Culture and Humanity: Learned Behavior the Basis of Human Conflict

Culture and Humanity: Learned Behavior the Basis of Human Conflict

By Fahim A. Knight-EL

What is culture? And does culture ultimately fuels divisiveness, as opposed to cohesiveness and unity, which is transmitted via a systematic structure—involving folklore, mores, values, customs, rituals, traditions, etc., and from this, society adopts learned behavior. Most sociologists simply define culture as being learned behavior. This means for the most part that predetermined genetic coding is being cast aside and our environment perhaps is being taunted and viewed as having the greatest influence on human development, as far as determining psychological and sociological orientation. Sociologist defines culture as, “consisting of all the shared products of human society. These products are of two basic kinds, material and non-material. Material culture consists of all the artifacts or physical objects, human beings create and give meaning to—wheels, clothing, schools, factories, cities, books, spacecraft, totem poles. Nonmaterial culture consists of more abstract creations—language, ideas, beliefs, rules, customs, myths, skills, family patterns, political systems. (Reference: Ian Robertson; “Sociology” pg. 53).

However, prejudices originate from learned behavior, which is the basic definition of culture, coming from Auguste Comte, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, C. Wright Mills, etc., and even before these modern sociologist Ibn Khaldun of Northwest Africa, the father of sociology in 14th Century had devised many of the social theories that the above theoreticians would later use. Learned behavior is the foundation of culture in which if correlated with our socialization process, ordinarily this is how our worldview is shaped (good, bad and/or indifferent).

The word "prejudice" comes from the root word to prejudge which means: "to judge a person, issue, or case before sufficient evidence is available" I do think this word is often used a lot out of context. For example, the two words Racism and Prejudice are used interchangeably, but there are some distinct differences between the two. For one to be prejudice toward something or someone, as far as making a determination without factual proof is reckless and outright wrong. Racism, by its simplest definition, is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race and it denigrates one belonging to a certain racial, ethnic, nationality, etc., as being inferior. People with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their racial groups. Now! If someone commits a racist act towards me and I view it as racism, then I am not prejudging that person, but I am probably calling a spade, a spade.

Does culture unconsciously and unintentionally create bias and we as human beings rely on and adopt predisposed attitudes and prejudices which have been passed on; this train of thought eventually affects, shapes and alters our worldview and ability to accept others unconditionally without referencing what we have learned about individuals, groups, society, cultures, etc? Our stored mental stimuli seems to always be the driving force relative to our ability to recall what we have been taught—good, bad or indifferent are forever guiding our assessment and evaluation of others. May be our social programming is the root cause of man’s inhumanity to man—our ability to commit all types of atrocities against humanity ranging from acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, violence, institutionalize racism, hate crimes, and our capability to carryout all forms of oppression and repression against other human beings is rooted in this phenomenon; moreover, only because people may differ from us in racial and/or ethnic make up, having different religious beliefs, different sexual orientation and express life from a different cultural persuasion at times drives us to be intolerant. Also, in some instances intra-culture conflicts is the order of the day and we will be remissed to overlook this reality and it is no less genuine. (Reference: James Redfield; “The Celestine Prophecy”).

Tolerance is often applied in a subjective manner based on our own cultural bias. Culture is necessary, but its not sufficient and do we truly possess the ability to unlearn negative mental stimuli that has darken our lens and clouded our judgment to appreciate unlike civilizations and recognize the value of other cultures from their vanish point—in the areas of refinement, cultivation, and valor free of judgmental and dominant cultural bias? We all are guilty at times of unfair generalizations and cultural bias and these sentiments serves as artificial barriers which keeps human beings divided.

This writer is of the opinion, after many years of practical work experience in the field of education and studying the intellectual, social and psychological development of infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and children in general; that children’s educational development takes place in stages (influenced by both social and psychological stimuli). The educational theorist Jean Piaget characterizes this developmental stage as sensorimotor stage (0-2 years of age) during which children learn through the senses and motor activities. This theory is based in innate learning which means that children perhaps are already genetically and DNA coded to make certain social and psychological adjustment upon exiting the womb, specifically in this stage to their environment without coaching. (Reference: George S. Morrison; "Early Childhood Education Today").

The author Joseph Campbell in his book titled, “Myths to Live By” stated, “And so, it seems to me, there is a critical problem indicated here, which parents and families have to face squarely: that, namely, of insuring that the signals which they are imprinting on their young are such as will attune them to, and not alienate them from, the world in which they are going to have to live; unless, of course, one is dead set on bequeathing to one's heirs one's own paranoia. More normally, rational parents will wish to have produced socially as well as physically healthy offspring, well enough attuned to the system of sentiments of the culture into which they are growing to be able to appraise its values rationally and align themselves constructively with its progressive, decent, life-fostering, and fructifying elements.” (Reference: Joseph Campbell; “Myths to Live By” pg. 220).

However, at this stage of children’s development like other mammals it is instinctive learning that drives development and is the cement that joins us together with other species, but later on it is our Homo Sapiens-Sapiens (thinking individuals) status that separates us from other species. This writer agrees with much of Piaget theories about physical environment and cognitive development and its correlation to children's educational learning.

Lev Vygotsky educational theories differed from Piaget in that Vygotsky maintains that “Learning is not developmental; however, properly organized learning is a results in mental development and sets in motion a variety of developmental processes that would be impossible apart from learning. Thus, learning is a necessary part and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human, psychological functions.” This simply translates to mean that a quality learning environment impacts and can increase development. Vygotsky refers to this concept as the zone of proximal development.(Reference: George S. Morrison; "Early Childhood Education Today").

The theorist Abraham Maslow advocated the self-actualization theory, it was based on what Maslow defines as the hierarchy of needs in which he essentially maintain that unless human beings satisfy certain basic needs their full potential can not be actualized. For example, 1). Food and water. 2). Safety and security. 3). Belonging and love. 4). Achievement and prestige. 5). Aesthetic needs. Then in Western culture; it later evolved along side Charles Darwin theories and the philosophy of “survival of the fittest” (Reference: Charles Darwin; "On the Origin of Species").

I am somewhat in agreement with the theoretician Maslow that advocated his theory of hierarchy needs relative to the essentials of food and water, safety and security, belonging and love, achievement and prestige, and aesthetic needs must met in order to foster the potential of self-actualization. Thus, once the hierarchical needs are met as a primary necessity, it is easy for learning to evolve as secondary in the scheme of what is considered important. Children learn better when hunger and safety are not an issue and there exist a positive social structure that addresses those essential hierarchy needs. But, what are they learning? and are these social-culture imprints preparing us with culture bias and do our cultural socialization predisposition coding triggers whatever lessons we have acquired from the experiences of our various cultures—good or bad and we then often seek to impose our cultural relevance on others, either directly or indirectly. (Reference: George S. Morrison; "Early Childhood Education Today").

Can we trace our cultural decadence back to 1492, when Christopher Columbus left Europe under the flag of Spain and was on a sailing expedition to travel to India and the far East (history tells us he got lost) in lieu of exploiting the spice trade market and in search of gold and silver in order to expand the financial coffers of Ferdinand and Isabella, the King and Queen of Spain, but got lost and mistakenly landed on the island of Hispaniola (which is modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean (he eventually landed in what he called the "New World" although these people had lived there for centuries). An island of social harmony and tranquility—occupied by the Arawak and Carib people (misnomer named the “Indians”); these were the Native Americans who lived in this region sixteen thousand years before the Europeans. (Reference: Michael Bradley: “The Columbus Conspiracy: An Investigation into the Secret History of Christopher Columbus”).

Wa Thiong'o stated, "But its most important area of domination was the mental universe of the colonized, the control, through culture, of how people perceived themselves and their relationship to the world. Economic and political control can never be complete or effective without mental control. To control a people's culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others. "For colonialism this involved two aspects of the same process: the destruction or the deliberate undervaluing of a people's culture, their art, dances, religions, history, geography, education, orature and literature, and the conscious elevation of the language of the colonizer. The domination of a people's language by the languages of the colonizing nations was crucial to the domination of the mental universe of the colonized." (Reference: Asa G. Hilliard; “The Reawakening of the African Mind” pg 159; quoting from source wa Thiong'o, N. (1986). “Decolonization the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature”. Portsmouth N.H.: Heinemann pg. 16.).

These so-called "Native Americans" had a very sophisticated and complex culture, in which the European Conquistadors immediately demoted and deemed it as a heathen civilization and viewed the indigenous people as being sub-human and inferior because they differed (by race, skin color, ethnicity, dress, customs, dietary practices, worship practices, etc.) within the context of cultural dynamics. Perhaps even in 2008 we are only paying lip service to the concept of multiculturalism and the chants of us living in a pluralistic society in reality it is only a political correct illusion. The United States, in particular and the global society in general, promotes itself as being diverse and tolerable of different cultures and people; but in reality do our society in particular and societies in general, functions off this premises or has our learned behaviors imprisoned and rendered us forever confined to prejudices and stereotypes due to ignorance and a lack of exposure that do not extends beyond the superficial. (Reference: John Henrik Clarke: “Christopher Columbus & the African Holocaust: Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism).

Wa Thiong'o continues, “But the biggest weapon wielded and actually daily unleashed by imperialism against that collective defiance is the cultural bomb. The effect of a cultural bomb is to annihilate a people's belief in their names, in their languages, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities and ultimately in themselves. It makes them see their past as one wasteland of non-achievement and it makes them want to distance themselves from that wasteland. It makes them want to identify with that which is furthest removed from themselves; for instance, with other peoples' languages rather than their own. It makes them identify with that which is decadent and reactionary, all those forces which would stop their own springs of life. It even plants serious doubts about the moral rightness of struggle. Possibilities of triumph or victory are seen as remote, ridiculous dreams. The intended results are despair, despondency and a collective death-wish. Amidst this wasteland which it has created, imperialism presents itself as the cure and demands the dependant sing hymns of praise with the constant refrain: 'Theft is holy'.” (Reference: Asa G. Hilliard; “The Reawakening of the African Mind” pg 159-160; quoting from a source authored by wa Thiong'o, N. (1986). “Decolonization the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature”. Portsmouth N.H.: Heinemann pg. 16.).

