Latinos are a part of the Original Family

Originally printed in the Final Call News @ Latinos are a part of the Original Family - Apr 23, 2008

“Time dictates agenda. When you know the time, you know what must be done. What must be done is the agenda. It is predicated upon a good understanding of the time. If you don’t know the time, or do not believe in the understanding given of the time, then you will not adopt the right agenda. And if you do not adopt the right agenda, then surely man is in loss.” --The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, from Time Must Dictate Our Agenda!

Latinos in the Nation of Islam are blessed to see past the black label associated with the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and hear the universality of the teachings through the guidance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Due to the lack of knowledge of who we truly are, we have accepted and associated ourselves to many “labels” that have generally served to divide the Original family. “Latino” and “Hispanic” are labels commonly used though not always understood. As Latinos, we are the children of Indigenous and African ancestry. We are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Columbian, Ecuadorian, Belizean, Chilean, and more. Our families are native to America, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. As so-called Latinos we come in all complexions, we appear to be Indigenous, Black and even Caucasian. We were given the language (Spanish), the names (Torres, Martinez, etc.) and the religion (Christianity, Roman Catholicism) of the Spanish conquerors.

As students of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Latinos have found great healing in learning the truth about God and who we truly are, members of the Original Family of the planet, along with Native Americans and Blacks. Through the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad we have been empowered to change the reality of our lives and now have the ability to fill the spiritual void that for some was once occupied by self-hatred, abuse of ourselves and others, drugs, alcohol and gangs.

We have learned that it is the knowledge of self that we lack which keeps us from enjoying freedom, justice and equality. As Latinos and Blacks we have unique experiences but we suffer many of the same ailments such as the inability to love ourselves. According to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, “This is one of our gravest handicaps. This not having love for self is the root cause of hate (dislike), disunity, disagreement, quarrelling, betraying, stool pigeons and fighting and killing one another.”

For many, Islam has come when all else failed.  The life giving teachings have been fundamental in not only keeping us alive but transforming us into citizens that our families and our people can truly be proud of.

In August 2007, I had the opportunity to go on a 15 day Mxodus Tour traveling to three states in Mexico: Veracruz, Tabasco and Chiapas. Of all the great Mexican history I witnessed on the tour, the history of the Olmec civilization and the 19 Olmec heads discovered in Veracruz, Mexico was the most profound. The excavated Olmec heads are megalithic facial sculptures with African features, made of basaltic stone, weighing up to 20 tons and measuring from about 8 to 12 ft in height. My journey to Mexico was an awakening and a bearer of witness to the divine teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

In an article titled, “Ancient City Found in Mexico” by Stefan Lovgren in the National Geographic dated January 26, 2007, he states, “Archaeologists have unearthed a city in central Mexico that is more than 2,500 years old and was influenced by the ancient Olmec culture. Creators of a pioneering written language and calendar, the Olmec are generally regarded as the first advanced civilization in Mesoamerica, the region stretching from central Mexico to eastern Honduras” The Olmec are often called the mother culture of Mesoamerica. They flourished during the so-called formative period of the region’s history—about 1200 B.C. to 400 B.C.”

During this time of tension between Latinos and Blacks it is critical that we understand our ancestral connection. There is money to be made in division between Latinos and Blacks, a people who have been robbed of the knowledge of self. “At the beginning of 2008, the U.S. has more people in prison than any other country. 2.3 million U.S. adults were incarcerated, and 50 states spent $49 billion on corrections in 2007. And for the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, and 1 in 9 black males is behind bars.” (Pew Center Report)

What will the U.S. prison system look like when Latinos and Blacks wake up? How would it feel to accept our own and be ourselves, to be free from self-hate and the inferiority complex that impedes our development? What would our communities look like if we Latinos, Blacks, and Native Americans knew our historical connection and embraced each other as family instead of enemies?

Knowing our history as Original people could save our lives and the lives of our children. It could influence how we view ourselves and each other. It is only through the unity of the Original family that the blood shed of our people will come to an end. Today, we must free our children from the fear of violence and premature death; and allow them to develop their minds so that they may be the leaders of tomorrow. The time has come to wake the sleeping giants, for we owe it to our children to Will them an estate of knowledge, the knowledge of who we truly are.

“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Consider the time, for by the time surely man is in loss, except those who believe and do good, and enjoin one another to Truth, and enjoin one another to patience.” --Holy Qur’an - The Time 103:1-3

(Theresa X, a Latina in the Nation of Islam Stockton California Study Group, - email: noilatina@gmail.com,  blog @ http://searchknowledge-theresa.blogspot.com/)

Islam: Behind the Propaganda

"It is a man, a voice and a truth that is capable of quickening to life the inner voice, the spirit, the essence of Allah (God) in man. This quickening to life and this process of heeding truth and right guidance is the process that brings about a transformation in the Believer. As you know, mere belief counts for nothing except that it is carried into practice. This phase of our development is designed, by the help of Allah (God), to bring about a transformation or complete change in our lives. Our self-improvement actually brings into fruition the awesome power of Allah (God) to “make complete his (our) whole make.”(Holy Quran 75:4)” - The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Study Guide Opening Letter

In an interview with Larry King on CNN, Bill Maher was asked if he thought that Islam was a religion of peace and Maher responded by saying, “sure it is, a piece here and a piece there” referring to suicide bombings. Maher’s response void of integrity was preceded with laughter, but was nothing more than the common propaganda used by individuals seeking to ignite hatred and fear and attempting to destroy the image of Islam.

