Farrakhan turned both defensive and rebellious during his speech, telling those who believe his heart is full of hate they have no idea as to who he is. He then claimed that some people who previously despised him now love him once they got to know him better.<doc-sep>Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan defended himself Thursday after Facebook banned him earlier in the week, saying he’s doesn’t hate Jewish people, women or the LGBT community. The hate group leader was speaking at a Roman Catholic church on Chicago’s South Side after the Rev. Michael Pfleger invited him following his ban by the social media giant, which had labeled his ideas “dangerous.” FACEBOOK BANS LOUIS FARRAKHAN, ALEX JONES, MILO YIANNOPOULOS FOR BEING 'DANGEROUS' Farrakhan said people shouldn’t get angry with him because, “I stand on God’s word,” and that those who criticize and hate him have never had a conversation with him. Otherwise, he said, they might change their minds. He agreed with Facebook that he’s dangerous, but said it was because he speaks on issues that can be researched by his listeners. “Social media, you met me tonight. I plead with the rulers, let the truth be taught,” he said. “Social media, you met me tonight. I plead with the rulers, let the truth be taught.” — Louis Farrakhan Farrakhan has long been criticized for his anti-Semitic and racist comments. Last year, he lost his verified status on Twitter after posting a hateful video in which he asked, “Will you recognize Satan? I wonder, will you see the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan, which has many races in it because Satan has deceived the whole world?” LOUIS FARRAKHAN WON'T BE SUSPENDED BY TWITTER DESPITE ANTI-SEMITIC TWEET He doubled-down on his anti-Semitic rhetoric, posting another video in recent months where he says that he wasn’t prejudiced against Jewish people but was simply “anti-Termite.” In November, Farrakhan and his groupies went on a solidarity trip to Iran and led “Death to America” chants. During the trip, Farrakhan told Iranian students that “America has never been a democracy,” and also led a “Death to Israel” chant at the end of his talk, Iranian news agencies reported. In the past, he also expressed Holocaust denial and admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, prompting the media to dub him “Black Hitler.” Farrakhan’s Chicago appearance didn’t go without controversy. The Archdiocese of Chicago said the decision to invite him was made solely by Pfleger, who didn’t consult with other church officials about it. “There is no place in American life for discriminatory rhetoric of any kind,” the archdiocese said in a statement. “At a time when hate crimes are on the rise, when religious believers are murdered in their places of worship, we cannot countenance any speech that dehumanizes persons on the basis of ethnicity, religious belief, economic status or country of origin.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Illinois Holocaust Museum also spoke out against Pfleger for “giving hatred a platform.” Museum president and Holocaust survivor Fritzie Fritzshall said that when community leaders like Pfleger give a platform to hate and anti-Semitism, “it increases the threat against all of humanity.”<doc-sep>(CNN) — Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago forcefully denounced the priest who hosted a speech by Louis Farrakhan, saying the church should not have provided a platform for the Nation of Islam leader to “smear” the Jewish people. Chicago’s St. Sabina Catholic Church hosted Farrakhan on Thursday, just a week after he was among several leaders banned from Facebook for fomenting “hate and violence.” The pastor of the church, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, said he has known Farrakhan for 30 years and invited the controversial leader because he disagreed with Facebook’s decision. Despite the ban, the speech was livestreamed on St. Sabina’s Facebook page. “Without consulting me, Father Michael Pfleger invited Minister Louis Farrakhan to speak at St. Sabina Church in response to Facebook’s decision to ban him from its platforms,” Cupich said on Friday evening. “Minister Farrakhan could have taken the opportunity to deliver a unifying message of God’s love for all his children. Instead, he repeatedly smeared the Jewish people, using a combination of thinly veiled discriminatory rhetoric and outright slander,” Cupich continued. Farrakhan made several anti-Semitic statements during his speech, accusing Judaism of promoting pedophilia and saying that Jews do not like him because he “exposes their hatred of Jesus.” He also said that he had a divine mission to “separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews.” “Such statements shock the conscience,” Cupich said. “People of faith are called to live as signs of God’s love for the whole human family, not to demonize any of its members.” “Anti-Semitic rhetoric – discriminatory invective of any kind – has no place in American public life, let alone in a Catholic church. I apologize to my Jewish brothers and sisters, whose friendship I treasure, from whom I learn so much, and whose covenant with God remains eternal,” the cardinal continued. Friday, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said that it was “deeply disappointing that (Farrakhan) was given a platform in a church to spew his hateful vitriol.” “It’s typical that even in defending himself against claims of anti-Semitism, Louis Farrakhan has once again invoked more anti-Jewish hatred/. His remarks last night were vintage Farrakhan: A litany of tropes about how ‘Satanic Jews’ are corrupting society with immoral