This is the root cause of human division and has caused historical and present day massive collateral damage and human suffering; or is it something innately in us that drives the human psyche to view anything different as being not equally worthy of consideration and more prone to be ridiculed and subjugated by the dominant culture? For example, directly after September 11, 2001 hoax and bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City and it was declared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. Department of Defense that Osama bin Laden and his Jihadist inspired movement of Al-Qaeda committed one of worst military tragedies and alleged criminal acts on the continental United States—he was considered to be Muslim and Arab; it did not help that the Bush administration had espoused propaganda which they intentionally induced and created a climate of fear within the United States that reverberated around the world. (Reference: Noam Chomsky; “Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance”).

The United States media depicted Arab Muslims as having a political and religious philosophy bent on destroying the West and had declared America their number one enemy. The Powers-that-be understood that in order to maximize their manipulation and deceitful ploys; they first had to create a culture of fear by blaming 9/11 on Arabs and Muslims in their scheme this was a perfect diversionary tactic—they picked a people who were different from the American dominant cultural with a minority representation inside the country and was essentially powerless. The American people pre 9/11 knew very little about the religion of Al-Islam and the diversity of these ancient people, the religious politics, the various Islamic cultures, the various Islamic sects and schisms, etc.

Although, Muslims from West Africa had arrived to the Americas as captives and hostages of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Middle Passage, as early as the 1500s and some historians maintained that the Moors during the 8th Century had voyages to the Americas long before Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Ponce De Leon, Vaso Da Gama, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, etc., and had established diplomatic treaties with the Native Americans in the Western Hemisphere before the coming of the European explorers. But in the late 1800s Muslims and early 1900s Islam formalized itself and took root as a sub-culture and counter culture in the United States; with the exception of the Nation of Islam, Islam up until September 11, 2001 had remained in obscurity, but 9/11 for better or worst changed that dynamic. (Reference: Ivan Van Sertima; “They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America”).

Thus, Islam, Arabs and Muslims appeared front and center, as the number one topic of discussion within a nation that had become so ethnocentric and so culturally arrogant—no one outside of our sovereign boarders mattered. However, 9/11 it created a hostile, insensitive and intolerable environment mainly aimed at Arabs, in particular but all Muslims in general, they were being viewed with suspicion and Muslim discrimination was going unabated. The American people perhaps already had some preconceived prejudices against foreign Muslims; perhaps for no other reason than they were not Christians and some had followed the lopsided reporting of the Middle East conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians—and had accepted the propaganda that the Arab Muslims were bad people because they practiced a “strange” culture and prayed to a God other than Jesus Christ or Yahweh. (Reference: Obadiah Shoher; “Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict”).

These prejudices after 9/11 led to Muslim Masjids and Mosques being attacked and desecrated because there were so many cultural misunderstandings that existed between Muslim societies in East and Christian societies in the West; these misconceptions were shrouded in ignorance and fear based, which was enough ammunition to incite the uninformed and dominant culture zealots who were motivated by racial and religious hatred to inflict vigilante style justice on Muslims and made unfair generalizations against all Arabs and Muslims. Thus, blaming an entire Muslim religious world community for committing a crime that killed over 3,000 Americans—constituting a loss of human life and property.

These vigilante groups immediately began to show their ignorance by attacking and even killing Sikhs and Hindus in the United States ignorantly assuming because these people had brown skin, dressed Eastern in attire appearance, spoke with an accent and wore turbans they had to be Middle Eastern Arab Muslims and better yet terrorist. So Sikhs and Hindus were mistakenly being classified as Muslims and after 9/11 became targets of religious and racial discrimination that were being fueled by the dominant culture. Many of the attackers were not even aware of the historical and religious antagonism that existed between the Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus, but their racism and cultural ignorance led to indiscriminately acts of violence against innocent people who became the victims of bigotry and culture insensitivity.

The dominant culture was fully aware that cultural ignorance would incite and infuriate a segment of our society that would be willing and capable of inflicting violence and creating social discord against a people that looked different and worshipped dissimilar than themselves. Many of these people already had negative convictions of Islam and Muslims, but perhaps had never personally met a Muslim, which to make an intelligent and rational decision about their religious culture, race and ethnicity which could have assisted them in debunking generalizations and unfair stereotypes that were being spewed by politically inspired entities. Many Americans had formulated their negative opinions of Muslims from Western media sources and made the ignorant assumption that all Muslims were “terrorist” and had a political vendetta against the West.

Our lack of spiritual development toward accepting and embracing the whole of humanity in all of its cultures expressions; renders us inheritably flawed in the spirit of human compassion and tolerance for all. The failure and unwillingness to make an attempt to comprehend and appreciate the beauty and the differences in people—language, race, religious belief systems, nationality, etc., have placed humanity on a reckless, as well as dangerous social path.

The majority of Americans had formulated a negative perception of Islam based on sensationalizing of Salman Rushdie 1988 book titled, “Satanic Verses” in which the majority of the Islamic world viewed this book as heresy and blasphemous of Islam, Muslims and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Ayatollah Rullah Khomeini, the former president and religious leader of Iran declared Rushdie’s book “Satanic Verses” and Rushdie as enemies of Islam in which he placed a one million dollar bounty on the head of Rushdie, which sent Rushdie in permanent exile until the death of Imam Khomeini. Imam Khomeini also called America the “Great Satan” and it was these antagonistic media stratagem that America came to identify with Islam.

If culture is based on learned behavior, then American propaganda machines have become the biggest influence and the determining factor on how people around the world, as well as those domestically are being perceived; in particular those deemed as America’s enemies, and are their differences being exploited to accomplish a political end. These tactics were implemented to foster distrust and suspicion and to simultaneously falsely create a need and urgency for American patriotism and nationalism based on these perceived prejudices that were concocted within the culture of fear. The ultimate political objective was the old divide and conquer scheme—the wickedly wise could always play on the sensitive charged emotions that go along with culture ignorance and manipulate these misunderstandings to their advantages. This was the case in America with the Muslim community right after 9/11. These types of political fallacies have an even far more ranging implications—these cultural bias eventually would help shape America’s foreign and public policy.

Thus, in the modern context of culture; is our learned behavior predisposing us early on to bigotry, racism, violence and anti-social behavior—can we blame pop culture, music, irresponsible mediums or has our society reached a level of internal and external decadence that is beyond reconciliation and revamping; can we blame societal transitions of moving from an agrarian based economy to a knowledge based economy as contributing? Perhaps theses various political, economic and social transitions have made us more sterile and on the other hand static culture is a form of isolation and true culture is forever evolving based on societal interactions, which creates motion and allows adaptation, but may still be the breeding ground for anti-social behavior, which lead to a culture of divisiveness and disharmony. Some may argue that this analysis is more applicable toward Western Culture and does not take fully into or account how Eastern Culture differentiate and distinguishes itself in application and in scope.

Claud Anderson in “PowerNomics” stated, “Since human rely on culture for survival, culture is an essential empowerment tool. . .Culture usually refers to the norms or systems of behavior and shared values that are passed on from one generation to another. Essentially, culture is a script that is never neutral in its purposes. It either empowers or de-empowers a group. What it does to a group depends in large measure upon the position the group holds in the societal pecking order of acceptability and whether they are in an in-group or an out-group. Culture’s most important function is to promote cohesiveness and trust that bind members together through values such as group loyalty, pride and respect. It is through culture that members of a group know who and what they are, and how to behave.” (Reference: Claud Anderson; “PowerNomics” pg 35).

The institution of family used to be a place where moral and ethical values were taught which reinforced the rules and practices that we had established in the greater society. This writer grew up with his formative years taking place in an urban environment, unlike my parents and grandparents who were products of a southern culture and life (their socialization process differed from my own). But prior to my parents migrating north, I could remember how personable and friendly everyone were in our little southern town in Georgia; strangers spoke to strangers and there was a sense of community, although, it was segregated and there was assigned places based on the politics of race. But people genuinely cared about each other as neighbors and would extend themselves to any length to be of helpful service to another human being.

My family migrated from rural Georgia to urban northern New Jersey in which this culture was a lot more aggressive, less sociable and people were a lot more territorial. Neighborhoods and communities evolved around race and ethnicity—the Jewish community, Italian community, Puerto Rican community, Asian community, the African American community, Portuguese community, etc. All these ethnic groups in New Jersey had distinct cultures—it was evident by the cuisines served at their restaurants and food markets, their centers of worship, music and festive celebrations, etc., were different from my African American culture.

People have this instinctive tribal motivation, which means I can only associate with you, if we belong to the same race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, same country club, same geographical location, speak the same language, etc., this was more overtly evident in Northern New Jersey than in Georgia. Thus, these "natural" instincts that unites and draws us to one another as a culture; are often some of the artificial barriers that serves to divide us—sub-cultures evolved out of the dominant culture lack of ability to meet the inclusive and pluralistic aspirations of a so-called subordinate group. Yet, humanity is entrapped by our self-serving instincts—TRIBALISM.

This was new for me as a young southern boy first coming in contact with so many divergent cultures and ethnic people. But this writer immediately notice that the majority of these ethnic cultures were suspicious and distrusting of each other and there appeared to be a sense of hostility and often time for no other reason than cultural ignorance and widely held stereotypes. This bred divisiveness, which often led to community conflicts. The enculturation and culture infusion process developed slowly—my three sons who are part of the Hip-Hop culture generation and they seem less concerned about cultural, racial and ethnic differences than the generation that proceeded them.

Perhaps their socialization orientation and upbringing have made them more human by being less concerned about how people differ and more concerned about finding a common denominator in which for the most part, none of the old variables that played so heavily in my culture would be insignificant to them. There is a lot as a father that I admire in my three sons and sometimes I think they are too damn free willing; listening to that Rap music—their culture evolves around, a culture of technology X-Box, Ipod, Blackberry phones, text messaging, FaceBook, MySpace and global social networking. Some of this is bothersome to me and my wife, but perhaps these young people could be teachings us something relative of overcoming cultural differences—are we willing to learn?

Fahim A. Knight-EL Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of good will of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolisms and reinterpret the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlighten world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.

STAY AWAKE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN,
Fahim A. Knight-EL

Two Nations: Black and White Separate, Hostile, Unequal; how do We Overcome this?

Two Nations: Black and White Separate, Hostile, Unequal; how do We Overcome this?

Will Race Determine the 2008 Presidential Election?

By Fahim A. Knight-EL

This writer of late has been intensely watching the American presidential election between Senator John McCain, the white Republican candidate versus Senator Barack Obama, the black Democratic candidate. This writer and others had witness Senator Obama early on winning the Iowa Caucus and this writer must admit initially he was not optimistic about Senator Obama’s candidacy and was really a bit shocked that he had won a white state like Iowa in the democratic primaries. He won because the predominately white electorate had overlooked race and even turned back a popular former president’s wife in Senator Hillary Clinton who was heavily politically tied to the shakers and movers, as well as being connected within the Beltline and outside the Beltline.

