From The Final Call Newspaper

Striving to become reflections of God M.G.T. and G.C.C. Vanguard retreat, a weekend to remember

By Charlene Muhammad, National Correspondent
- September 27, 2022





ROSEMONT, Ill.—In a world that is so contrary to decency, righteousness and that portrays the Original Black woman in such a negative light, the class of all classes, the National M.G.T. and G.C.C. Vanguard, showed and proved why what is offered through the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, under the direction of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, is so necessary and needed.

The great movement of young, Muslim women flocked to this suburb of Chicago for the national M.G.T. and G.C.C. Vanguard Retreat 2022. It was a historic occasion filled with education, rejuvenation, and fun.

“M.G.T. and G.C.C.” is Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Class, a class designed in part to retrain Black women and girls into the thinking and will of God through the study of seven training units set up by the founder of the Nation of Islam, Master W. Fard Muhammad, the Great Mahdi.



The Vanguard are the warrior class of the M.G.T. and G.C.C., which was established by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to develop and prepare young women to become reflections of God. The class is for women and girls between the ages of 16-35 and there is a Jr. Vanguard class, which consists of girls between the ages of 12-15.




Student National M.G.T. and G.C.C. Captain Naeemah Muhammad and her staff worked for months to empower the women who traveled from far and wide to gather in unity as a sisterhood.

“We have so much to be joyous over. And I want each and every one of us to be encouraged,” stated Sister Naeemah Muhammad during the opening session. “We have a lot to be happy over. We, sisters, are right at the edge of the precipice of this world going out, in the birth of a New Kingdom, the Kingdom of Allah (God).



While we are feeling the birth pains of living in the hell of North America, in just a little while, we will have the joy of new life that is ever increasing and in abundance,” she told the ballroom filled with bright minds, including M.G.T. hostesses, who helped to make the retreat, held Sept. 15-18, a memorable occasion for participants.

The vibrant, attentive students answered the call and invitation by Minister Farrakhan, who gave his divine guidance on the role and power of the woman.



The historic weekend included special treats, such as field day exercises, workshops and presentations and a barbecue, during an outing to The Michigan Farm.

The gathering provided an opportunity for participants to be reacquainted with the purpose of the class and reminded of the vision of what Minister Farrakhan desires for the M.G.T. Vanguard during a special in-person message to attendees.

Many sisters shared that they openly wept and were very emotional throughout the weekend, as their spirits were lifted, particularly when Minister Farrakhan addressed them.



“In this stage of our lives, as young Vanguard, young women, a lot of things need to be solidified like decisions that need to be made for the rest of our lives. Sometimes when there’s confusion, it’s very stressful to go through, so in prayer, and going to the retreat and striving to want to do better and then your words, literally in short words, saved my life,” stated 21-year-old Amirah Muhammad.

Sister Taylor X, 26, from Muhammad Mosque No. 60 in Nashville, Tennessee, felt honored and privileged to have Minister Farrakhan speak to the sisters and to be present at the retreat.



“I was grateful beyond anything else that Allah picked me to be a soldier in this army,” she said.

Sister Taylor X shared that she is approaching her first year of being in the Nation of Islam. She enjoyed the high spirits of the sisters who attended the retreat and the leadership of Student National M.G.T. Captain Naeemah Muhammad, Student Southern Regional M.G.T. and G.C.C. Captain Nusaybah Muhammad and other student regional captains and M.G.T. staff who planned, coordinated and worked so hard to make the retreat a success.



“I didn’t anticipate to feel so strong and to feel so powerful and to feel so capable,” Sister Taylor X expressed.

Sister Khadeeja Muhammad from Muhammad Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta described her experience at the retreat as “overwhelming in a good way,” from the workouts to the Minister’s reminders. “It just stamped in my mind that it’s really time for us to get it together and really be the voice of this new world that Allah is trying to use us to bring in,” she said.

Sister Ameera X Davis, 22, from San Francisco, California, enjoyed the sisterhood she experienced at the retreat. She originally wasn’t going to attend, but a meeting about it lifted her spirits and sparked within her the desire to be present. She overcame all obstacles.



“This is the happiest I’ve ever been,” she expressed after the Sunday, September 18 program at Mosque Maryam, which closed out the retreat.

Attendees thanked Student National Captain Naeemah Muhammad and her staff for all their hard work and effort in putting together the retreat. Many members of the M.G.T. Vanguard told The Final Call that the work did not go unnoticed, and how much they appreciate Sister Naeemah Muhammad for her dedicated sacrifice.

Day in and out, members of the Vanguard expressed excitement about learning more about their role as the foremost group and experiencing an unforgettable weekend of events. They constantly expressed gratitude to Minister Farrakhan for his love and guidance.

Throughout four power-packed days, they participated in affirming workshops and activities, centered on the seven training units of the M.G.T., including sewing, rearing children, taking care of husbands, and how to keep house. Workshops also focused on understanding the divine value of women, martial arts, and guarding their chastity as a matter of national security.



Before the fashion extravaganza on Friday, September 16, the women, dressed in blue Vanguard uniforms, filled the hotel ballroom and opened their ears and hearts to receive words from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. During the weekend, participants also received self-defense training from Student Assistant Supreme Captain and martial arts Grand Master Abdul Azziz Muhammad and his staff.

Major highlights of the highly anticipated, exclusive gathering included an opening session, themed, “Mining the Jewels of the Sisterhood,” #ReflectingFarrakhan Social Media Challenge. Day two included a fashion show extravaganza featuring fashionable and modest designs.

