Farrakhan visits Cuba, denounces US Katrina aid

[XXPANTHAXX]

HAVANA, March 20 (Reuters) - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is
visiting communist Cuba to learn about disaster relief, a visit prompted
by the failure of the U.S. government to cope with Hurricane Katrina, he
said on Monday.

The controversial Nation of Islam leader, who is visiting Cuba for a
week, criticized Washington for refusing a Cuban offer to send doctors
after Katrina devastated New Orleans last August, flooding neighborhoods
mainly populated by blacks and the impoverished.

"After Hurricane Katrina and the failure of federal and state
government, we felt it was our duty to come to Cuba to learn disaster
management from the Cuban people who have had many hurricanes and have
not lost lives," he said.

Farrakhan, who led the Million Man March on the Washington Mall in 1995
to promote black self-reliance and responsibility, said he intended to
"spread the knowledge" among impoverished black, Hispanic and Native
American communities.

He met with young Americans studying medicine in Havana on Cuban
scholarships and encouraged them to go back to their communities to
deliver medical services needed by those who lack health insurance.

"This is a difficult road that you have chosen, but you must not give
up," he told some of the 74 Americans studying at Havana's Latin
American Medical School.

The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba and enforced
an economic embargo after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. The Bush
administration stepped up sanctions in 2004 to undermine what it calls
an "outpost of tyranny."

Farrakhan said the U.S. State Department "represents the rich and the
powerful."

"We do not believe that Miss Condoleezza Rice, no matter how
beautiful she is, represents policies that represent the poor people of
our nation," he said.
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Leader of the Nation of Islam Visiting Cuba

Havana, March 20 (AIN)-- Louis Farrakhan, leader of the American Nation
of Islam expressed on Monday in Havana his satisfaction after visiting
the Latin American School of Medicine where close to 12,000 students
from 28 countries including 82 from the US are studying medicine free of
charge. After a visit with the future US doctors, Farrakhan stressed, "I
am impressed with what I have seen and heard. Gold for the permanent
success of the school and the Cuban Revolution, peace and love."

The religious leader arrived in Cuba on Monday, accompanied by a
delegation of over twenty members of the Nation of Islam and during
their stay on the island; they will carry out a program to learn the
socio-cultural reality of the island. Dr. Carmen Santos, Vice Rector of
the Latin American School of Medical Research and Post Graduate Courses
welcomed the distinguished visitor who outlined that "We came to Cuba to
learn about the handling of disasters, because the island has been so
successful with the many recent hurricanes."

He said that in the United States the disasters have mainly affected the
poor communities and mainly the African American community. The leader
of the Nation of Islam recalled that Cuba offered medical aid to the US
when Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern part of the country, but the
White House did not accept the island's offer. "We are here to learn how
Cuba offers its medical services to other nations," said Louis
Farrakhan.

Farrakhan, who was a prominent figure in the denunciation of the Bush
administration's performance over Hurricane Katrina, became leader of
the Nation of Islam in 1977 and has worked in defense of the African
American population and the fight for freedom, justice and equality.

The Nation of Islam - originally called Black Muslims- is a religious
and socio-political founded in the Midwest of the United States by
Wallace Fard Muhammad amidst the economic depression that hit the
capitalist world in the 1930's and was later extended to the south and
later reached the entire nation.

The Nation of Islam currently has mosques in over 120 cities in the US,
Europe and the Caribbean. Minister Farrakhan and his organization have
in recent years deployed an active participation in increasing the role
of the African Americans, strengthening the family and creating a
movement in favor of the interests of the black community in the US.

This is the third time that Farrakhan has visited Cuba and his
invariable position in solidarity and defense of the Revolution has been
maintained during the years. He has opposed terrorism and the war
against Iraq -as he also did with the Vietnam War -and supports the
rights of the Palestinian people. Titulo en espanol Impresionadolider
islimico con Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina

[Kimani]

Farrakhan said the U.S. State Department "represents the rich and the
powerful."

"We do not believe that Miss Condoleezza Rice, no matter how
beautiful she is, represents policies that represent the poor people of
our nation," he said.

okay i couldnt resist this one: Condoleezza Rice, beautiful?; she is ugly in so many ways; the least of which is her physical appearance; Farri needs to get out more.

[Queen_T]

As long as don't mess with Queen Assata while he's there then yeah I agree with him.