JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Some advocates for racial equality are criticizing the selection of Louis Farrakhan as the keynote speaker for an annual convention of civil rights veterans in Mississippi.
Farrakhan leads the Chicago-based Nation of Islam, which published two books last year on what Farrakhan calls the "anti-black behavior" of Jews.
Leaders of two dozen churches and synagogues signed a statement Tuesday condemning this Friday's keynote choice as "offensive" and noting Farrakhan's past statements on Roman Catholicism, Judaism and homos*xuality.
During the civil rights struggles of the 1960s in Mississippi, Christian and Jewish leaders played critical roles.
A spokesman for the Nation of Islam wasn't immediately available for comment. Owen Brooks, director of the Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, didn't respond to requests for comment.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Friday, March 25th 2011 at 11:48AM
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