The finale was a riveting Sunday program at Mosque Maryam, where an array of M.G.T. Vanguard presented and spoke and Student Southern Regional M.G.T. and G.C.C. Captain Nusaybah Muhammad led a special salute to Student Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad.






Kamilah Muhammad, 19, traveled from San Francisco to attend the retreat stated, “I grew up in the Nation of Islam and I became a Vanguard this year, the Sunday before Saviours’ Day. This is my first Vanguard retreat, and I love it. All of the sisters’ spirits are very kind, loving, and magnetic. I’m excited to go over my notes I took during Minister Farrakhan’s message, so that I can parse what he said, just reflect on his words.”

Sonalis Muhammad is a graduating senior at Benedict College. “I really enjoyed the retreat, it was like getting a glimpse of heaven, it felt like Saviours’ Day. I have not been around the Muslims since 2020, so being a college student majoring in social work and being able to be around my sisters again is rejuvenating and I really enjoyed my weekend,” she said.

Sister Treasure X from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, Study Group shared her impressions of the weekend. “My favorite part of the Vanguard Retreat 2022 has been just taking my time doing Godly things with my sisters, getting to know sisters and being inspired by all of the modest fashions and fun activities,” she said.

Aliyah Muhammad, 21, of Houston, Texas, was attending her first M.G.T. Vanguard retreat and said it was “phenomenal.” “It felt really good being among the sisterhood and being around unconditional love.




I was able to attend all the workshops and they were all based on spirituality, and your connection with Allah to develop your skill. I felt Allah’s presence every second that I was at the farm, it was pure serenity. The team-building activities allowed us to develop bonds with other sisters. I met so many sisters from around the Nation of Islam,” she said.



Student M.G.T. Captain Meshawn Muhammad of Mosque No. 46 in New Orleans said it felt good to accompany the young women of God, who were inspired to attend and fellowship with their sisters from around the country.

“I came in in the Vanguard Class, so for me it’s an honor that my daughters are now here as Vanguard and Jr. Vanguard. I’m happy that we have that next generation that’s going to take over our mosque and do the work for us,” she stated.

(Anisah Muhammad, Shawntell Muhammad and Abisayo Muhammad contributed to this report.)

From The Final Call Newspaper

A National Disgrace 

Lack of clean water in Mississippi’s capital city further exposes the unraveling of a great nation

By William P. Muhammad
- September 20, 2022

Western Drought Colorado River


Cracks in the façade of American prosperity have once again been exposed to the world with the capital of Mississippi, and its 150,000 residents, becoming the latest on a growing list of U.S. municipalities suffering the decay and neglect of crumbling infrastructures. The city of Jackson is the latest that is unable to produce and provide clean water for its people and businesses.

At presstime, Jackson remained under a boil water advisory which has lasted several weeks, but the drop in water pressure that had brought the system to near collapse appeared to be resolved, officials said, according to Associated Press. However, the crisis is far from over.

Emergency repairs are underway after problems at Jackson’s main water treatment plant caused most customers to lose service for several days in late August and early September. Water is flowing again, but the boil-water advisory is because the state health department found cloudiness in the water that could cause illness, AP reported.


Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba addressed a Jackson townhall meeting at College Hill Missionary Baptist Church on September 13, saying that he appreciated the support the city has received from around the state and the country, but added that much more than good will is required to correct what has been a systemic problem for decades.

“From the moment that state officials came in my office and shared that they were going to help in the effort at the water treatment facility, I said thank you,” Mayor Lumumba recounted of his initial meetings with the state and then federal agencies that finally offered the help needed to correct an ongoing problem that for years had fallen on deaf ears.

“There are some things that we have to talk about today that talks about: one, how we got here; two, where we’re at now; and three, where we’re going,” the mayor said of the water supply problems during the townhall. He also spoke on what must be done to correct it once and for all. “This has been a challenge that we’ve known in Jackson for some time,” said Mayor Lumumba.

He has previously stated that it would take more than one billion dollars to fix the water system in the city but that the city’s tax base—which is overwhelmingly Black and poor—would not be able to pay for it.

 

A cup of water is drawn from a faucet at Johnny T’s Bistro and Blues, a midtown Jackson, Miss., restaurant and entertainment venue, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. Although it is no longer cloudy, owner John Tierre says he has concerns over the city’s longstanding water problems. Some business owners report spending anywhere between $300 to $500 per day on ice and bottled water. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A symptom of greater problems

Declaring a state-of-emergency from the excessive rainfall and flooding that overwhelmed an already troubled water-treatment facility responsible for the capital’s water supply, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced during a press conference on August 30, that the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) would begin distributing both drinking water and non-potable water to city residents.

Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer over the Mississippi State Department of Health, added that the quality of Jackson’s water supply was not only a health hazard and dangerous to consume, but also said the contaminated water should not even be used for basic hygiene.

“The water is not safe to drink, and I’d even say not safe to brush your teeth with because we are not seeing adequate chlorination and an ability to consistently disinfect the water,” Dr. Edney added during the August 30 press conference.

As a state still suffering the legacy of racial terrorism, the aftereffects of state enforced segregation, and a blatant history of intentionally undermining Black progress, new generations of Black social and political leaders have emerged, struggling to solve the lingering problems of Mississippi’s past. It is a past that includes the effects of anti-Black racism and the dwindling tax bases associated with White flight as Jackson’s demographics shifted the population to an 81 percent and under-resourced Black majority.