But no one should be fooled by Senator Obama’s political ascension; it has been carefully crafted and shrewdly orchestrated by Henry Kissinger, Rockefellers and heavily financed by the Rothschilds. Many black Americans have no idea that there are some unseen and hidden powerful entities that are guiding the success of their candidate, Senator Barack Obama and in reality, the majority of the American whites have also been duped by these same entities leading them to believe that their race—white skin gives them a sense of entitlement and privilege; this is one of the slickest ploys ever devised, the divide and conquer scheme—we fight each other and the true enemy is laughing all the way to the bank. (Reference: Gary Allen and Larry Abraham: “None Dare Call it Conspiracy”).

Andrew Hacker in his monumental book titled, “Two Nations: Black and White Separate, Hostile, Unequal” stated, “RACE HAS BEEN an American obsession since the first Europeans sighted "savages" on these shores. In time, those original inhabitants would be subdued or slaughtered, and finally sequestered out of view. But race in America took on a deeper and more disturbing meaning with the importation of Africans as slaves. Bondage would later be condemned as an awful injustice and the nation's shame, even as we have come to acknowledge the stamina and skill it took to survive in a system where humans could be bought and sold and punished like animals. Nor are these antecedents buried away in the past. That Americans of African origin once wore the chains of chattels remains alive in the memory of both races and continues to separate them”.

Hacker continues, “Black Americans are Americans, yet they still subsist as aliens in the only land they know. Other groups may remain outside the mainstream-some religious sects, for example-but they do so vol­untarily. In contrast, blacks must endure a segregation that is far from freely chosen. So America may be seen as two separate nations. Of course, there are places where the races mingle. Yet in most significant respects, the separation is pervasive and penetrating. As a social and human division, it surpasses all others-even gender-in intensity and subordination.” (Reference: Andrew Hacker; “Two Nations: Black and White Separate, Hostile, Unequal” pg. 3).

Senator Hillary Clinton’s husband former President Bill Clinton has always enjoyed a high level of respectability amongst African Americans in which was almost equated to him having celebrity status within the black community. Although, this writer could never understand the infatuation blacks had toward President Clinton. He after all, along with Senator Newt Gengrich (R-Georgia) former Speaker of the House and the Republican reactionary Congress in the 1990s went on a vicious campaign against the poor of America. These vicious entities inevitable blamed and scapegoat the collapse of America on the poor (women and families) people who were receiving Aid For Dependent Children, which led to a rancorous political assault against Human Services and social programs that benefited the needy and the poor of America. President Clinton justified these governmental programs revisions in the name of siding with the Republicans to better manage so-called big government and the poor became expendable and vulnerable under the eight (8) year reign of the Clinton Administration.

These budget cuts would trickle down to hurt poor blacks, poor Latinos and poor whites; this is the same President Bill Clinton that gave greater way to United States Prison Industrial Complex in which more black men became incarcerated under the Democrat Clinton than under the Republican President George Herbert Walker Bush. Thus, not only that, it was President Bill Clinton that established and signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that eventually led to American companies heading south of the border to exploit Developing Nations like Mexico in which devastated the domestic employment market inside the country and America has since turned our corporate lifeblood over to Wal-Mart and covertly deemed this as the new 21st Century industry of America. What a pity; does anyone else see these scams?

I do not accept the premises that Democrats are the friends of the poor and/or the Republicans are the enemies of the poor; no both parties are agents of the rich and neither has giving anything to poor and oppressed people. Here is the contradiction, we the taxpayers of America just took on some of the biggest welfare recipients in the history of American politics, as welfare clients of the taxpayers—some of the largest Banking and Financial institutions in the world; we gifted wrapped these den of thieves $750 billion dollars popular known as the bailout or the new language rescue package, which will eventually cost the American taxpayers over three trillion dollars in the long term.

Now! That’s some real welfare that is being orchestrated by Federal Reserve and the Central Bankers and its puppet the United States Treasury Department low-level operatives Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. How about this one; the billions of dollars the U.S, taxpayers are mandated to pay for Israel in support of reactionary Middle Eastern Foreign Policy is another big welfare ticket? How about this one; the billions of dollars the taxpayers are being burden with in our imperialistic and oppressive military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, which amounts to stealing heroin and oil for the Bush Family. You see welfare is a relative term and it doesn’t always apply to the poor. No, the poor people are ones who can not find viable employment because our government has outsourced American economic business to Twain, China, Vietnam, Mexico, India, and other poor developing nations because they can work these people for slave wages and reap huge profits. Yes, NAFTA commenced under President Bill Clinton and this Democrat was responsible for this Chess Board move. (Reference: Eustace Mullins; “The Secrets of the Federal Reserve”).

Why do not we demand that our leadership rearrange their political priorities and invest in American education, which has been so neglected? Our most precious and valuable economy and commodity is the future of our children. This is a real NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. Here is a homework assignment for my readers; thus, unless you understand who rules the world, it will be difficult for you to assess and evaluate the political, economic, and social issues that truly concern all of humanity. Please research these three groups the Bilderbergers, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Trilateral Commission; these are the real culprits not the poor and oppressed. (Reference: John Coleman; “Conspirators Hierarchy: The Story of the Committee of 300”).

This writer wants to go on record to say, he doesn’t necessary support Senator Barack Obama or his political views (but in this case he might be the lesser of two evils) because he has been co-opted and is a puppet for some of the most powerful political interest groups in America and the world; just as his so-called political nemesis and counterpart Senator John McCain. This writer recently attended a local committee action forum in his community and this middle aged Caucasian woman stood-up and stated African Americans were supporting Senator Obama just because he was black. This writer felt insulted and intellectually denigrated by such a naïve and stereotypical assertion. This writer deemed the statement to be racist in scope and intent; although the remark in itself was not laced with overt venom or possessing a sense of hatred bigotry. But it was the subliminal decoded language that spoke to the four hundred fifty (450) years of unresolved racism in America. (Reference: C. Eric Lincoln; “Surviving Race and Place in America”).

Perhaps my feelings were being led and motivated more by a historical stimuli (and may be even an overreaction) as opposed to a well thought out cognizant assessment of this woman’s words. This woman’s allege racial inference had put me in an emotional state of being both angered and disarrayed—into mental frenzy. It took everything this writer had to gather and collect himself; this writer then asked himself was this woman attempting to inject race into the political discussion and was it an appeal to the dominant culture which has been shaped and structured on race and did she understand that when everything else fails and the dust settles in American politics; there is always old reliable—RACE? Thus, was her comments rooted in a perhaps much more deeply seated psychology of tradition; having its origins steeped in the racial dynamics that we had come to associate with old racial attitudes of yesterday and was this a mere play on the fears of the white electorate? (Reference: “Naim Akbar; “Breaking The Chains of Psychological Slavery).

Although, she did not have the bully-pulpit of a Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity—she was local, but was her statement and sentiment representative of the views of the dominant white community at-large? But this writer also wondered was this an example, of someone playing the race card in reverse in which blacks and other ethnic minorities have been accused of playing throughout the history of America. However, there would be no race card to play if a system and a culture were not built on Racism and racist precepts that created a culture of inequality and injustice in which often the dominant society set the rules in American culture—skin color and ethnicity have always determined how resources would be distributed and allocated. (Reference: Earl Ofari Hutchinson; “The Assassination of The Black Male Image”).

The problem this writer is having with this election is how quick we develop political amnesia; from 1865 the majority of African Americans were affiliated with the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, the so-called great emancipator. African American from 1932 beginning with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the present day 2008 have overwhelmingly voted for white democratic candidates on the national, state, and local levels. This writer has ascertained that ninety-two (92) percent of African Americans are registered democrats. This writer personally thinks this political predicament and strategy to be insane, this writer doesn’t know if you can call it a strategy—this is more of a faulty political strategy; in particular in a two party system. It is political suicide because, it allows the Democratic party to take the black vote for granted—they understand the political numbers being just an eight (8) percent differential and this does not create the type of pendulum swing to generate enough external political leverage which to keep the Democratic Party honest. (Reference: Claud Anderson; “PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America”).

Politicians only respect an electorate that can impose political consequences, but those above numerical variables based on registered party affiliation do not pose an equitable number balance, which could alter or derail a candidate potential to being elected, hypothetically if forty (40) percent of blacks were registered Republicans and the other sixty (60) percent were Democrats this would automatically create a political leverage. They then could definitely command more political respect from this two party system, in particular from the Democratic Party who for seventy-five (75) years has taking the black vote for granted and would definitely build unimaginable credibility with the Republican Party. If African Americans are going to effectively play American style politics, this will require and mandate them to devise a new political strategy and tactic that moves beyond being a majority one bloc political party, which has had its benefits at times and simultaneously can be politically detrimental. (Reference: Claud Anderson; “Black Labor White Wealth”).

This reliable Democratic electorate bloc has put many past presidential candidates over the top and now this same black electorate is being accused of practicing racial politics because blacks are supporting a Democratic candidate for president who just happens to be an African American. The status quo is creating this double standard and as diversionary tactic to possible racially incite whites to the determent of derailing Senator Obama’s candidacy by appealing to old racial stereotypes that perhaps lie just beneath the surface. Senator John McCain and company, fully understands the numbers which Senator Obama can not win the office of U.S. President with the black vote alone; it is going to take a broad base racial coalition for him to pull this thing off. (Reference: Tim Wise; “White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son”).

Lets fast forward to 2008 blacks have been very consistent in their tradition of backing Democratic candidates, how quickly do we forget that there were two black candidates that ran as presidential candidates in 2004—Al Sharpton, a democrat and Alan Keys, a Republican. Sharpton, a former New York activist who ran for Senator and Mayor of New York and was unsuccessful in those bids, but had established credibility as a Civil Rights leader and founder of the National Action Network, which champions black grassroots causes. Sharpton ascended and evolved to become the new face and voice of Black leadership; replacing Reverend Jesse Jackson, as the so-called appointed public leader of black America.