acts and that Jewish writings, ‘promote pedophilia,’” said Greenblatt. The Simon Wiesenthal Center called on the Archdiocese of Chicago to remove Pfleger. “How is it that (Farrakhan) was invited to use a prominent Catholic church to denounce ‘Satanic Jews’ from the pulpit,” asked Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the center’s director of social action. “It is now up to the leaders of the Catholic church to remove their prominent priest from his hallowed post,” Cooper continued. He has chosen to channel Jew hatred which every pope from Pope John John XXll to Pope Francis have condemned as being antithetical to Christianity.” Pfleger kissed Farrakhan after his speech, referred to him as “his brother” and prayed for the Nation of Islam leader, even after Farrakhan had made several anti-Semitic statements Thursday evening. Pointing to his mouth, Farrakhan said: “It’s this that they fear. I don’t have no army. I just know the truth. And I’m here to separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews.” The Nation of Islam billed Farrakhan’s speech as a response to the “public outrage over the unprecedented and unwarranted lifetime ban.” But St. Sabina’s invitation to Farrakhan drew sharp rebuke from the Illinois Holocaust Museum. The organization criticized the church, saying the speech would provide a “platform for bigotry.” “This is a free-speech issue,” Pfleger told CNN. “I don’t agree with everything Minister Farrakhan has said. I don’t agree with anyone on everything, but we are in a dangerous time when we can no longer have dialogue without demonizing one another.” Before the address, Pfleger said Farrakhan “has been a bold voice against injustice done against black people in this country and his voice deserves and needs to be heard.” The Anti-Defamation League has called Farrakhan, who has led the Nation of Islam since 1977, “quite possibly America’s most popular anti-Semite.” “Farrakhan has alleged that the Jewish people were responsible for the slave trade and that they conspire to control the government, the media and Hollywood, as well as various black individuals and organizations,” the ADL says. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam as a “hate group,” saying that the “deeply racist, antisemitic and anti-gay rhetoric of its leaders, including top minister Louis Farrakhan, have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate.” In a speech in Chicago in 2018, Farrakhan said, “the powerful Jews are my enemy. … White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God’s grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew and I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through.” Pfleger, who has long worked with African-American leaders in Chicago, said Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam are respected locally for their anti-violence and anti-drug campaigns. “Nobody has done more in the saving of young black men’s lives and turning around lives than the Nation of Islam. His respect in the African-American community has been consistent.” But Pfleger said emails and phone calls have poured in this week criticizing him for hosting Farrakhan and threatening to withdraw donations to the church and its programs. “If you would have heard and seen the stuff sent and spoken to me over this last week,” he said. “I was shocked – and I have gotten a lot of hate in my life. People have told me that they will destroy me.”<doc-sep>
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan referred to "satanic Jews" while denying allegations of anti-Semitism on Thursday, just days after he and other "dangerous figures" were permanently banned from Facebook for promoting "violence and hate." Speaking at the Saint Sabina Catholic Church in Chicago on Thursday, Farrakhan, 85, told an audience that he is "a hated man today," according to CNN. "It's this that they fear," Farrakhan continued while pointing to his mouth, CNN reported. "I don't have no army. I just know the truth. And I'm here to separate the good Jews from the satanic Jews." ADVERTISEMENT According to the outlet, the Nation of Islam promoted Farrakhan's speech as a response to the "public outrage over the unprecedented and unwarranted lifetime ban." But Saint Sabina livestreamed Farrakhan's speech on its website and Facebook page, despite the ban. The speech came after Facebook moved last week to permanently ban Farrakhan from its platforms after it determined that he and other figures, including right-wing commentator and former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, are "dangerous." Facebook removed them under their policy barring individuals and groups that promote hateful and violent messages. Farrakhan, in Thursday's speech, denied being anti-Semitic despite making several anti-Semitic statements during his remarks, CNN reported. In his speech, the Nation of Islam leader accused Judaism of promoting pedophilia and said Jews don't like him because he "exposes their hatred of Jesus," according to the outlet. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said Friday that the group felt it "deeply disappointing that he was given a platform in a church to spew his hateful vitriol." "It's typical that even in defending himself against claims of anti-Semitism, Louis Farrakhan has once again invoked more anti-Jewish hatred," he added. "His remarks last night were vintage Farrakhan: A litany of tropes about how 'Satanic Jews' are corrupting society with immoral acts and that Jewish writings, 'promote pedophilia.'" The Illinois Holocaust museum also condemned the speech, according to CNN, saying that inviting Farrakhan gave him a "platform for bigotry."