Members of the Mississippi National Guard distribute water and supplies to Jackson residents Friday Sep. 2, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Troy D. Brown, of nearby Greenwood, Miss., is a former U.S. Senate candidate who ran on the Democrat ticket during the 2000 elections. He told The Final Call that aging infrastructure, and the state legislature’s history of refusing to provide adequate funding for repairs, reveals more than just a problem with politics and decrepit city services.

He explained how the failure of critical infrastructure is an embarrassment of colossal proportions, and the resistance to the basic upkeep of a water treatment facility makes it difficult to make the city and state attractive for business and investment. Mr. Brown said he first became aware of Mississippi’s wide-spread infrastructure problems while running for office in the late 1990s.

“To me, and this is my opinion, this thing really boils down to our relationship to one another as it relates to race,” he insisted.

Carlos Martín of the Brookings Institution told NPR during a September 4 interview that Jackson and other minority, low-income cities lack the political clout to get the resources they need for long term planning and investment and that it’s not clear this current crisis will lead to that either.

Workmen prepare to replace older water pipes with a new copper one in Newark, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. Lead pipes have caused harm for decades. In recent years, residents in Newark and Benton Harbor, Mich., were forced to use bottled water for basic needs like cooking and drinking, after tests revealed elevated levels of lead. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

“Money fixes things at the last minute,” Mr. Martín told NPR. “We have, generally, a history of doing things like what we’re seeing right now in Jackson, declaring an emergency once the damage has already occurred,” he said.

America’s unsafe water

With clean drinking water being an essential building block within a functional and prosperous civilization, questions of its quality and effect upon America’s population should be of vital importance. But according to a nine-month investigation conducted by the UK-based Guardian and Consumer Reports published in 2021, more questions than answers emerge when examining the current state of America’s water supply in 2022.

The report found alarmingly high levels of “forever chemicals,” such as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), arsenic, lead and other contaminants in tap water sources from 120 different locations across the United States. The report also provided powerful insights into the seriousness of these chemical effects on health and the continued unraveling of a great nation.

“Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, access to safe water for all Americans has been a U.S. government goal. Yet millions of people continue to face serious water quality problems because of contamination, deteriorating infrastructure, and inadequate treatment at water plants,” wrote Felton, Gill, and Kendall in their March 2021 Guardian article.

Firefighters and recruits for the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department carry cases of bottled water to residents vehicles, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of the city’s response to longstanding water system problems. On Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he’s declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall worsened problems in one of Jackson’s already troubled water-treatment plants. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The nine-month investigation further found: “A total of 118 of the 120 samples had concerning levels of PFAS or arsenic above CR’s (Consumer Report’s) recommended maximum, or detectable amounts of lead. Testing of the samples showed:

• More than 35% of the samples had PFAS, potentially toxic “forever chemicals,” at levels above CR’s recommended maximum.

• About 8% of samples had arsenic, at levels above CR’s recommended maximum.

• In total, 118 out of 120 samples had detectable levels of lead.

Flint, Michigan, a Black majority city of about 82,000 people, suffered its own water crisis in 2014, after then-Governor Rick Snyder appointed four emergency managers to control Flint’s finances and to reduce state tax burdens by diverting the city’s water supply from Detroit’s water infrastructure to the polluted and highly toxic Flint River.

Leading to what became a city-wide state of emergency, and state and federal promises to upgrade and repair what a deliberate and manmade crisis for short term financial gain, it is unlikely the lawsuits, continued finger-pointing and still unanswered calls for accountability, will solve the chronic health conditions that remain to this day and into the unforeseeable future.

Stating that she and her city stand with the people of Jackson, former Flint mayor Karen Weaver told The Final Call that witnessing the immediate and long-term effects of lead-poisoning upon the young children, adults, and elderly of her city make her reflect upon her vehement opposition to Flint changing its water source in 2014. She said her ignored warnings became saddening consequences effecting Flint’s Black, Brown, and poor populations.

“We started seeing people with chronic illnesses get worse, it was like what is going on here?” she said, referring to fallout from Flint’s poisoned water supply. “One of the things we want to see and have been asking for this for so long and have not had it, but what we were getting ready to put in place when I was in office was a cancer cluster study. We noticed that there are a lot of people in certain areas where the rates of cancer have gone up,” Ms. Weaver stated plainly.

Regarding reports of lawsuits and the issuance of funds in the wake of their water crisis, she cautions those yet to experience such tragedies to consider how politics play out not only in recovery efforts, but also in how compensation is allocated to direct victims.

“You would hear they got this $624 million settlement, the largest settlement in the history of Michigan, (but) so what, what does that mean if it’s still not adequate and not reflective of the value of the lives here in the City of Flint,” Ms. Weaver stated firmly. “We had people die, we didn’t even talk about the adults that died as a result of Legionella (Legionnaires’ disease), we didn’t even talk about the adults that died from pneumonia, that hasn’t even been talked about, yet the attorneys got almost $200 million.”

The ultimate plan

Problems with contaminated drinking water remain a cause for alarm in nearly every city across the country and as Jackson is the latest city to occupy the headlines, as did Flint seven years ago, water crises in cities like East St. Louis, Illinois; Benton Harbor, Michigan; Baltimore; Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and Las Vegas continue to occur particularly in communities with significant Black, Brown, or poor populations.