This writer has always taking issue when the dominant culture elevates a black leader to so-called chosen status and as a single spokesperson for an entire race, as though we are a monolithic people. But nevertheless, during the 2004 Presidential elections Al Sharpton ran against the Massachusetts Senator John Kerry during the Democratic primaries and for those who do not know Sharpton is African American. Sharpton perhaps did not garnish five (5) percent of the black vote, but this is what made that woman I spoke about early in this writing statement of blacks are backing and supporting Senator Obama just because he is black as being more asinine, unfair and insulting. This writer believes that the black electorate is a lot more political astute than to be voting for Senator Obama just because he is an African American.

This writer personally likes the message and platform of former Democratic Congressional woman Cynthia McKinney who is running for the office of United States President as an Independent Green Party candidate and as a Third Party Candidate. She was uncompromising as a two term Congresswoman out of Georgia and she is very clear on the issues and is not and bought and paid for as the two corporate candidates. Congresswoman McKinney is black, but most blacks will not be casting votes for her because in their political astuteness they have reasoned that to vote for her is a throwaway vote. This writer may not agree nor share in their political disposition, but perhaps they see Senator Obama as having the best chance to upend Senator John McCain and for them it is a sign of political intelligence and it has nothing to do with race. (Reference: Ian Inaba; “American Blackout” a documentary film).

Moreover, the pundits fail to take into account that just four years ago blacks demonstrated that they were politically savvy and just do not vote a long racial lines and this was no more proof positive than when the black electorate turned back Al Sharpton, one of the most well known and prominent black Civil Rights leaders in recent American history and chose to eventually put their huge bloc numbers behind presidential nominee Senator John Kerry. This is what the political pundits in 2008 do not understand; this was a perfect example, how race and nationality played absolutely no factor and did not influence their endorsement strategy, but it is not to suggest that these variables haven’t inspired the black electorate unlike any other presidential campaign in the history of America.

Yes, Senator Obama’s candidacy has created excitement and enthusiasm amongst African American which is undeniable—most whites could never understand this euphoria because it is rooted in the history and culture of an oppressed people who were disenfranchised, denied Civil Rights, and human rights from 1555-1964 until the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Acts, but before the passing of these two pieces of monumental legislation, Jim Crow reigned high in America. So this writer must say he can reckon with their enthusiasm and excitement, for them it is a very passionate historical moment. For example, this writer has an elderly African American neighbor who is about eighty (80) years of age and he experienced the era of Jim Crow where race determined the political, economic and social reality of African American people in the United States. (Reference: Juan Williams; “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954-1965).

The Jim Crow culture and segregation were very painful for blacks to endure—there were racial violence in the form of lynching and outright racial motivated murders, separate but equal policies was the law of the land—white only public accommodations, whites and blacks could not share the same bathrooms or attend the same schools. My neighbor as he recalled this history became teary-eyed (these were tears of both pain and joy) and viewed the possibility of Senator Obama becoming the first black president in the history of the United States as being monumental in his psyche; this same view probably resonates with millions of others just like him. This presidential election in 2008 makes it all worth the hell they caught fighting to achieve freedom, justice and equality for the African American race in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, etc. (C. Vann; “The Strange Career of Jim Crow”).

This writer to a larger extent do not expect the dominant culture to fully understand my elderly neighbor sentiments and the overall collective excitement that African Americans are experiencing. He understood how far our nation had come in the last forty-three (43) years and the road still yet to travel. Senator Obama’s achievements would not have been possible today if it were not for the untold sacrifices that were made by African American freedom fighters of yesterday. Racism would have been the barrier that would have curtailed Senator Obama’s high political aspirations. Lastly, my neighbor told me, he never thought in his life time that he would live to see a black man become president of the United States. This writer truly understood what this presidential race meant to this gentleman and millions like him all over America. This represent breaking through a racial glass ceiling that has stood for over 250 yeers in which this exclusive club has been open to white male elite only. (Reference: Derrick Bell; “Faces At The Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism”).

Perhaps African Americans and all America have something to celebrate, which is we are getting closer to the beautiful word of the Declaration of Independence that is so eloquently stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Dr. Martin Luther King preached that a man should not be judge by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.

This past week Senator Obama received a huge endorsement from former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Secretary State Powell’s endorsements lend further credibility to Senator Obama’s bid to become the United States Commander-in-Chief. Secretary of State Colin Powell crossed party lines and gave his endorsement to Senator Obama, a Democrat and may be this endorsement is telling us something about the vulnerability of Senator McCain’s campaign. Thus, some of Senator Obama’s critics have tried to deduce Powell’s endorsement of Senator Obama to the lowest common dominator—race both men happens to be African Americans. This again is insulting and condescending and to say the least racist.

I believe Powell is above voting strictly on racial lines and he has legitimate political history to back him up. Secretary of State Powell served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush 1 and would later serve as Secretary of State under George W. Bush II and none of these pundits injected race as a variable during these prior assignments; it was not even a thought Powell was considered a good American (a well decorated professional soldier) and as a conservative Republican. However, this writer thinks Powell’s endorsement of Senator Obama was out of sheer political motivation and nothing else; Powell is a very intelligent man and I believe he is his own man and believe me, his endorsement of Senator Obama was not based on the race indicator. This writer thinks Powell’s endorsement was strictly out of political expediency.

Powell recognizes and fully understands that the Bush Administration has lost a lot of credibility domestically and internationally due their reactionary domestic and foreign policy. This writer believes that when Powell decided not to return for a second four (4) year tenure as Secretary of the State under the Bush Administration; it was evident to me that he left with some differences with the Bush Administration and his departure attest that they parted ways based on those differences. Powell endorsing Senator Obama represented a clear attempt to break away from his past relationship with the good ole boys— under George Bush and the Republican Party and the politics as usual syndrome, which have created a political mess in the last eight (8) years and has even blemished his own name and career.

This new beginning of sought would allow Secretary Powell to perhaps regain some personal and political credibility amongst the American electorate; after-all in 2003, it was Powell speaking from the United Nations and publicly made the case of why the United States needed to invade Iraq and whether or not he received faulty intelligence relative to Iraq having Weapons of Mass Destruction is debatable. This writer does not trust him, he is only interested in legitimizing himself to once again recapture the image as a man of integrity and veracity, but Senator Obama and Secretary Powell are two political animals and they could use each other toward furthering each others political aspirations. (Reference: Richard A. Clarke: “Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror”).

No, this relationship and endorsement has nothing to do with race, it was strictly based on politics. Powell isn’t bit more a Democrat than the man on the moon (and is not a bit more concerned about black issues than the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan) and one should not read more into than what it is worth; Secretary Powell did not say, he was switching political parties. It was only an endorsement and perhaps African Americans can learn a lesson or two from Powell’s decision, which is, it’s best to vote issues and not parties and allow the race to get the best deal they can get from either party—Democrat, Republican, and/or Independent. This was a courageous political move by Powell and it is steeped in valuable political lessons. (Reference: Michael Eric Dyson: “Race Rules: Navigating The Color Line).

Fahim A. Knight-EL Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of good will of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolisms and reinterpret the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlighten world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.

STAY AWAKE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN,
Fahim A. Knight-EL

FASCISM HAS REPLACED AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: BLAME THE ROUNDTABLE

FASCISM HAS REPLACED AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: BLAME THE ROUNDTABLE

By Fahim A. Knight-EL

This article is titled Fascism Has Replaced American Democracy: Blame the Roundtable." This author has been intensely studying the recent economic meltdown of the United States economy, in particular and the world economy in general, and the more things that are being revealed politically, economically, and socially, it is important for me to at least, make every attempt to assess and evaluate the trends by referencing and accessing some of the scholars and social scientist whom this writer respect based on their works and their commitment to peruse the truth; even if that pursuit went against the popular version of the truth. I could not find any other scholarly instruments, which by to analyze and measure these recent reactionary trends and determine where these chess boards’ moves fit. Thus, other than relying on the perspectives of these alternative historians and their worldview in order to make some sense out of this controlled confusion that is presently plaguing our society. So once again this writer called on intellectuals who were well versed in decoding the hidden symbolism and analyzing the agenda of the invisible Roundtable, the real Shakers and Movers that possess unlimited power to direct every facet of world society. These are some very dangerous time we are living in and they have become even more dangerous in that the United States Government has transitioned into a Fascist Government and this will surely impact Americans domestically, but it will inevitably affect the entire global society. (Reference: Tony Brown; “Empower The People: Overthrow the Conspiracy That is Stealing Your Money and Freedom”).

These are some of FLAME THROWERS that this author consistently uses to analyze these high acts of deception and trickery: Gary Allen and Larry Abraham: “None Dare Call it Conspiracy.” 2). Reference Carroll Quigley: "Tragedy and Hope" 3). Henry Ford: “The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem" 4). David Icke: “The Biggest Secret" 5). John Coleman; Conspirators Hierarchy: The Committee of 300" 6). Andy Stern: “Oil: From Rockefeller to Iraq and Beyond” 7). William Cooper; “Behold A Pale Horse” 8). Russell S. Bowen; “The Immaculate Deception: The Bush Crime Family Exposed” 9). Terrance Jackson; “Putting it All Together: World Conquest, Global Genocide and African Liberation."

Wikipedia quoting Roger Griffin stated "Fascism is a genuinely revolutionary, trans-class form of anti-liberal, and in the last analysis, anti conservative nationalism. As such it is an ideology deeply bound up with modernization and modernity, one which has assumed a considerable variety of external forms to adapt itself to the particular historical and national context in which it appears, and has drawn a wide range of cultural and intellectual currents, both left and right, anti-modern and pro-modern, to articulate itself as a body of ideas, slogans, and doctrine. In the inter-war period it manifested itself primarily in the form of an elite-led "armed party" which attempted, mostly unsuccessfully, to generate a populist mass movement through a liturgical style of politics and a programme of radical policies which promised to overcome a threat posed by international socialism, to end the degeneration affecting the nation under liberalism, and to bring about a radical renewal of its social, political and cultural life as part of what was widely imagined to be the new era being inaugurated in Western civilization. The core mobilizing myth of fascism which conditions its ideology, propaganda, style of politics and actions is the vision of the nation's imminent rebirth from decadence." (Reference: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia online; “Fascism”).