It is important to note that Islam is the only religion associated to individuals who commits acts that are not rooted in the religious doctrine and principles, by media and politicians. It is equally important to point out that at the root of the propaganda lays a sense of entitlement and the need to fulfill and justify unspoken agendas. So, it is in the spirit of truth, and giving credit where credit is due that I am inspired to speak against the false accusations of Islam, the religion I have come to embrace and appreciate.

As a child, I was raised in the Catholic Church, completing the rituals of Conformation, Baptism, First Holy Communion and given the name Marie. During my experience, I recall asking why the Saints that we (Latinos) prayed to and worshipped for various causes and illnesses were Caucasian (White) and was told “you must never question God”. As a youth, I was later introduced to the Baptist, Pentecostal, and Inter-Denominational religions but throughout my life though I believed in God, something very vital was missing, for I remained powerless to the pain and insecurities that drove me to self medication and self destruction. While questioning God was not an option, I learned that God was to blame for everything bad that happened to me, “God was punishing me”. Since I did not always believe that I deserved God’s punishment, I concluded that I was born to suffer and that there was no apparent way out of the misery that made life unworthy of living and could not see that I was my worst enemy.

In my twenties, I was introduced to Islam through the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad as taught by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. For several years I listened to Minister Farrakhan’s lectures on How to give Birth to a God, Male/Female Relationships and many other lectures via audio cassettes and videos. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s words became the penicillin that would remove the pus from my heart. Though I had never heard of Islam and did not see myself in the Nation of Islam given the “Black” label that I did not understand and did not perceived to include me; I could not deny the impact that Minister Farrakhan’s words were having on my life.

As a student of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, I was introduced to God; a God whose relationship I could strengthen by prayer, study and duty. I learned that empowerment and development began by attaining the knowledge of God and Self and that our basic needs are within our reach. Through the teachings I learned that sickness and disease were not only associated to our lifestyles and behaviors but also to the types and amounts of food that we ate. Islam restored my sense of self worth and confidence, I discovered and embraced the power of my femininity which had been oppressed by a world that does not value and respect women. I came to realize and appreciate my beauty, not by the European standard that had produced an inferiority complex but by God’s supreme standard of which we are all created, and I learned that inter-beauty is a reflection of how we perceived our outer beauty.

Through Islam I learned the importance of forgiving and that having the ability to forgive myself and others would released me from the pain and paralyzing affect that is created by holding on to anger, bitterness and regret. I learned that I was not qualified to judge my parent’s but was required to honor them with no prerequisites and accept that all parents do the best that they can do. Today, I understand that difficulties and trails are a part of life that all must confront and that unity and wanting for my Brother/Sister as I want for myself are demonstrations of love that can only be extended when we have the knowledge and love for God and Self.

Islam resurrected the spirit for learning in me, despite the fact that I once did not like to read and had never read a book in its entirety. In Islam, we are encouraged not to be blind followers or students, but to think, be studious and develop our mind and spirituality through reading, studying, and research. As a result, I came to value reading and education, and was inspired to go to college as a single mother not only to improve and develop my condition but also the lives of my children. In my quest for knowledge, though I have earned several degrees through a Master of Science, I consider myself a life time student, and respectfully recognize that there is no degree that I could ever attain that could compare to what I was given in Islam by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan through the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Islam is much more than a religion of peace, it welcomes one into a universal family, in which you can be who God intended you to be. Islam is a way of life, it has the ability to empower change, take a broken man or woman and make them whole, where they no longer have the ability to justify being their own worst enemy.

Inclosing, propaganda as defined in the dictionary: “information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.” will never change truth or the impact that Islam has had on lives throughout America and the world. It is imperative that we are in search of knowledge and truth, and that we do not entrust the development of our mind and opinions to the diluted propaganda of media and politicians who do not have our best interest in mind.