“Illinois has more lead service water pipes than any other state in the country and Chicago, not Flint, has more than any other city in this country. Flint is actually not the lead capital, Chicago is,” said Student Minister Dr. Wesley Muhammad during a message from the Nation of Islam’s flagship mosque in Chicago. Student Minister Wesley Muhammad explained the fallout that lead contaminated pipes has on the physical and psychological well-being of Black youth in particular when it comes to violence. Ninety-five percent of these lead service lines are in Black and Brown zip codes, stated Student Minister Wesley Muhammad, a researcher, author, member of the Nation of Islam Executive Council and member of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Research Team. “The city mandated the use of lead service pipes in these areas after they knew how dangerously poisonous they were,” he charged.

Student Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad is the Southwest Regional Representative of the Nation of Islam. He also holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning. He shared a quote from Minister Farrakhan from an October 18, 2009, message delivered in Memphis, Tenn., marking the 13th Anniversary of the Million Man March where he remarked on the failure of government.

“Now the government has literally failed to satisfy the needs of people and there is no government that is looking out for the needs, rights, and interests of all of the people that they are governing. To govern means to direct, to guide, to exercise authority over, to rule, to administer and to influence the actions of, and to check, restrain, or curb those activities, by means of law, that which would bring the system of government to a halt, the most important thing in government is guidance,” the Minister said in part, according to Student Minister Haleem Muhammad.

Referring to an article on a Mississippi political and news website, yallpolitics.com, Student Minister Haleem Muhammad recounted that during the 2022 Mississippi legislative session, lawmakers adopted a budget for fiscal year 2023 of just under $6.3 billion. However, the state legislature did not submit a traditional bond bill, which saved the state about $3 million in interest and roughly $9 million long term. He added, that State Treasurer David McRae thanked the Mississippi Legislature and Governor Reeves for delivering the largest tax cut in state history by declining to pass the annual bond bill.

“Jackson State University (an HBCU) has a Masters of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning. They also offer a Doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning. Jackson State also offers courses in Masters of Science in a graduate engineering program, so you can get an MS degree in civil engineering, environmental engineering, geological engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering or telecommunications engineering,” said Student Minister Haleem Muhammad.

“The question is if we have the knowledge, but we don’t have the resources to put that knowledge into play for the sake of the people of Jackson, Mississippi, and Mississippi and Black people across this country, then what is the ultimate plan for us in these cities and across the world?”

From The Final Call Newspaper

Pentagon, NASA continue tracking and studying UFOs

By Anisah Muhammad, Contributing Writer
- September 13, 2022

Screenshots from released video of unidentified aerial phenomena.

For almost four decades, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has been warning the American government due to its evil plots and plans against Muslim countries overseas, the Nation of Islam in America and Black youth.

The plans of the U.S. government were unveiled to Minister Farrakhan on September 17, 1985, during his “More-Than-A-Vision” Experience. He recalled his experience at an October 24, 1989, press conference titled, “The Great Announcement,” in Washington, D.C.

Minister Farrakhan’s experience took place on what his teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, identified as “The Wheel,” or “Mother Plane.” The crafts are popularly referred to as “unidentified flying objects” (UFOs).

Recent events within America’s government have since vindicated the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan regarding the existence of the flying crafts, or wheels. During a May 17 hearing earlier this year, government officials admitted that what they call “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP) are real.

 

›

Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray, left, and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie, speak during a hearing of the House Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee hearing on “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In July, the Department of Defense announced the establishment of “the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office” (AARO), an expanded version of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG). The office was created to track “unidentified objects.”

“The mission of the AARO will be to synchronize efforts across the Department of Defense, and with other U.S. federal departments and agencies, to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as necessary, to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security,” says a July 20, 2022, Department of Defense press release. “This includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged and transmedium objects.”

Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, former chief scientist at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center, is serving as the office’s director.

The AARO Executive Council is being led by Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie. It will “provide oversight and direction to the AARO along these primary lines of effort”: surveillance, collection and reporting; system capabilities and design; intelligence operations and analysis; mitigation and defeat; governance; and science and technology.

Mr. Moultrie was one of two witnesses who testified at the May 17 hearing. The other witness was Scott Bray, deputy director of Navy Intelligence.

During the hearing, government officials discussed the importance of destigmatizing UAP reports by military personnel and adopting a standardized data-collection process. Mr. Bray announced that “Navy and Air Force crews now have step-by-step procedures for reporting on UAP on their kneeboard in the cockpit and in their post-flight debrief procedures.”

The establishment of the new office comes after multiple congressional hearings, classified briefings, and countless sightings of the flying crafts by military personnel.

In June, NASA announced that it will open an independent, scientific study on UAP. The study is projected to start in the fall and is expected to take about nine months to complete. It will “focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward,” says NASA’s June 9 press release.

The Reality and Proof

“While the department of defense and NASA and these government agencies may just now be publicly acknowledging their study of these planes, the truth is that they’ve been studying and monitoring these planes since the 40s behind closed doors,” said Nation of Islam Student Minister Ilia Rashad Muhammad to The Final Call. Student Min. Ilia Muhammad is author of the book “UFOs And The Nation Of Islam: The Source, Proof, And Reality Of The Wheels.”

Shortly after an event known as the “Battle of Los Angeles” in February 1942, where the military fired over 1,400 antiaircraft shells at the objects, the FBI arrested the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and questioned him on a drawing of The Wheel.