The above definition of Fascism is a bit complex and perhaps for the layperson and may be difficult to follow, but let me simplify it for my readers; Fascism is an authoritarian, anti-democratic, anti-communist system of government in which economic control by the state, militaristic nationalism, propaganda, and the crushing of opposition by means of secret police emphasize the supremacy of the state over the individual. There are three main areas that define the characterization of a Fascist state—a heavy dose of Nationalism, Corporatism, Totalitarianism, and Militarism. This writer will ask the readers to follow the recent history from 9/11 and keep in mind that a Fascist Government is built on the above basic four oppressive premises, but it is not limited in total scope to these four ideological properties of Nationalism, Corporatism, Totalitarianism, and Militarism—these are the foundation blocks in which permeates the most extreme repression and oppression that will be implored by the Fascist to control every facet of humanity’s existence. The difference is that past Fascist movements functioned more from a regional and local (their country, nation and legal protectorates) standpoint, but this is not to suggest and/or imply that past Fascist leaders and movements did not have political and military aspirations which to expand their Fascist ideology beyond their national boarders.

These well known Fascist leaders no doubt had those type aspirations—Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, Plínio Salgado, etc. But these hidden Roundtable leaders such as David Rockefeller, Harry Oppenheimer, Baron Eric de Rothschild, Karl von Habsburg, Juan Carlos, Edgar M. Bronfman, Sr., Lord Peter Carrington, etc., are the ones behind the American Fascist agenda, in reality, it is their agenda to continue to place invisible chains around all of humanity. Thus, unlike the above Fascist dictators these Roundtable dictators are not using military tanks and armament to subject and capture and overpower their enemy, but these invisible rulers do not have to raise a national flag, as a symbol of occupation by a superior military force over a weaker nation. The Roundtable has clandestinely colonized the entire planet and is much more dangerous than all past, present and future Fascist put together. (Texe Marrs: The Circle of Intrigue: The Hidden Inner Circle of the Global Illuminati Conspiracy”).

Gary Allen and Larry Abraham “None Dare Call it Conspiracy” stated, “That conspiracy of internationalist manipulators is still in place toady. Its members continue to dominate the highest councils of our government—regardless of whether a ‘liberal’ Democrat or a ‘conservative’ Republican occupies the White House. These elitist occupy the most powerful positions in banking, network, television, important magazines and newspapers, tax-free foundations, and more. They seek the same thing today that they did eleven years ago: centralized power, planned economies, and redistribution of the wealth (with themselves doing the redistributing. These are the men (and women) responsible for the warfare/welfare that has dominated the West for over forty years. They have subsidized the industrialization of the Soviet Union (with our taxes and our technology), and now they are doing the same thing with Communist China. They have led our nation into two ‘no win’ wars in Korea and Vietnam, plus scores of lesser ‘brush’-fires’ around the world. There are some who contend that all the failures, setbacks and defeats for freedom in the past fifty years are simply the result of ‘accident.’ They blame poor planning, faulty execution, weak intelligence—or, in some cases, they credit an almost invincible enemy.” (Reference: Gary Allen and Larry Abraham; “None Dare Call it Conspiracy” pg. 5).

This writer has had a relationship with the Gullah Sentinel and the Sovereign Mind broadcasters in which a few days ago the discussion centered on whether not America had concentration camps. This writer explained to the audience that there have been Concentration Camps for a very long time inside America, in fact, William Cooper in his monumental book titled, "Behold a Pale Horse" wrote about these designations in the deserts of America. The Vietnam Era and the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s and the rebellions (what the uninformed masses who uses the oppressor's lexicon called riots) were the final response to a powerful Fascist oppressor who had his foot on the necks of African American people in the 1960s and the answer to this type white supremacy subjugation was violent rebellions; people that were oppressed acted to remove the forces of oppression by any means necessary. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was preaching integration and non-violence to the most violent people on the planet earth; thus, he was not speaking a language they understood. (Reference: Martin Luther King; “The Trumpet of Conscience: Why I opposed the Vietnam War”).

The Radical left, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (once it was led by Kwame Ture aka Stokley Carmichael and later by H. Rap Brown aka Jamil El-Amin), the Black Panther Party, Deacons of Self-Defense, the Black Stone Rangers, Nation of Islam, the Black Liberation Army, etc., these militant and radical leaders and groups radicalize a segment of the Civil Rights message, which transitioned into the black liberation movements for total freedom, justice and equality for blacks and all oppressed people in general. Also, there were my two heroes George Jackson and Jonathan Jackson—the Soledad Brothers, etc., that were talking and writing about the nature and brutality of American Fascism forty years ago. (Reference: George L. Jackson; “Blood In My Eye”).

This created a dangerous time in America and former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover under Cointelpro initiatives and Black folk loveable President John F. Kennedy were conspiring and planning against the best interest of African Americans, in particular how they were going to deal with black radical militant dissidents and all anti-government dissidents in general. These Concentration camps were established for Blacks, when ever we again decided to violently rebel against the United States Government and the Establishment; their option would be to confine us to isolated concentration camps in remote places inside America and outside America. Now! They have passed two most important pieces of legislation in the history of the United States, the United States Patriot Act and the Military Commission Act. These reactionary legislative acts have rendered the United States Constitution to a worthless piece of paper. For example, you are witnessing how the so-called Arab terrorists are being denied DUE PROCESS; they have set everything in motion to deal with the today's Dissident by having every legal tool at their disposal to combat dissent.

This writer was taught and mentored by a highly intelligent college professor named Dr. Earlie Thorpe he was great intellectual and a damn good historian who received a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and later in his academic career became an exponent and an authority in the field of psychohistory. He taught history at North Carolina Central University and back in the early 1970s Harvard University use to fly Dr. Thorpe from Durham, North Carolina to Boston twice a week to teach history courses at this prestigious Ivy League University.

Dr. Thorpe had written nine scholarly books and had published numerous scholarly articles; he was definitely an authority on the black experience, He taught a course called intellectual history, in which the course had no intellectual boundaries, it was a free-for-all intellectual exercise in ideas. The discussions could range from aspects of world history, economic history, political history, social history, etc. But Dr. Thorpe taught me something very important, which is going to be the basis of this article on Fascism, it was that when an economic system can no longer expand and produce that system becomes obsolete and essentially dies. For example, when Feudalism could no longer expand and produce it was replaced by pre-industrialism and later with the industrial revolution.

The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 ushered in the Socialist and Communist ideology and for seven-two (72) years Economic Determination Theories had swept most all of Eastern Europe; in particular those nations that came under the former Soviet Union Iron Curtain and was aligned under the Warsaw Pact Nations. This writer can recall people reading Karl Marx "Das Capital" and Joseph Lenin, as well as Stalin; they became the international faces associated with the socialist ideology. But in 1989 Socialism met it demise; not as theory of relevance, but like all past economic systems; when the socialist economic system no longer could expand and produce and meet the new demands of the Global Market and the Global economy that were being driven by technology, it faded. However, it served of vital necessity during the Cold War period where international bankers once again used panic and fear (the illusion of Communism versus Capitalism) to create a system of militarism, which the socialist ideology generated huge markets for weaponry and war machinery—this equally benefited North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) who represented the Capitalist interest in Western Europe and the United States. (Reference: Ernest Mandel; “An Introduction to Marxist Economic Theory”).

All ideologies are created to make money for the few while the ignorant masses debated the principles of scientific socialism versus the so-called free market propaganda being espoused by capitalism; the invisible beneficiaries have always been the hidden Roundtable. Thus, unbeknown to most, the United States and the world were slowly being led toward Fascism in its purest form, as many applauded the Soviet Union so-called political and economic collapse in 1989, most of us did not suspect that there was something a lot more sinister to follow—Fascism. Twelve years later President George Bush, a low-level operative of the Roundtable and the United States Government had meticulously and systematically set the transition in motion to shift and alter the historical gains and the freedoms the U.S. Government obtained and secured from its fight and ultimately liberation from the historical tyrannical rule of Great Britain (United Kingdom) pursuant to America's Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This was further culminated at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1784 and the framing of the United States Constitution, which lit the torch for American Democracy. (Reference: Paul Foster Case; “The Great Seal of the United States: Its History, Symbolism and the Message for the New Age”).

Bush with his reactionary public policy has turned back the clock of time by working with all levels of Government—the United States Congress, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. State Department, National Security, U.S. Defense Department, U.S. Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, etc., and of course taking orders from the ever occurring powerful forces of the Council on Foreign Relations, Bilderbergers, and the Trilateral Commission, the true Sovereign Rulers of the world who orchestrates all the world events and must give their approval and consent of any and all moves, made by their low-level operatives. It is their decisions that are driving the restructuring of the United States and the world. This writer continues to maintain that nothing of world economic, political and social significance takes place without their nod and approval. (Reference: John Coleman; “Conspirators’ Hierarchy: The story of the Committee of 300”).

Robin Williams, Jr. in an article titled, “Prejudice and Society” stated, “When ever a number of persons within a society have enjoyed for a considerably period of time certain opportunities for getting wealth, for exercising power certain opportunities for getting wealth, for exercising power and authority, and for successfully claiming prestige and social deference, there is a strong tendency for these people to feel that these benefits are theirs ‘by right.’ The advantages come to be thought of as normal, proper, customary, as sanctioned by time, precedent and social consensus. Proposals to change the existing situation arouse reactions of ‘moral indignation.’ Elaborate doctrines are developed to show the inevitability and rightness of the existing scheme of things. An established system of vested interests is a powerful thing, perhaps especially when differences in power, wealth and prestige coincide with relatively indelible symbols of collective membership, such as shared hereditary physical traits, a distinctive religion, or a persistently held culture. The holders of an advantaged position see themselves as a group and reinforce one another in their attitudes; and qualms about the justice of the status quo seem to be diminished by the group character of the arrangements. (Reference: John P. Davis; ed. “American Negro Reference Book” pg. 727-729).

The New World Order had been systematically dismissed by the same forces that control all the sources of propaganda machines in which manipulate and deceive the masses (whom they refer to as useless eaters). Fascism has to be under girded by a sense of nationalism which was imposed by the Roundtable, creating the September 11, 2001 hoax as a diversionary tactic; they systematically orchestrated the so-called vicious and violent attack on the World Trade Center in New York and ultimately on the American people and then blaming so-called foreign radical, militant Islamic extremist that were falsely portrayed being bent on carrying out Jihad against the West. The United States Government immediately classified the staged hoax as a terrorist attack and declared one enemy responsible—Islam and Muslims. (Reference: A. Ralph Epperson; “The New World Order”

The Roundtable understood that they had to generate enough fear, panic and uncertainty into the American people, which to create psychological vulnerability in the American people and at the same time, deplete them of being able to make any rationale sense of the matter by consistently feeding the ignorant masses a heavy dose of Osama Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda propaganda, as well as painted Arabs and Islam as being our enemy who posed an eminent threat to our National Security Interest. These well crafted and deceptive ploys rendered the American people defenseless and the United States Government convinces them that they needed to be protected at all cost. The government deception led the American citizens into surrendering their civil liberties because so-called national safety became the top priority. Thus, in essence, the so-called war on terrorism supplied the U.S. Government with the ammunition to set the stage for the Fascist agenda.