“He who gives the diameter of your knowledge prescribes the circumference of your activity.” - The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

(Theresa X, a Latina in the Nation of Islam Stockton California Study Group, - email: noilatina@gmail.com and blog @ http://searchknowledge-theresa.blogspot.com)

Absolute Deception

“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” Habakkuk 2:14-15

As a Latina, of Mexican ancestry I found it interesting to read an article some time ago by Mark Stevenson (Associated Press) untitled, “Vodka-maker Absolut apologizes, ends ad showing California, Texas as part of Mexico.” According to Stevensons, Absolut apologized for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

Understanding the damaging effects that alcohol had on my life as a youth and every generation in my family, I looked closely at the U.S. consumers threats to boycott Absolut and forcing them to apologize for a 1830s-era map instead of their contribution to alcoholism that extends beyond the Mexican community. According to Raymond Goldberg author of Drugs Cross the Spectrum, no drug in history has had as much impact on the United States or the world as alcohol. Nearly 700,000 Americans receive alcoholism treatment on any given day. Alcohol related mortality is greater for Black and Hispanic men than for White and Asian-American men. An estimated 15%-30% of all nursing home patients are admitted because of permanent alcohol-induced brain damage. Alcohol affects every organ in the body and the life expectancy of an alcoholic is reduced by 15 years.

In a 2008 eMedicine article untitled “Alcoholism” it stated, “Physicians encounter alcohol-related cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as intoxication and alcohol addiction, on a daily basis. Alcoholism is also associated with many cancers. Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff psychosis are also important causes of chronic disability as well as dementia. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a leading cause of mental retardation. In addition, accidents (especially automobile), depression, dementia, suicide, and homicide are important consequences of alcoholism. Alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States (after smoking and obesity). Annually, 85,000 deaths are attributable to alcohol at a cost of $185 billion. Almost half of these deaths are attributable to alcohol-related injury. Four percent of the global burden of disease is attributable to alcohol. Worldwide, alcohol is responsible for a percentage of a number of conditions, as follows: Cirrhosis-32%, Motor vehicle accidents-20%, Mouth and oropharyngeal cancers-19%, Esophageal cancer-29%, Liver cancer-25%, Breast cancer-7%, Homicide-24%, Suicide-11%, Hemorrhagic stroke-10%.”

Most are ignorant to the destructive contribution that alcohol has to health, family, and society. And as a result, some parents’ role model alcoholism as way of life while celebrities are paid to advertise the false pleasures attained in alcohol that encourage our youth to drink.

“Alcohol affects the different regions of the brain in different ways. In the Cerebral cortex part of the brain where thought processing and consciousness are centered, alcohol depresses the behavioral inhibitory centers, making the person less inhibited; it slows down the processing of information from the eyes, ears, mouth and other senses; and it inhibits the thought processes, making it difficult to think clearly. In the Cerebellum part of the brain: Alcohol affects this center of movement and balance, resulting in the staggering, off-balance swagger we associate with the so-called "falling-down drunk." The hypothalamus and pituitary coordinate automatic brain functions and hormone release. Alcohol depresses nerve centers in the hypothalamus that control sexual arousal and performance. Although sexual urge may increase, sexual performance decreases. The Medulla handles such automatic functions as breathing, consciousness and body temperature. By acting on the medulla, alcohol induces sleepiness. It can slow breathing and lower body temperature, which can be life threatening. Short term, alcohol can cause blackouts, short-term memory lapses in which people forget what occurred over entire stretches of time. The long-term effects on the brain can be even more damaging.” (Stephanie Watson, How Alcoholism Works)

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan teaches that the human brain produces certain hormones and chemical that give pleasure, help us bear pain, survive grief and the loss of loved ones. According to Minister Farrakhan, “God knew that He created life with the purpose of struggle and it is only through struggle that we attain to the greatness of character that cause us to be a reflection of God. So, in the struggle of life there are disappointments and there are chemicals in the brain that can help us bear the pain of disappointment. Drugs have been introduced into the society to take the place of God, the peace that belief in God can give and the strength that faith in God can give to allow every human being to handle the most difficult situations in their lives. It is the lack of faith in God, the lack of trust in God that allows us to put our trust in things. So, man’s trust is in drugs, man’s trust is in guns, man’s trust is in the things that cannot really give peace, as a result, suicide, AIDS, and all manner of disease and destructive behavior is now plaguing human beings.” (Million Family March, The National Agenda)

Given the damaging effects of alcohol it is vital that we understand why a central nervous system depressant was made a legal drug. It is only through knowledge that we can begin to stop self medicating and sentencing ourselves and generations to come to a life of pain, misery and death. As for the 1830s-era map used by Absolut to market vodka in Mexico the only reason that they were forced to remove it and apologize was because it displayed a part of Mexican history that included the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming once belonging to Mexico. It appears that U.S. consumer’s prefer to keep Mexican’s intoxicated so that we can remain a sleep to the knowledge of who we are, what has been taken from us and what is going on around us today.

“There is much misunderstanding among us because of our inferior knowledge of self. The lack of knowledge of self is our main handicap.” -The Honorable Elijah Muhammad

(Theresa X, a Latina in the Nation of Islam Stockton California Study Group, - email: noilatina@gmail.com and blog @ http://searchknowledge-theresa.blogspot.com)