“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s home was also raided, and the Teachings that Master Fard Muhammad had left with him were taken from the home and the Temple. Later, he was questioned by the FBI on the drawing of The Wheel, and his writing about it, that they had taken from the Temple; and he explained to the government of the United States and to the FBI: one, its aim and purpose; two, who made it; and three, why it is now above America,” the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said in Part 52 of his 2013 lecture series, “The Time and What Must be Done.”

Student Min. Ilia Muhammad argued that the U.S. government has been monitoring the flying crafts under other names, such as President Ronald Reagan’s “Strategic Defense Initiative” and the Trump administration’s “Space Force.”

He also stated many of the government programs to track and monitor the crafts are done under “black budgets,” or classified portions of the government’s budget related to military and defense spending.

“The recent government acknowledgements of the reality of unidentified aerial phenomena simply confirm what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad had always been teaching, and it confirms what the Honorable Minister Farrakhan has been teaching and represents,” Student Min. Ilia Muhammad said.

In its press release, NASA noted that “unidentified phenomena in the atmosphere are of interest for both national security and air safety” and that “there is no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial in origin.”

 

On February 25, 1942, the “Battle of Los Angeles” happened. The event is cited as one of the first known sighting of so called “UFOs”. The U.S. military fired more than 1,400 anti-aircraft shells at the objects, but all of them missed. A few months later, Nation of Islam temple was raided by law enforcement officers who took information about the Hon. Elijah Muhammad’s teaching on the Mother Plane and the reality of the existence of these crafts. The Los Angeles Times newspaper (above) wrote about the 1942 incident.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches that the flying crafts were built on the island of Nippon, now called Japan. “He said some of the finest brains of The Original People were used in making this greatest object of military science,” Minister Farrakhan said in Part 52 of “The Time and What Must be Done.”

“And this Wheel, as it rose up from the Earth: It came following The Son of Man from the East now even unto the West; and this Great Wheel is sitting up above the United States of America, 40 miles out of the Earth’s atmosphere in space,” Minister Farrakhan added.

During Part 52 of his 2013 broadcast, he quoted words from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. In an article titled: “The Battle In The Sky Is Near” that appeared in the Muhammad Speaks publication, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad described The Wheel in detail.

He wrote: “It is the largest mechanical man-made object in the sky. It is a small human built planet made for the purpose of destroying the present world of the enemies of [God]. The cost to build such a plane is staggering! The finest brains were used to build it. It is capable of staying in outer space six to twelve months at a time without coming into the earth’s gravity.”

He stated that The Wheel carries 1,500 “bombing planes” with the type of explosives that can create mountains on the earth. “The small circular-made planes called ‘flying saucers,’ which are so much talked of being seen, could be from this Mother Plane. This is only one of the things in store for the (enemy’s) [evil] world. Believe it or believe it not! This is to warn you and me to fly to our own God and people,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said.

This image made from video shows unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state filmed by Mexican Air Force pilots on March 5, 2004, according to a Defense Department spokesman. A series of brightly lit, rapidly moving objects filmed in the skies over Mexico could have been caused by a scientific phenomenon involving gases in the atmosphere, a scientist said Thursday, May 13, 2004. (AP Photo)

More Than A Vision

The wheels have been seen since 1929. Minister Farrakhan personally experienced them the night of September 17, 1985. He was carried up a mountain in the tiny town of Tepoztlán in Mexico, in a Vision-Like Experience with a few friends.

“As we reached the top of the mountain, a Wheel, or what you call an ‘unidentified flying object,’ appeared at the side of the mountain and I was called from The Wheel, to come up into The Wheel. Three metal legs appeared from The Wheel, giving me the impression that it was going to land, but it never came over the mountain. Being somewhat afraid, I called to the members of my party to come with me, but a voice from The Wheel spoke saying, ‘Not them; just you,’” Minister Farrakhan recounted during the October 24, 1989, press conference.

He was carried up on a beam of light into The Wheel, and the craft lifted off from the side of the mountain “at a terrific speed.”

“I knew I was being transported to The Great Mother Wheel, or ‘The Mother Plane,’ which is a human-built planet, a half-mile by a half-mile, which the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us of for over 60 years,” Minister Farrakhan said.

The pilot backed the craft into The Mother Plane and docked it. Minister Farrakhan was then escorted to a door and admitted into a room. At the center of the ceiling was a speaker, and through the speaker, Minister Farrakhan heard the voice of his teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

A United States Coast Guard photographer, Shell R. Alpert, took a photograph that allegedly shows unidentified flying objects flying in a “V” formation at the Salem, Massachusetts, air station at 9:35 a.m. on 16 July 1952, through a window screen. (Official U.S. Coast Guard photograph: 5554. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007680837)

“He spoke in short cryptic sentences; and as he spoke, a scroll full of cursive writing rolled down in front of my eyes—but it was a projection of what was being written in my mind! As I attempted to read the cursive writing, which was in English, the scroll disappeared and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad began to speak to me again,” Minister Farrakhan said.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to him: “President Reagan has met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan a war. I want you to hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., and make known their plan—and say to the world that you got the information from me, Elijah Muhammad, on The Wheel.”

In conclusion of the 1989 press conference, Minister Farrakhan warned the president at the time, George H. W. Bush, the U.S. government and the American people. He stated that if he is indeed an extension of the Divine Warnings given from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, then the government should leave him alone, leave the Nation of Islam alone and cease and desist from its evil planning against the future of the Black people of America and the world, as God has declared their liberation.