The Congressional passing of the United States Patriot Act, which represented the first step in the Fascist plan; this legislation would replace the United States Constitution which was viewed by the Fascist agenda as a liability and not as an asset because it had too much language of protection and bestowed the U.S. citizens with certain legal buffers and provided a sense of jurisprudence entitlement to the American people. The Constitution would posed serious obstacles to the new governmental agenda that would eventually upend the American system of Separation of Powers (the basis of American Democracy); the goal was to grant the Executive Branch of government with all the power and create a legal atmosphere which would allow the president to function with complete sovereignty and autonomy; with unanswerable unilateral authority to make decisions without any accountability during peace time and in war time, and without having the interference from the other branches of government in his decision making process. The Fascist mentality has nothing but uttered contempt for the masses of the people.

After 9/11 the Roundtable used its low level operatives and stripped the American people of all its civil liberties—the state was giving supreme powers to spy and eavesdrop on its citizens telephone conversations without justifiable causes and without legal warrants, the state could conduct illegal searches and seizures without due cause, state could conduct arrest without the benefit of bail and could hold a defendant in custody indefinitely, the state took the right of due process and equal protection of the law that was guaranteed under the United States Constitution away from the people, etc., and under the Forfeiture and Seizure Act—the state could freeze and confiscate citizens money and assets with little rights to appeal.

The United States Government duped the American people into believing that they were fighting a war on a new frontier defined as terrorism and the enemy was Islam or what they like to call radical Islam—created a false enemy in order to move the masses of the people toward a newfound sense of American Nationalism and Patriotism, which is the first ideological step in creating a Fascist governmental order and structure. The American people foolishly thought that the U.S. Patriot Act was designed and implemented to protect and give the United States Military Apparatus the needed political, military and legal jurisdiction to combat alleges foreign and domestic terrorism. But the true intended victims of the U.S. Patriot Act wasn’t necessarily the so-called militant radical Islam, it was more aimed at replacing the United States Constitution and would be the legal tool that gave the U.S. Government unchecked authority and powers to demand total obedience from its citizens and be in a position to enforce these new laws without having to be concerned about dealing with legal opposition.

The people turned all their rights over to the state. Do not this sound a lot like Italy under the Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini? They also have robbed the people of their “Bill of Rights” and the RIGHT TO BEAR FIREARMS this is the right that Government desire to limit and is working to rescind; they must render the people defenseless—they desire to have all the guns and the people have nothing to defend themselves against these black boot Gestapo that is soon headed our way. President Bush clearly told us “either you are with us or you are against us” perhaps this statement had a lot more political implications; other than some propaganda statement of lining up Allies in 2004 for the invasion of Iraq or was it more of a Fascist statement of declaration and serving notice. The militarism aspect was an appeal to the raw emotions and ignorance of the American people in which the government asserted that Saddam Hussein and Iraq (used as gofers) were systematically tied into being apart of a militant radical Islamic cell and were allege to have been connected to Osama bin Laden and the AL Qaeda Movement who had declared war against us good Americans in the name of Allah and Islam.

The America people and the United Nations Security Council by all accounts to date had been misled by the Bush Administration about the facts surrounding the reasoning why the United States declared war against Iraq—there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction found and former Secretary of State Colin Powell who presented the war case to the world, was used as a political tool of manipulation. The Fascist had one objective which was stealing oil and nothing else mattered. So they crafted a need for military build-up and justified it by defining what they called the new war—terrorism (coded language for war on Islam and Muslims) and tried to present the tiny nations of Iraq and Afghanistan as formidable enemies of the West, which needed to be dealt with decisively. (Reference: Scott McClellan; “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception”).

The American people and the world were duped by this manipulation. However, the long range goal was to construct a Western and Eastern military alliance using the so-called new war propaganda—terrorism as the primary motivational factor of galvanizing the nations of earth and at the same time ignoring the international organizational structure of the United Nations. The Fascist succeeded because the United Nations Weapons Inspectors did not verify nor substantiate that the nation of Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction, but the war went forward like a locomotive train—non stop. The other ulterior motive was to turn the clock back on the Geneva Convention and render the international polices and procedures (Laws and Rules) that govern war and prisoners of war as obsolete and needed to be redefine.

The Arabs and Islam/Muslims became the first prisoners of war since the 1949 establishment of the Geneva Convention that had no international or legal protection pursuant to Geneva Convention rules and were not covered under the rules of the International Courts (refer to Muslim Prisoners of War held at Gautama Bay, Cuba) . The United States were looking to resolve military matters of so-called foreign enemies by trialing them in United States Federal Jurisdictions and under the American Jurisprudence system—how in the hell would this be an impartial hearing for prisoners declared as U.S. prisoners of war. This was the next level of completing the Fascist Agenda. The Military has unlimited powers working in conjunction with U.S. Homeland Security at the discretion and pleasure of the Executive Branch (the president). (Reference: George Tenet; “At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA”).

The next level of the Fascist Agenda was manipulating Corporatism and we have watched this play out with a $750 billion dollar bailout of private banks and last week Secretary Henry Paulson of the U.S. Treasury Department announced essential that the United States Government were purchasing interest in private banks.

Thus, just reason with me, most people in the United States believe that the Federal Reserve is a "Federal Agency" and that it is owned and control by the US Government. Lets for a minute accept that as the truth (of course those who are awake and study know that is the furthest thing from the truth). But for a moment accepted this notion as the truth; the US Government is acquiring banking and financial institutions that even after the government bailout they are still functioning on some level. My college Professor Dr. Earlie Thorpe who taught me social science and history would have no problems defining this bailout as a form of nationalization; Dr. Thorpe talked extensively about Karl Marx (“Communist Manifesto”) and the concept of socialism. He taught us that Socialism was an economic system where as the majors means of production and distribution was control and owned by the State (or government which translate to mean owned by the majority of the people) and back then the former USSR was considered the model nation for a communist (socialist) society. (Reference: Eustace Mullins; “The Secrets of the Federal Reserve”).

Now! At least in theory, within socialist economic system—the people are supposed to share in the wealth and resources that is acquired and amassed by the State. But check these vipers out, the Federal Reserve (the state) in acquiring private base financial institutions is a form of NATIONALIZATION (the state own and/or taxpayers are the true owners in theory of these acquisitions). But unlike under the socialist government the people have acquired business assets that they will receive no dividends or shares from this form of socialism or better yet neo-capitalism or better yet Totalitarianism . This is a sham and the fat cats are laughing at us and still making money. Taxpayers are paying a tab for crooks that have made billions and they did not share those profits with the masses. We should be outraged.

The final stage of the Fascist Agenda is to correlate all the previous Fascist stages and synthesize them into one formal body under Fascism—Nationalism, Corporatism, Militarism and beneath the umbrella of Totalitarianism will be how each component will function, which completes their control and enslavement over humanity. The United States has clearly become a Fascist Agenda nation based on the massive passing of reactionary legislation, laws, enactments, policies, procedures, rules, etc., has granted the government complete and authoritative hegemony, as well as dictatorial control over our lives and lives of the global community. This perhaps was an essential step in fulfilling the establishment of a one World Government, which has been the aim of the Roundtable every since 1967.

President Bush has brought this reality closer than any other low-level operative in the history of this agenda. The people do not have a clue to what is coming down the pipe and do not even know that they have handed over our precious government to the wickedly wise who has nothing but uttered contempt for the masses of humanity. This is a working definition of Totalitarianism and this writer want the readers to critically and objectively assess and evaluate what I have written and you make the determination if the United States Government fits the definition of being a Totalitarian Government—“of , relating to, being, or imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed: "A totalitarian regime crushes all autonomous institutions in its drive to seize the human soul."

Fahim A. Knight-EL Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of good will of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolisms and reinterpret the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlighten world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.

STAY AWAKE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN,
Fahim A. Knight-EL

HIRAM ABIFF: SYMBOLIC OF THE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA

"HIRAM ABIFF: SYMBOLIC OF THE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA"

THE MASTER BUILDER

By Fahim A. Knight-El

Freemasonry as many may know, is a very vague and complex subject and this writer doesn't think you can exhaust the depth and/or magnitude of this topic in a 5000 word article or by writing a huge number of manuscripts; it is just to extensive of a subject for any one writer or body of researchers to claim absolute and complete definitiveness. It is much larger than the Masonic Scholars such as: Albert Pike, Jacob Boehme, Manly P. Hall, Albert Churchward, Albert G. Mackey, Edward Arthur Waite, Prince Hall, Francis Bacon, John Yarker, Joseph Walkes, JSM Ward, J.D. Buck, Robert MaCoy, George Oliver, W.L. Wilmshurst, John Robinson, Frantz Hartmann, James Morgan, Robert Taylor, Kersey Graves, Gerald Massey, Watten Scott, Alvin Boyd Khun, G.R.S Mead, Thomas Taylor, Spencer H. Lewis, H.P. Blavatsky, J. Van Rijckenbough, Edouard Schure, etc. The Speculative Science and social science of studying Freemasonry as a discipline is wide opened for various scientific, as well as creative interpretations and analysis based on the subject being rooted in symbolism, metaphors, allegory, similes, and expressed in parables, understood in the esoteric, viewed in the metaphysical and made intelligible by its sublime rituals. What then is Freemasonry? According to most of the Masonic authorities; defined, “Masonry as a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols” (Reference: Manly P. Hall; “Secret Teachings of All Ages”).

This writer was recently contacted via email by a gentleman named Wayne T. Muhammad, this writer is assuming that he was a Muslim (perhaps a follower of the Nation of Islam and Minister Louis Farrakhan), but he had a deep interest in an article that this writer had written titled, "Freemasonry (Moslem Sons) and Islam What Do They Share?" This author wrote the article approximately three years ago (2005), but he did not web publish the article until December 2007 and by far, it has been one of my most celebrated writings, which has received tremendous attention from scholars, Freemasons, Muslims, non-Muslims and just from ordinary people who may have interest in alternative historical views and/or enjoy New Age type subjects. (Reference: Fahim A. Knight-EL; "Freemasonry (Moslem Sons) and Islam What Do They Share?").

