By
Donald H. Harrison
There seems to be a paralysis of thought in our organized Jewish community
about how to respond to the growing popularity in the African American
community of Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam.
The operant strategy appears to be to chronicle every outrageous statement
Farrakhan has made about Jews and other groups, denounce him as a vicious
anti-Semite, discount any positive accomplishments made by the Nation
of
Islam under his leadership (anti-drug programs, voter registration,
etc.)
and then attempt to limit his impact by insisting that political leaders
and
Jewish community leaders withhold any positive recognition of Farrakhan.
So, when the Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman
recently told a radio interviewer that he was “open” to a meeting with
Farrakhan, it sent predictable shockwaves through the Jewish community.
The
Republican Jewish Coalition was the first organization to issue a press
release calling upon Lieberman to recant. Soon former undersecretary
of
state Elliot Abrams, another Republican, issued a similar statement,
in
essence arguing that if Lieberman were to meet with Farrakhan, he would
legitimate the Nation of Islam leader and magnify Farrakhan’s malevolent
influence on the body politic.
The American Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League not long
thereafter checked in with similar statements. It was the second time
within
a month that the Anti-Defamation League took serious issue with America’s
most visible Jew. Earlier in September, reacting to all the God-talk
in
Lieberman’s speeches, the ADL told the senator from Connecticut what
subject
not to discuss. Now, the organization is telling him with whom
it is
permissible to hold discussions. If the ADL is not careful, it
will become
known as the Anti-Discussion League.
The issue is not whether Farrakhan has said reprehensible things about
Jews
and other groups, which he surely has. The issue is whether the
“containment” strategy has worked. Is Farrakhan less an influence
today in
the African-American community than he was 10 years ago? One
need look only
at the success of the Million Man March some years ago, and now at
how the
upcoming Million Family March is focusing attention on issues of interest
in
the African-American community to know that Farrakhan has plenty of
traction
-- with or without the Jewish community’s approval.
When Vice President Al Gore announced Lieberman as his Democratic party
running mate, Farrakhan expressed mixed reactions in a press statement.
He
agreed with the general commentary that when a barrier falls for one
group,
it also falls for others. At the same time, he questioned whether
an
Orthodox Jew can be objective about Israel. The “dual loyalty”
question
angered many in the American Jewish community, who rightly resent any
implication that we are anything less than patriotic American citizens.
Farrakhan said as a Muslim he has a right to be concerned that the
Arab side
be treated fairly by American policy makers.
One could either read Farrakhan’s statement as just another case of
anti
Semitism -- as the official Jewish community did almost reflexively
-- or as
the question of someone who wants reassurance on a matter of foreign
policy.
Lieberman apparently chose to give Farrakhan’s statement the benefit
of the
doubt.
In saying that he is open to discussions with Farrakhan, Lieberman is
not
acting as a representative of the American Jewish community; he is
responding
as someone who seeks to serve as the vice president of all the American
people. Perhaps without saying so, Lieberman senses that Farrakhan
has been
more reflective about life since surviving his recent cancer surgery,
and is
ready in an appropriate setting to urge reconciliation between his
followers
and our people. Who can forget how Malcolm X, once regarded as
an apostle of
Black hatred, became in the last chapter of his life a proponent of
racial
amity?
If movement toward reconciliation were an outcome of a Lieberman Farrakhan
meeting, it would be as worthwhile as discussions were between the
once
reviled Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israelis. As
it was often
noted before the Oslo process began, you don’t make peace by talking
to your
friends, only by talking to your enemies.
The private fear among Jewish organizations is that such a meeting with
Lieberman will provide a public spotlight to Farrakhan, without any
assurances that, from the Jewish point of view, the meeting will have
any
positive outcome.
There is palpable concern that Farrakhan instead might use the occasion
to
foster more hatred, discontent and anti-Semitism, rather than to promote
reconciliation. A meeting with Lieberman would open the gates
to meetings
with other politicians, less well informed than Lieberman on the status
of
Jewish relations with African-Americans.
Having received no tangible assurances from Farrakhan that he is changing
his
attitude toward Jews-- and is willing to urge his followers to do the
same --
the Jewish organizations are fearful that Lieberman is simply being
duped.
Personally, I believe that Lieberman has a lot more moxie than
apparently
our Jewish organizations are willing to give him credit for.
His willingness
to take action to improve race relations may be the second most important
positive step taken in behalf of minorities during this presidential
campaign
-- second only to Gore’s decision to put Lieberman on the ticket in
the first
place.
Instead of trying to interpose themselves between a potential vice president
of the United States and an important group within the African American
community, our Jewish organizations could be rendering a more important
service:
They should attempt to develop various peace-making scenarios based
on the
assumption that Farrakhan sincerely wants to build bridges between
the Jewish
community and the Nation of Islam. At the same time, they
should fashion
various contingency plans for shaping public opinion should Farrakhan
prove
to be as incorrigible as they fear.
The old paralysis of thought has gotten our community no where with
a growing
segment of the African-American community. Perhaps sincere dialogue
initiated by Lieberman and Farrakhan can lead to progress.
Peace and racial amity certainly are worth the risk. |