He continued: “This warning is for President Bush, the government, the Chiefs of Staff and the wise to reflect upon, so that the unwary citizens of America may not be harmed by the consequences of the wicked machinations of the United States Government. You may come against me, which you are free to do, since we have no power to stop you, but I warn you … that I am backed by The Power of Allah and His Christ (or ‘Mahdi’ and ‘Messiah’) and The Power of that Wheel in which I received this Announcement!”

“And the moment you attempt to lay your hands on me the fullness of Allah’s Wrath will descend upon you and upon America. And before you will be able to establish your mockery of me, if that is what you wish to do for what was revealed to me on The Wheel, you will see these Wheels, or what you call ‘UFOs,’ in abundance over the major cities of America. And the calamities that America is presently experiencing will increase in number and in intensity, that you might humble yourselves to the Warning contained in this Announcement or be totally destroyed from the face of the Earth,” Minister Farrakhan concluded.

In the months following his Vision-Like Experience, it slowly became clear to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan that the nation the president was planning a war against was Libya. On April 15, 1986, America bombed Libya. Minister Farrakhan came to further realize that “there is a war being planned against Black youth by the government of the United States under the guise of a war against drugs and gangs and violence.” The latter realization prompted his “Stop The Killing Tour” in the early 90s and his “Men Only Tour,” which culminated in the Million Man March on October 16, 1995, where nearly two million Black men showed up.

Student Min. Ilia Muhammad expressed that the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s warnings during the October 24, 1989, press conference are relevant now more than ever.

“These admissions by the government and the Defense Department, not only do they vindicate what the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan have been saying, but now they are in the valley of decision, where they need to make a choice whether or not they are going to submit to the God of the Honorable Minister Farrakhan,” he said. “These wheels are just proof of that Power.”

From The Final Call Newspaper

A Fearless Defender, Scholar, Believer
By Brian E. Muhammad, Staff Writer
- September 6, 2022





The Nation of Islam and the world of freedom loving people continue to honor the life and legacy of Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad, National Spokesperson of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and one of the strongest and most powerful voices for Islam, Black people and humanity.

Although Sister Ava’s passing was major and painful, reflections on her many contributions to Black excellence continue to be shared.

Nation of Islam Student Supreme Captain Mustapha Farrakhan, son of Min. Farrakhan, remembered Sister Ava as someone who gave it all and used her God-given talents to advance the cause of Islam and Black progress.

“I want to thank Almighty God Allah for Sister Ava and her mother who produced her, because this was a very highly skilled and trained sister in the art of law, and I see her as a watchman on the wall for our people for freedom, justice and equality,” said Bro. Mustapha.

He said her strength as a strong defender of truth and the plight of Black people came from her profound love. She used the skills she acquired as a former prosecuting attorney in Queens, New York. She brought the same proficiency against our open enemy, said Bro. Mustapha.

“When you look at her stellar defense of the Minister, she’s fearless,” he said. “People think that that stems out of other attributes but really it comes out of love” he added.

He likened the depth of Sister Ava’s love to a mother who would run into a burning building to get her child, not taking account of what the fire would do to her. “Perfect love casts out fear,” said Bro. Mustapha Farrakhan. “She loved Allah, His Christ and my father … she is fearless because of the deep love that she has,” he added. “She used all of her God-given talent to fight on behalf of the God that came to save us.”

Student Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad departed this life on August 25, 2022. A wife, mother, grandmother, and servant of God, she was 71 years old.

Minister Ava was a staunch defender of Minister Farrakhan and the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. As an attorney by profession, after joining the Nation of Islam, she was instrumental in representing the Nation and giving valued advice and guidance on legal issues to Minister Farrakhan and NOI officials.

Student Min. Ava Muhammad

A life of service and progress

Minister Ava Muhammad was the first Muslim woman in modern history to occupy a position of authority over a mosque anywhere in the world. She served as the Nation of Islam’s Southern Regional Minister, as well as the Minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta from 1998 until 2000. Later, she was appointed as Minister Farrakhan’s National Spokesperson.

Minister Farrakhan’s appointing Minister Ava over a mosque was “inspired” and demonstrated the answer to a fundamental problem plaguing the world.

In her illuminating book, “A New Unit of Measurement,” Minister Ava once wrote: “The time has come when women must be represented through leadership roles in every aspect of life, especially religion,” she said. “I am often asked about the role of the woman in Islam. What about the role of the woman in Christianity, in Judaism, in government, business, finance, education, politics?”

She further wrote, “It is the absence of the female from the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and from shepherding the flock that has crippled this planet. Until the female is free to exercise her creative ability, the human family will remain in this condition.”

Of Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad’s many accomplishments in service to the Nation of Islam was her invaluable input in the development, compilation, and presentation of the “Muhammad Mosque Provisional Constitution” of the Nation of Islam that was ratified in March, 1986. She was also a proponent of separation as “a must,” for Blacks as taught by the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. She brought thinkers together in townhall meetings and established the “Project Separation” initiative.

Perhaps her most celebrated contribution was transcribing Minister Farrakhan’s words, which became study guides and a cornerstone for the spiritual development of the Nation of Islam and the wider public titled, “Self-Improvement: The Basis For Community Development.”

Her body of work also includes authoring several self-empowerment books designed to help people to access and develop the divine within under titles like: “Real Love,” “A New Way of Life,” “Naturally Beautiful,” “The Force and Power of Being” and “Weapons of Self-Destruction.” Along with her books, Minister Ava conducted the “Master Class” course infusing her years of study and application of the restorative teachings of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan.

