On October 16, which was the 28th Anniversary of the Million March, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam (NOI) sued the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), ADL CEO Johnathan Greenblatt, Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), and Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the SWC in the federal court of the Southern District of New York for 1st amendment violations and for defamation.
The suit alleges that, “For over 40 years, the Defendants have falsely labeled Minister Farrakhan and the NOI as ‘anti-Semites,’ and as ‘anti-Semitic’ because of a difference in theological viewpoints, and for his pointing out misbehavior of some members of the Jewish community, among other things.
“This false labeling has hindered Minister Farrakhan in his Mission, which is to deliver the Truth taught by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad that will correct the condition of spiritual, mental and moral death of the Black man and woman of America that came as a result of the 310 years of chattel slavery and over 150 years of oppression and suppression thereafter.”
Farrakhan and the NOI, in bringing this action, are keenly aware that good, law-abiding citizens are likewise victims of this mischaracterization including, the late Nelson Mandela, President Jimmy Carter, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and many more, according to the lawsuit.
The suit further alleges, “The Defendants have, at times, indiscriminately and arbitrarily mislabeled countless politicians, entertainers, athletes, authors, educators, public speakers, academicians, comedians, and others, as being ‘anti-Semites’ and as ‘anti-Semitic’ simply because, in many instances, the speaker did not agree with the Defendants’ point of view and, in some instances, simply because the person made a favorable comment about Minister Farrakhan and/or the Nation of Islam.”
The Nation of Islam further contends that the importance of this case extends far beyond the named plaintiffs, but it encompasses every citizen of America who values the freedom of speech, the freedom to exercise his or her religion, and the freedom to associate with persons of like interests.
“These unjust actions by the defendants, over the years, have caused many to fear their censure and rebuke, which, thereby, significantly erodes, and has a chilling effect, on the protections woven into the fabric of the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and must not be accepted.”
The complaint and exhibits may be accessed at https://noi.org/NOIvADL/