Report on The
World Friendship Tour III
Obey God, prepare to meet the world,
Min. Farrakhan urges

CHICAGO-Speaking to an overflow crowd at Mosque Maryam, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan urged the Nation of Islam and Black America to prepare to meet the world by focusing on obedience to God and preparing for new international opportunity.

"Obedience to God will give you access to power to actually become a perfect reflection of God," Min. Farrakhan told the audience. Min. Farrakhan, speaking about his recent World Friendship Tour III, stressed the need for understanding that Islam, submission to the will of God, is more important than ritual and transcends the names given to religion. Submission to God is in the nature of human beings, he said.

The Minister visited nearly 40 countries in less than three months as part of a tour that took him to Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia and other parts of the earth. He returned to a rousing welcome on Feb. 20, just prior to the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours' Day observance.

"All of you are so much more powerful than what you're manifesting, the only thing you need is a better connection to the Creator and better obedience to His Will, and you will find the power that is within connecting to the Supreme Power. Than there is no power in the heavens above or in the earth beneath that can stop the rise of the Black man in America to the position that God has already marked out for us. We just have to get up and go there," Min. Farrakhan said.

Turning to his World Tour III, the Minister said: "We met with Heads of State and government that truly love us and want us to be better than what we are and to move at a faster, faster pace. Our people are suffering in Africa and our Arab-Muslim family is suffering in the Middle East and our Palestinian family is suffering in their own country.

"It's the same in New Zealand with the Maori people, it's the same in Australia with the aboriginal people. I want you now to think about the Nation of Islam being all over the world. Everywhere we went they said you must establish a mission of the Nation of Islam here. These are Muslim countries but they loved what they saw and heard coming from us," Min. Farrakhan said.

Arabic, French, Spanish, an Asian language and Portuguese must be learned in order to communicate with the peoples of the earth, he added.

Future plans call for a trade delegation to revisit countries that were stops on the world tour, said Min. Farrakhan. "We made promises to governments and we're going to fulfill our promise," the Minister said. "There are all kinds of investment opportunities: diamonds, gold, uranium, oil. Africa is open and the Europeans are coming in with money and are taking Africa. They (Africans) are ready to sell gold mines to us, they're ready for us to develop gold. Where's Michael Jackson? Where's Shaquille O'Neal? We need to pull our monied people together and let's do some business ... . We can only build a nation on a strong economic foundation that's built on business-agriculture, agribusiness," Min. Farrakhan said.

Min. Farrakhan also announced plans to reach out to Imam W. Deen Muhammad, a son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and leader of a Muslim community in America, in the spirit of reconciliation. In addition to spreading the message of atonement and reconciliation worldwide, the Minister said, differences at home have to be worked on.

REAL AUDIO
PRESS CONFERENCE
Chicago, IL. February 22, 1998

Shortly after returning to the United States, the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan held a press
conference outside his home in Chicago, IL.

Click here for Real Audio broadcast