She was a national speaker in high demand for conferences and represented the message of Minister Farrakhan in print and broadcast media. Minister Ava graced the microphones of many talk shows, including her own popular program, “Ask Dr. Ava” on her Elevated Places Network on Blogtalk Radio. She also hosted a talk show, “Elevated Places,” that ran several years on Black-owned WVON 1690AM, in Chicago.

She was featured several times in Essence Magazine, providing guidance and counsel on such topics as “The Love You Deserve” and the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States. In 2000 she was recognized by Essence as one of the 30 most influential Black women in America in its 30th Anniversary edition.

Beyond America, accompanied by her husband, Darius Muhammad, she traveled the globe to Africa, and captivated and inspired audiences in London, Paris, and the Caribbean. In 1991, she and Brother Darius made their pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

A star of piercing brightness

Minister Ava personified the oft-recited prayer of Muslims: “My prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” This year, 2022 marked over 40 years of her faithful service in the Nation of Islam and aiding Minister Farrakhan.

“She was my sister, a friend and a real colleague in this work who inspired me and countless others to become sharper, better, stronger in our defense,” said Student Minister Jamil Muhammad.

“Her Islam is not halted by the period at the end of her physical life,” he said. “Her Islam continues because she connected to something that was eternal and connected in such a way as to advance the cause with great honor,” he added. “Her contribution is enduring, and it will last.”

Condolences poured in from various people who remembered her as a person and a stalwart for truth and justice.

“If righteousness was personified it would be Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad. She was as beautiful, as she was powerful, as she was committed to the community,” said Nayaba Arinde, editor of The New York Amsterdam News, in an emailed statement. Ms. Arinde described Minister Ava as possessing the “power of empathetic communication” with the ability to “analyze and assess our condition” then articulate the solution with enough “convincing energy” to encourage action.

“She was a soldier,” said Pam Africa, of the Philadelphia-based MOVE Organization.

“She was warm, caring, loving, and dealing with the issue of myself, my family and Mumia (Abu Jamal). She was always right there … a phone call away,” said Ms. Africa.

She said Minister Ava’s attentiveness will be missed, but the example she set “is in many sisters,” and “her job on this level was a job well done.”

Similar sentiments were expressed in condolences to Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam by Viola Plummer on behalf of the New York-based December 12th Movement: “Her love, dedication and tireless work for our people is a shining example,” she said.

Renowned poet and writer Nikki Giovanni, a first cousin of Minister Ava expressed condolences. Susan Taylor, founder, and CEO of the “National Cares Mentoring Movement” and editor emerita of Essence Magazine also expressed her “heart-felt condolences” on the passing of Sister Ava.

“On behalf of my daughter, Amina and the Women in Support of the Million Man March, we mourn the passing of Sister Ava Muhammad,” said Fredricka Bey of WISOMMM. “She was just pure woman … brilliant,” she said.

“It’s critically important that we immortalize her ideas and make sure that they live another 1,000 years after her death,” said Dr. Boyce Watkins, author, and financial scholar.

There is no reason Dr. Ava Muhammad should not be in all the history books for our children everywhere, but we must be the ones to create those books and materials that would assure her legacy survives the way that it should, said Mr. Watkins.

“We join the many around the country mourning the loss of our great sister,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “Her work and tenacious spirit for freedom, justice and equality will forever be within us.”

Advocate for women and the oppressed

As spokesperson for Minister Farrakhan, she gained the respect and endearment of people as one of his most proficient defenders and profound representatives. From human rights to advocating for Black women, Sister Ava is lauded as a giant in the liberation of the soul of Black and oppressed people.

“Sister Ava is revered, admired and has been an inspiration for women and men all over the world,” noted East Coast Student Regional MGT and GCC Captain Johnna Muhammad in an email statement. The MGT and GCC (Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Class) are the women and girls of the Nation of Islam.

“She was on the front line for Black and oppressed people, and fearless in her defense of women’s rights,” said Johnna Muhammad. “Sister Ava represented every woman as a wife, a mother, gifted spiritual teacher, author, editor, radio personality, attorney, and a sister friend,” said Johnna Muhammad, who admired Minister Ava since a young girl in the early rebuilding years of the Nation of Islam in the 1980s

“In my judgment she was the epitome of what is popularly referred to as strong Black womanhood,” journalist Doshon Farad told The Final Call.

Black women, regardless of their religious background have shared via social media how Minister Ava impacted them. Others bore witness to the potency of Minister Ava’s mind and sharp intellect, yet her quality of humility.

“She was such a charming, gracious spirit as accomplished as she was,” said Bob Law, veteran broadcaster, and radio personality. “She made you feel that she appreciated you, gave you a sense of value,” he said.

An important quality about her teaching was how insightful she was and her level of discernment, which was of immense value to anyone who would be, in a real sense, students of hers, explained Mr. Law.

“It made all the difference in the world in fact, that she was a woman,” said Mark Thompson, host of “Make it Plain” radio show and podcast. “Kwame Nkrumah once said, we can judge the revolutionary awareness of any nation by the political maturity of that nation’s women, not by the political maturity of that nation’s men. And that is because women are the first life givers, the first teachers,” he added. Sister Ava set such an example for our struggle.

