Dear Editor,

While I can understand the reason Yasin Abu Bakr, who was planning to attend the “million man march”, was deported from Jamaica on account of the potential threat that the Government saw in him, I don’t think that this kind of restriction in regards to that planned march should be limited to Yasin only. Indeed, I don’t even think that Louis Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam or his march should be allowed here.

For those who don’t know Yasin Bakr, he was the man who led an attempt in 1990 to oust the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Twenty-four people died in that attempt. The fact that Yasin was planning to attend this million man march should tell us something about the Nation of Islam.

Farrakhan, and his Nation of Islam, is well known for its racism. He once referred to Jews in America as “blood suckers”, accusing them of profiting from the backs of blacks. He even called for a separation of the different races. We all know that the former Libyan leader Gadhafi was planning to exterminate those Libyans who were trying to oust him. Farrakhan called him his friend.

I still cannot see why it is that our country is becoming such a magnet for people with very weird ideas. Don’t we already have enough people with very outdated and crazy ideas, including those Bible-thumping Christians who want us to be a theocracy, the weed-smokers who want all of us to get high on ganja, the musicians promoting all kinds of criminality, and misguided intellectuals and anti-white racists demanding reparations? Why should we add Farrakhan too?

Our country is known as being very stable as far as race and ethnic relations are concerned. Why do we want to antagonise our Jewish community with a man, such as Farrakhan? Indeed, why do we want to make our non-black people very uncomfortable with his presence?

Those of us who see Farrakhan as some sort of black saviour must understand that promoting black supremacy is just as dangerous as the promotion of white supremacy.

During the late 1960s, the government of Hugh Shearer banned Walter Rodney from staying in Jamaica because, at that time, the State saw him as a threat. It would seem that we have lost that sense of determination in protecting the harmonious relations that, in most respects, now exists between our different ethnic and racial groups.

We should give Farrakhan the same treatment as Bakr and let him know in very clear terms that his outdated, dangerous and racist world view is not welcomed here.

Michael A Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com