Louis Farrakhan – Leader of The Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on May 11, 1933. He studied English at Winston-Salem Teachers College, after which he took a career as a performer in Boston. After hearing Malcolm X speak for the Nation of Islam, Farrakhan became a devout soldier and gave up his career as a musician. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Nation of Islam, and eventually succeeded Wallace D. Muhammad as the nation’s spiritual leader. Minister Farrakhan is primarily concerned with advancing the NOI’s agenda domestically. This includes converting African Americans to Islam, improving the economic stability of African Americans, and revealing public injustices against black people. During the past decade, Minister Farrakhan has internationalized his agenda. In 1997, he took a publicized world tour in which he visited countries that have typically been hostile towards America. He stopped in Libya, Iran, Iraq and Palestine, and he met with Mu'ammar Qaddafi, Saddam Hussein, and Yasser Arafat.  Farrakhan’s meetings may be part of an opportunistic plan to advance the NOI agenda at home by generating publicity in political battles abroad. Or, his meetings with American enemies may reflect an overall NOI ideology that characterizes the American government as essentially unjust and oppressive. Regardless, Farrakhan has become a consistent critic of American foreign policy. Farrakhan blames the US for "starving Iraqi people" and inappropriately favoring Israel over the Arab world. Farrakhan’s only duties are those entailed by his position as leader of the Nation of Islam. According to NOI doctrine, his primary duty is to "preserve the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad." However, as the leader of a well-known racial organization, Minister Farrakhan has a large amount of power as a highly exposed leader of black people, and he has recently taken the initiative in becoming a critic of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Due to his inflammatory rhetoric, Farrakhan has more opponents than he does allies. Mainstream America is generally unsympathetic towards his extreme position—the NOI is currently demanding a tract of land to be furnished by the American government for a Black Muslim nation and for the descendents of past slave-holders to fund this new society for 20-25 years. Washington doesn’t like him because he has a tendency to publicly undermine conventional foreign policy objectives.  After his return from his 1997 world tour, Representative Bob Barr (R-Ga.) sent letters to Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Attorney General Janet Reno urging prosecution of Farrakhan for visiting sanctioned countries and for accepting money from Qaddafi. His few allies include other extremist black organizations such as the Black Panthers, and international opponents of America who hope that Minister Farrakhan will rouse public opposition to certain American policies. To many, Farrakhan is an opportunist who will advance his domestic agenda at all costs. He is often inconsistent in his actions and proclaimed stances. Source: http://www.la.utexas.edu/chenry/usme/sp2001/roles/msg00013.html