The early years and finding purpose

Born Ava Atkinson on November 9, in Columbus, Ohio, she grew up in 1950s and ‘60s in America at a time of segregation, when Black economics was alive and Black culture and community thrived. Her parents, William and Gladys Atkinson, both educators, assured that Ava and her sisters, Carole and Lori, were conscious of the emerging civil rights struggle in the country. They instilled a love of history and literature in their daughters. She went to East High School—a premier institution—where she graduated with honors. People remembered young Ava as a highly gifted and popular student who stood out among her classmates.

“Sister Ava stood out, like a neon sign because, first of all, you never seen her without books … a stack of books,” recalled Callie Muhammad, who attended East High School at the same time.

 


In high school Sister Ava was immensely popular and grew up in an upper-middle class neighborhood in a close-knit family. Her parents were prominent community people in Black Columbus.

When asked if she observed signs in Minister Ava’s early life of who she would become, Callie Muhammad said: “She was so smart, that you knew that she was going to be great,” she reflected.

Minister Ava’s star continued rising, graduating early with honors from Central State University, earning a degree in history in 1972. She went on to graduate from Georgetown University Law School in 1975 and was admitted to the New York Bar and eventually became an assistant district attorney in Queens. By 1980, Minister Ava joined forces with other young Black attorneys and started a successful criminal defense practice.


Finding Allah (God) and her purpose

Trial entered her life that would become her “triumph over tragedy” testament that propelled Minister Ava on a course to her ultimate destiny. Both she and her mother were diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. They both underwent chemotherapy for nearly two years. Having lost her father to lung cancer, Sister Ava found herself searching for spiritual answers to these life circumstances.

Her longtime friend, and law partner, Barbara Muhammad remembered how she managed, overcame, and was subsequently cured of the cancer. Witnessing Minister Ava’s experience inspired her own triumphant battle with breast cancer years later.

“She’s like a blood family member,” said Sister Barbara Muhammad. “When she had breast cancer, she came to live with me,” she said.

“I told her, you were my example. Allah (God) put you to live with us, so I can see how to handle breast cancer when I got it,” Sister Barbara recalled. Sister Ava was “a perfect example” and did not let cancer stop her from doing the things she had to do.

After attending a lecture by Minister Farrakhan called “Truth Crushed to the Earth Must Rise Again,” in late 1981, Sister Ava and her law partners Barbara Emanuel and Larry Pershay joined the Nation of Islam together at Muhammad Mosque No. 7 in New York.

“That was it,” said Sister Ava, recounting the experience on a radio show. “I knew I have found the answer, because he (Minister Farrakhan) said to me, among the several thousand people that he was talking to … Allah empowers you to heal yourself,” she said. The encounter changed her perspective on God, healing, wellness and diet, which she attributed to her victory over cancer.

New York City to Chicago

“The mention of her name brings a smile to my face and it brings absolute peace to my heart knowing of the work she has done to help my brother, our brother, our friend, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” said Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad, East Coast Regional Minister Emeritus of the Nation of Islam.

Ava and her sisters

Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad—in Nation of Islam vernacular—“fished” Sister Ava into the Nation of Islam and she credited him with nurturing her. He spoke about the day they met.

“We first encountered one another as I had walked from the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building in New York City, with Brother Haqq Muhammad,” he said. “I saw this woman with a legal pad in her hand. I asked her, ‘pardon me ma’am, are you a lawyer?’ She said, ‘yes, I am,’” he recalled.

They told her they were followers of the Nation of Islam under Minister Farrakhan, and that they needed a lawyer for the State Office Building, which was trying to put the Muslims out. “We had outgrown the space and they wanted us to move,” he said.

Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad said that Sister Ava, Sister Barbara and Brother Larry were the legal team. “Let’s just say, we remained at the State Office Building. All three eventually joined the Nation of Islam.”

Seeing her many skills Brother Abdul Karriem Muhammad stated, “I put her to work immediately, and she was a great help in this mission.”

Minister Ava’s example in New York left impressions and life changing impacts on people.

Sister Sharima Johnson met Minister Ava as a 15 year old in 1981 at Mosque No. 7. For her, Minister Ava was the example of Muslim womanhood she needed as a teenager. “I saw myself in Minister Ava because she was still feminine. She’s beautiful. But she doesn’t take anybody’s mess,” said Sister Sharima, who also entered the ministry class as a teen, at a time when it was uncommon for sisters.

Sister Ava was well studied, a quality Sister Sharima Johnson admired. “I admired that because I don’t believe that we should be believers forever. We should become knowers and she was an embodiment of becoming a knower,” she added.

“Although she knew a lot, she was always studying. Whether it was the Qur’an … Bible or chemistry books for fun … just very studious.”

In 1983, Minister Farrakhan relocated Sister Ava to be at the Nation of Islam headquarters in Chicago.

“Minister Farrakhan had confidence in her analytical mind to deal with problems, not only problems we faced internally in the Nation but in the community,” said Abdul Akbar Muhammad, International Representative of the Nation of Islam.

When she came to Chicago, the laboring staff were impressed by her dedication and whatever Minister Farrakhan talked about, she would pick up on it, write it down and analyze it, he explained. The Minister brought Sister Ava to Chicago in his efforts to harness the best minds and bring to headquarters the kind of help he needed to rebuild the Nation of Islam.

Akbar Muhammad also gave credit to Sister Ava’s husband, Brother Darius Muhammad for sacrificing and being her protection, which allowed the family to be together despite tremendous external demands and busy public schedule. Sister Ava and Brother Darius were married 33 years and have two daughters, Sasha, and Cherelle, and two grandchildren, Amir, and Amirah.