There is really no correct and/or incorrect way to explore and approach a Speculative Masonic topic; Speculative Masonry must-be clearly delineated from Operative Masonry—the former is best associated with Masonic intellectual ideas and philosophical interpretations (the Seven Liberal Arts—astronomy, music, geometry, arithmetic, logic, rhetoric and grammar) and the latter is best linked with Guild Workers seen through the lens of the five schools of architect—Doric, Ionic, Composite, Tuscan, Corinthian and the physical sciences of building. Thus, from this understanding and thought, this writer would first ask the readers to reason with me as I pursue some of the history of Hiram Abiff who was perhaps the greatest Grand Master of the Masonic theory and one of the essential and key foundation blocks upon which Freemasonry rest upon. (Reference: Henry Wilson Coil; “Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia”).

The history and legend of Grand Master Hiram Abiff gives life and meaning to Freemasonry as a fraternity and as a philosophical school of thought. A. E. Waite, in his “New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry”, makes the following comment: "The legend of the Master-Builder is the great allegory of Masonry. It happens that his figurative story is grounded in the fact of a personality mentioned in Holy Scripture, but this historical background is of the accidents and not the essence; the significance is in the allegory and in any point of history which may lie behind it.” (Reference: A. E. Waite; “New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry’).

This writer had actually started writing this article perhaps over ten (10) years ago, which he had explained to Mr. Wayne Muhammad and after having numerous email communications with him, he sparked enough of my curiosity to revisited this subject and offer it as a finished scholarly product. Muhammad was actually doing some research of his own, but this writer never asked exactly what he was doing; this writer just offered him the assistance that he requested. However, looking metaphorically at the Masonic character Hiram Abiff from the standpoint of an allegorical legend; there is no doubt, that one could draw a direct and plausible parallel between the Hiram Abiff legend and the history of Africans (African American experience and their 450 year sojourn in America) that were brought from the continent of Africa as slaves to the Americas. (Reference: Alauddin Shabazz; “Symbolism, Holidays, Myths and Signs”).

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad in a work edited by Nasir Makr Hakim titled, “The True History of Master Fard Muhammad” quoted Muhammad as stating, “The Masonic ritual of the death of Hiram, the Widow son, has no record in the great light of Masonry, the Bible. It is the symbolic reminder of the deviltry carried on by the devil in most recent history. This part of the Masonic ritual was added in 1725, along with the book of the Masonic Constitution prepared by the Rev. Jones Anderson. The proof of the absence of the story in their Bible as a true happening may be found in the Bible 1st Kings 7th chapter, 13th verse. You will see there that Hiram finished the work he was suppose to do for Solomon, yet according to the ritual of the third degree (death of Hiram) you will notice that Hiram was still putting work on the trestle board for the fellow craftsmen when he was attacked by the Ruffians: Jubelo, Jebula, Jubelum. These three are symbolized as ENGLAND, FRANCE and AMERICA”. (Reference: Nasir Makr Hakim; “The True History of Master Fard Muhammad”).

Muhammad continues, “The east gate is Africa, the west gate is the West Indies, and the north comer of the Temple is North America. The U.S.A., England, and France did enslave the Black man, but America is the one who killed him, by fixing him so he would not have any knowledge of himself, and then gave him the name Negro and buried him in the graveyard of the King James version of the Bible. The fact that he was hit in the head with a setting maul shows that in the head he died, so that he is mentally dead. Because of this fact, a name was made up for him from the Greek language to fit him (Necro) also spelled (Negro), this word means dead. However, the Germanic inflection in the mixed tongues, the "C," was pronounced as a "G," and Necro became Negra in the south and Negro in the north of the country”. (Reference: Nasir Makr Hakim; “The True History of Master Fard Muhammad”).

The Holy Qur’an in a chapter (Sura) titled, "AL NUR: The Light " gives these profound and beautiful words stated, “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. A likeness of His light is a pillar on which is a lamp—the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as it were a brightly shinning star—lit from blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, the oil whereof gives light, though fire touch it not—light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He pleases. And Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah is Knower of all things.”(Reference: Muhammad Ali: Holy Qur’an translation Sura 24:35 subtitled, “Manifestation of Divine Light”)

This writer researched and found some very interesting words from a speech delivered by Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of Nation of Islam back on October 30, 1983 at Morgan State University in Baltimore Maryland. This article will heavily reference and use citations from the teachings of the Nation of Islam's history, theology and worldview in order to present this subject on Hiram Abiff and its correlation to the black experience in America. The Nation of Islam is perhaps the only organization that has consistently taught on and drawn this parallel between Hiram Abiff and the so-called black man and black woman in America. The majority of the black Masonic Lodges in the United States are oblivious to this connection because even after many of them are raised in the Blue Lodge—they still lack the knowledge of self. (Reference: Malachi Z. York; “The Problem Book”).

Their counterpart the Caucasian Masonic brethren truly know and understand that this symbolic history has a much deeper meaning than the obvious and truly knows who Hiram Abiff represents in the scheme of history and it is this covert duality that this writer will partially be focusing on. There is always the question that is posed to the Masonic traveler: Which way are you are traveling? “The answer; is giving ordinarily from this perspective; “I am traveling from East to West in search of light (or more) light in Masonry.” It is from this premise that will set the basis of my thesis relative to the African American Masons, which the largest and majority belongs to the Prince Hall Masonic body known as Free and Accepted Masons (F&AM) (the most influential black Masonic Order in the United States), but there are others who are members of white Masonic lodges/orders known as Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (AF&AM). The East is the home of the Asiatic Black man (the original man) in which all knowledge and wisdom originated; therefore, when asked that question, which way are you are traveling; he should state, “I am already at home the East is where all the ancient wisdom originated and there is no need for me to travel from the East to the West in search of light.” (Reference: Joseph Walkes; “Black Square and Compass: 200 Years of Prince Hall Freemasonry”).

Minister Farrakhan stated: stated: “Dear beloved this is your time. You are more than what you think you are. So let me take the next few minutes to say these few words to you about you. You see you have thought all these years that you were nothing because you were Black, and you felt you were Black cause you were cursed. But you did not know that you are the original people of the Earth, and I will defy the scholars, the geneticists, the biologists, the historians, the anthropologists, to disprove that if the Black man were not here you have no source for your life. We are your fathers and your mothers and you have dishonored the very people that have produced you. No, no, it's not racism it's just fact. You know that their fathers taught you history, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, law, government, every discipline their fathers gave to your fathers when you were uncivilized in Europe on your all fours. It was a black man that brought you up out of that condition. This is the thanks we get. You have robbed your own people of correct knowledge that would have allowed young White students to have a genuine appreciation for Blacks. You would not teach your own the value of these Black people, though you go in secret in your Masonic lodges and in your shrines and you learn about us behind the closed doors. (Reference: Louis Farrakhan speeches edited by Joseph D. Eure and Richard Jerome; “Farrakhan, Back Where We Belong: Selected Speeches by Louis Farrakhan”).

Minister Farrakhan continues: You talk about you want integration, you want to integrate Morgan into the University of Maryland, but you will not integrate the Black Masons and Shriners into your white shrines and your White Masonry. You won't integrate that, and the mason you won't integrate that is because you know that the Black Masons have oleo and you have got butter. You know that in your lodge you are studying about Hiram, and they don't know that they are Hiram, the master architect that got hit in the head, carried away and buried in the North corner in a shallow grave where no light shines. But someone came to raise him up and didn't have the proper grip, it took a master grip to pull him up because he's a master and he needs a master to pull up a master. All of that is talking about you, the Prodigal Son, the lost sheep, the people of God, the people that the book says would be in bondage in a strange land for 400 years, but after that time God would come after you and raise you up and make a nation out of you, and make you leaders in the Earth. This is what they don't want you to know, that you are to supplant their rule because their time is up, their rule is wicked and unjust. The Bible says this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our sight. Only God could take a foolish people and confound the wise. He would take a people that were no people at all and He would bring to naught the things which are by the things which have no existence. Here you are a people of no existence, a people that the world has brought to naught and here these sophisticated men of science who study how to psyche the mind and mess up the public and guide them like sheep, but their stuff don't work anymore on the foolish people. (Reference: Louis Farrakhan speeches edited by Joseph D. Eure and Richard Jerome; “Farrakhan, Back Where We Belong: Selected Speeches by Louis Farrakhan”).

The hidden truth behind the symbolic and mythological character of Hiram Abiff is, perhaps the foremost world's best kept secret. The Master Masons or third degree recite the history of Grand Master Hiram Abiff as the culmination of the Masonic lessons (there is really no degree higher than the Master Mason Degree). They say Hiram Abiff was/is the greatest Mason ever known, thus he was slain prior to completing the building of King Solomon's Temple. His death was premeditated by fifteen fellow crafts. They saw that the temple was about to be completed and wanted to obtain the secrets of a Master Mason. Knowing these secrets would allow them to travel in foreign countries and receive master's wages. So the fellow crafts conspired to extort the secrets from the Grand Master Hiram Abiff, or take his life. But reflecting with horror on the atrocity of the crime twelve of them recanted; the other three (Jubela, Jubelo and Jubelum) persisted in their murderous designs. (Reference: JSM Ward; “Who is Hiram Abiff?”).

Hiram Abiff in truth represents the Black man in North America today. The European nations such as the United Kingdom, America, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgian, etc., historically these white world governments plotted against Africa and committed one of the greatest crimes ever recorded in the history of humanity—their vicious and inhumane roles in Chattel Slavery (1555-1865) and the Middle Passage, which led to the social, economic, and political demise of Africa and its people. But America, France, and England are the hidden under the Masonic symbolical names Jubela, Jubelo and Jubelum, which was foretold by the prophets of old. It was Jewish conspirators who opposed Hiram Abiff and the construction plans of King Solomon's Temple. Elijah Muhammad stated, (Reference: Elijah Muhammad; “The Secret Teachings of Freemasonry”).

In 1555, when the slave ship named Jesus of Leubek voyaged out from the West coast of Africa, it represented demise in the history, culture and social life for the Grand Master Africans or Black man and woman of the world. The Asiatic Black man held the blue prints to human civilizations in their heads. The Grand Master Hiram Abiff according to the legend was slain at high twelve (or high noon); this is not just necessarily talking about the position of the physical Sun, although the Sun plays a huge part in where the Worshipful Master’s station is in the East, Senior Warden (West) and Junior Warden (South) all of these symbolic stations have a direct correlation to how the Sun Rise and Fall. But this allegory had a much more profound interpretation, as representing and an indication of a people that was at the pinnacle of civilization and became displaced. (Reference: John G. Jackson; “Man, God and Civilization”).

