44 states of the union, while Federal Government and New Orleans officials seem little concerned about the return of these displaced people to their homes.
He added that real estate agents are taking advantage of the situation, and since New Orleans was primarily populated by blacks, it appears that politicians do not want them to return.
Therefore, the displaced blacks will have no chance to be back and make themselves heard in the November elections, added Farrakhan, who noted that Reverend Jessie Jackson is spearheading the commitment to see that these people s rights are honored.
Louis Farrakhan also thanked Cuban President Fidel Castro and the Cuban Baseball Federation for donating the funds it was to receive for its participation in the World Baseball Classic to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He explained the actions he will undertake to make sure that the money ultimately reaches them.
Arbar Muhammad, minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nation of Islam, told the audience about the visits the delegation made to the Latin American School of Medicine and other educational facilities where they were exposed to experiences that the delegation will bring back to the United States to implement in different communities.
We have learned a lot from what we have seen in Cuba, and now we have a model to follow, said Education Minister Conrad W. Worrill, who was particularly pleased by the visit to the Social Workers School, where he found a revolutionary concept in the training of the students.
Rasul Muhammad, minister of Science and Technology, stated that he had never seen a nation that paid more attention to people s needs than Cuba, and he described the visit to the island as extremely useful.
Other members of the Nation of Islam delegation also participated on The Round Table program, expressing their views on what they have seen in their visit to Cuba.
The delegation headed by Minister Farrakhan
arrived in Cuba on March 19 and was met by the President of the Cuban
Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon.
GRANMA March 28, 2006
Louis Farrakhan Impressed by Cuban People
Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the US religious and sociopolitical organization the Nation of Islam, said that he was pleasantly impressed by the work, hospitality, solidarity and humanitarian spirit of the Cuban people.
During a press conference in Havana, the Afro-American leader made a public demand for the lifting of the US blockade on Cuba. He also called for justice in the case of the Cuban Five anti-terrorist fighters, who remain behind US bars over seven years after their arrest and arbitrary trial in Miami.
Farrakhan called the US blockade wicked, saying that it was a policy used by Washington to punish a nation that dared to have its own ideas and destiny.
After spending several days in Cuba, the Nation of Islam leader said that his delegation felt solidarity with a people who have suffered and are poor in many things, but are extremely rich on a humanitarian scale.
He criticized the Bush government for having refused Cuba's offer to send more than 1,500 doctors to help the victims of hurricane Katrina and said that one of the motives of his visit was to learn about the steps Cuba takes in dealing with natural disasters so that he can help local and federal organizations in his country put together a report on the subject.
Farrakhan said that he was committed in bringing the Cuban reality home to the US people and harshly criticized Washington's official policy towards the island.
During his visit, the religious leader toured many sights of interest and held talks with several leaders from Cuban organizations. Farrakhan concludes his visit on Tuesday. (SE)