Look at me like a Jewish mother who may spank her child not because she hates the child. She wants the child to take a correct course. If I have spoken words that hurt, the question comes right down to this: did he speak the truth?
Yes, I’m coming to Jews. Let’s sit down and talk. [But] dialogue should never suggest compromise and capitulation. Dialogue should suggest intelligence and a civil way to resolve problems. No one should take it that Farrakhan is wearing out his knees trying to be accepted by the Jewish community.
Scripture says he who offendeth in words is not a perfect man. I am far from perfect.
There’s one area, one area alone, where language on my part could have led to the headline that was formed after the words. When I spoke of the state of Israel and I said that Israel has not had any peace in 40 years and she cannot have any peace because there can be no peace structured on lying, thievery and injustice and using God’s name as a shield for your dirty religion, I never mentioned Judaism nor did I ever have Judaism in mind. But, I can understand, based upon the words and the context, that it could be deduced that I was condemning Judaism. That I will accept, and that is my mistake. I don’t call it an error because an error is an intentional affront. I was speaking of the action of Israel toward the Palestinians.
The basis for getting along I is [for blacks] to stop begging white folks to do for you what you can do for yourself. Racism is an attitude built over a long period of teaching by whites that we are inferior and by actions on our part that absolutely are inferior. We can help make white Americans and the institutions much more humane by busting up the mind of white supremacy by first attacking the mind of black inferiority.
I really have great respect for those who are politicians, but I think it would severely limit my ability to tell the truth.
That kind of pre-eminence creates enmity, envy, jealousy…I would like to offer what I have to the black community and to America, and in no way would I minimize the offering of any other black leader or teacher.
[People] need to see some other facets of the man so that they won’t go to sleep in fear, thinking that this man is going to get all of his people together and lead them in a killing spree against white people. That’s the farthest thing from my heart and my mind.
All of my life I have been in love with this Jewish composer.
