Chicago, IL
Richard Gage, AIA and 9/11 whistleblower Kevin Ryan presented "9/11: What Really Happened and Why?" to an audience of well over 2,000 people at the Nation of Islam's Saviour's Day convention Saturday. The event appeared to set a world's record for biggest live audience ever to attend a 9/11 truth presentation.* The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who met with both 9/11 experts for three hours Friday night, is expected to address 9/11 truth (with Gage on stage beside him) during the keynote address today at 2 pm Central. Watch it live at: http://www.noi.org/sd2012/keynote/
Both the Nation of Islam and Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth are to be commended for their courage in making this event happen. The Nation of Islam, which has suffered in the past from National Security State violence and disruption, knows the potential consequences of speaking truth to power, yet has chosen to stand with 9/11 truth, come what may, because - as an NOI leader told me - "as Muslims, we only fear God."
The Architects and Engineers, led by Richard Gage, also demonstrated considerable courage by defying nay-sayers on their Board who apparently tried to torpedo the event. (Perhaps this will spark a conversation on Islamophobia, and racial/religious bigotry in general, in certain quarters of the 9/11 truth movement?)**
As the best-organized Muslim group in North America, the Nation of Islam will undoubtedly continue to be a major force for truth and justice in the years ahead.
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*The Alex Jones/Scholars for 911 Truth C-Span event in June 2006 drew an audience of around 1,500, while the Chicago conference I helped organize (with MUJCA.com and 911Truth.org) earlier that month was attended by over 1,000 people. Aside from William Rodriguez's motivational speeches in Spain, which have drawn audiences of thousands without being billed or perceived as 9/11 truth oriented, these are, to my knowledge, the most heavily-attended 9/11 truth presentations yet.
**One 9/11 truther who tried to stop the event argued that the Nation of Islam is "racist." This kind of simplistic mud-slinging ignores the context of the organization's growth and development in reaction to a nation that is slowly recovering from its racist and genocidal history. After researching the history of the Nation of Islam for a course I designed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I think it should be obvious to any fair and knowledgeable observer that NOI has, overall, played an extremely positive role in the lives of the vast majority of its followers, and in the life of the larger American nation as well.
Some Muslims take a negative attitude toward NOI because they consider it "theologically incorrect." But Muslims, unlike many Christians, are not expected to agree on complex theological matters. As Bediuzzaman Said Nursi wrote, "Sunni and Shi'a are brothers." Those in the Nation of Islam are also the brothers and sisters of Muslims everywhere. After we've defeated the genocidal war on Islam launched by the 9/11 inside job, we'll have plenty of time to politely and rationally discuss our theological differences!Labels: 9/11 truth, Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, Cordoba Islamic Center, farrakhan, Kevin Ryan, minister louis farrakhan, muslims, nation of islam, richard gage, saviours' day
