Taking advantage of a captive audience. Update to this story.
The Nation of Islam defiantly defended its government-funded work teaching religion to federal prisoners on Thursday, calling the program “a great benefit and blessing to the American Penal System.”
A black nationalist group led by Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam preaches that white people are “blue-eyed devils” and Jews are “the synagogue of Satan.” Its leaders have received at least $364,500 in contracts and awards from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2019, the Washington Examiner first reported on Wednesday.
Demetric Muhammad, a long-time leader in the Nation of Islam Research Group, wrote a vehement defense of the group’s contract work with the Bureau of Prisons.
“The Nation of Islam, which is comprised of tax paying citizens, has a right to do business with the American government,” wrote Muhammad on ResearchMinister.com. “As effective as Minister Farrakhan’s message is and has been, it should be supported with the resources it needs to remain a strong presence within the prison system.”
“The work of the Nation of Islam, is a great benefit and blessing to the American Penal System,” he added. “The history, as we have shown, is overwhelming what we have been blessed to achieve.”
The Nation of Islam did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner before the article was published on Wednesday.