The entire system of Freemasonry is much older than the date of 1717, it can be traced back thousands years to African (black) people in Kemet (Ancient Egypt) perhaps the greatest civilization ever recorded in the history of humanity; had set-up the Egyptian Mystery Schools where neophytes were initiated in the high sciences of those who had constructed the great pyramids. Kemet (Egypt) fed Greece and Roman, the great Greek philosophers—Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, etc., sat either directly or indirectly at the foot of wise African Sages and from that knowledge of Kemet (Egypt) they enlightened all of Europe. (Reference: George G.M. James; “Stolen Legacy”).

The Kemitic (Egyptians) had mastered science, medicine, architect, art, philosophy chemistry, religion (spirituality), etc. The story of Hiram Abiff, the Widow’s Son was borrowed from the ancient story of Osiris (Asar), Isis (Aset), and Horus (Huru); (the Father, Son and Holy Ghost)—the birth, death, resurrection and ascension that we attribute to Hiram Abiff, it was actually predated by some thousands of years by the Osirian Myth, even before the advent of Isa bin Yusuf or Yeshua ben Yosef (better known in the West as Jesus Christ—the so-called Son of God). These legends are rooted in the Sun God and Solar God concepts. For example, right-minded historians and social scientists have traced these rituals and customs back to the worship of the Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice; in fact Kersey Graves in his monumental book titled, “The World Sixteen Crucified Saviors” he listed at least sixteen World Saviors that had the exact same identical advents attributed to their lives that we have associated with Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus the son of Joseph). (Reference John G. Jackson; “Introduction to African Civilization”).

These folklore and mythological stories are rooted in lessons of the immortality of the soul. This is no more evident than when a Master Mason is raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular on the square—90 degrees upright. Hiram Abiff—born, died, resurrected and ascended and the Masonic legend owes its origin to Kemet (Ancient Egypt) this is where the mythological teachings originated. This writer has an audio tape of Dr. Chancellor Williams author of the book “Destruction of Black Civilization” gave a talk titled, “Christianity Before Christ” (yes there was Christianity before Christ) and he too delved into the World Saviors that predated the birth of Christianity. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked perhaps the most essential question: Who is the original man? Answer: The Asiatic Black man the maker, the owner, the cream of the planet earth father of civilization, God of the Universe. (Reference: Naim Akbar; “Know Thy Self”).

It is taught in the Masonic ritual that Hiram Abiff’s usual practice at that hour, while the craft were from labor to refreshment, to enter into the unfinished 'Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies' of the Temple and there offer up his adoration to the Deity and draw his designs on the trestle board. The three fellow crafts who persisted in their murderous designs, knowing this to be his usual practice, placed themselves at the South, West, and east gates of the inner courts of the temple, and there awaited his (Hiram Abiff) return. The Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, having finished his usual exercises, attempted to retire by the South gate when he was accosted by Jubela, who thrice demanded of him the secrets of a master Mason, or the master's word, and on his being refused, gave him a blow the twenty-four inch gage across the throat. Allen Roberts states, "when a man's throat is silenced, it is difficult to carry on his activities efficiently. Too often the enemy will endeavor to destroy freedom of speech." (Reference: Allen E. Roberts; “The Craft and its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism”) and Malcolm Duncan: “Duncan’s Ritual of Freemasonry”).

Hiram Abiff fled and attempted to pass out at the West gate where he was accosted by Jubelo, who in like manner, demanded of him the secrets of a master Mason, or the master's word, and on his being refused, gave him a blow with the square across on his breast. Mr. Robert states, "others will try to maim a person with blows to the heart. The heart is not only a vital organ, but symbolically holds all that is good or divine in man." By dulling or killing this divine light, man becomes useless. Hiram Abiff after this blow across the chest he fled, and attempted to make his escape out at the east gate, where he was accosted by Jubelum, who, in like manner, thrice demanded the secrets of a master Mason, or the master's word. And his like refusal Jebelum dealt him a violent blow with the setting-maul on his forehead, which killed him dead on the spot. Mr. Roberts states, "a blow to the head, or brain, is the worst that man can suffer. It destroys freedom of thought. This creates ignorance. Where there is ignorance, there is despotism. A few control the many. These few use the majority as pawns in their quest for power and more power." (Reference: Allen E. Roberts; “The Craft and its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism”) and Malcolm Duncan: “Duncan’s Ritual of Freemasonry”).

The Ruffians buried the body in the rubbish of the temple until low twelve or twelve at night, when they met by agreement and carried it a Westerly course from the Temple to the brown of a hill West of Mount Moriah where they buried it in a grave dug due east and West, six feet perpendicular, at the head planted an acacia (evergreen plant), in order The body of our Grand Master was buried three times: first, in the rubbish of the Temple; secondly, on the brow of a hill West of Mount , Moriah; and thirdly and lastly, as near the "Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies," of King Solomon's Temple, as the Jewish law would permit; and Masonic tradition informs us that there was erected to his memory a Masonic monument, consisting of "a beautiful virgin, weeping over a broken column; before her was a book open; in her right hand a spring of acacia, in her left an urn; behind her stands Time, unfolding and counting the ringlets of her hair." The beautiful virgin weeping over the broken column denoted the unfinished state of the Temple, likewise the untimely death of our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff; the book open before her, that his virtues lay on perpetual record; the spring of acacia in her right hand, the divinity of the body; the urn in her left, that his ashes were therein safely deposited, under the "Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies," of King Solomon's Temple. (Reference: Allen E. Roberts; “The Craft and its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism”) and Malcolm Duncan: “Duncan’s Ritual of Freemasonry”).

The true Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews had its inception rooted in the history of King Solomon. Imam Mustafa El-Amin in his ground breaking research and whom I am so gratefully indebted to, authored perhaps two of the most definitive books titled, “Freemasonry: Ancient Egypt and the Islamic Destiny” and “Islam, Christianity and Freemasonry” as far as analyzing Freemasonry from a Muslim and Islamic perspective; he stands as a pioneer on the subject. EL-Amin characterized the three Conspirators as Jewish Ruffians—Jubela , Jubelo and Jubelum symbolize a gamut of allegorical ideas and cannot be limited to one definitive interpretation. The Biblical Jews historical opposed the ministry Yeshua Ben Josef (Jesus Christ) who was of African descent (a Nubian Hebrew Israelite); in like manner EL-Amin maintained they were the ones who conspired against mythological Hiram Abiff and more importantly opposed the prophet-hood of Solomon, who was sent by Allah. The Jewish Ruffians used the same tools i.e., 24-inch gauge, square, and setting ;­maul, thus the same tools used in traveling the first three degrees--l) Entered Apprentice, 2 ) Fellow Craft, 3) Master Mason which were used on two levels i.e., physical construction and spiritual transformation. But the same tools became instruments of physical and spiritual destruction. It teaches us that there is some Ruffian behavior in all of us and oftentimes larceny just lies dormant. (Reference: Mustafa El-Amin; “Freemasonry: Ancient Egypt and the Islamic Destiny”).

The Hiram Abiff mythology is based on a murderous conspiracy, thievery, lies, extortion, and deception in which the Black man became the victim of these historical assaults and atrocities. The Europeans who came to Africa hit the black man (African) in the throat rendering them ineffective in communicating their language, history, culture, norms, folkways, mores, etc., robbed them of the knowledge of self and stripped them of their native tongue—language is the life blood to a people’s connection to a culture and a heritage. Moreover, there were no one present who could articulate the pain and suffering of the poor widow's sons and daughters. This is why history produced a Nat Turner, David Walker, Demark Vesey, Bishop McNeil Turner, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Noble Drew Ali, Elijah Muhammad, Wali Fard Muhammad, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Louis Farrakhan, etc., these uncompromising leaders reached down in our oppression with the Master Grip and Lion Paw and sought to raised the black man from his social predicament. They were ordained by God to seek freedom, justice and equality for the Asiatic Black man. The European Slave Makers systematically divided the Africans on the slave ships, as well as on the slave plantations whom he recognized were of the same ethnic family. He did not want all Wolof, Ashanti, Mandinkas, Hausas, Fulani, lbo, Ewe etc., communicating amongst each other—with the same tongue (language has the potential to unify people) because of the danger it posed for the conspirators. They strategically cut off our language power. And now the Black man throughout the Diaspora only speaks his colonizers language. Thus this is the first blow that symbolical Hiram suffered; is there no help for the poor widow's son? (Reference:
Mustafa El-Amin; “Islam, Christianity and Freemasonry”).

The square across the chest of Hiram Abiff symbolizes that the Black man and woman was struck by the Slave Makers who desired to make us like themselves—heartless and without love for self and humanity (from my study, a Mason is first made a Mason in their Heart). The Slave masters history is written in blood (kidnap, rape, and murder). They removed the good spirits and souls of the Black man and replaced them with false spiritual inclinations, self hatred, self-denial, dependency and more devastating gave us a White Jesus (God) to place next to our wanting hearts. We must work to recapture the humanity and self-dignity bestowed on us by the Supreme Being. Some of our behavior today is a direct result of what took place yesterday, but psychological repression perhaps dictates some of our present day behavior as a nation—black and white. (Reference: Zachery P. Gremillion: “African Origin of Freemasonry”).

Muhammad stated, “90% of the ministers of the Protestant world are members of the Masonic order, and is something to be appalled at when you know what is going on in the Masonic Lodge, especially when we see that he is a Mason, and is a follower of the devil in their rituals. 1 am speaking of the devils, the Black preachers, the Catholic Church, the so-called holy and otherwise, have their own form of worship of Allah (the Blackman) in such orders as the Knights of Columbus, and the order of Alhambra. Let us consider the Protestant minister who darns the drawer and cable tow and hoodwink of the Masonic brotherhood. Here we see a man who teaches the people of his audience the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, and that the people must be baptized in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Ghost (whatever that is). They must believe that Jesus died for their sins. Yet, he goes to the Masonic lodge and declares himself to be a poor blind traveler searching for the light with a rope around his neck in bondage. Within the lodge he takes part in rituals that purposely exclude the name of Jesus, and his title "Son of God" and secretly darn the Fez worn by those who believe that only (Allah) is to be worshipped. The very next Sunday, there he is back in church telling the ignorant people about how Jesus died for their sins. What kind of crazy hypocrisy is this? He teaches about that loving God who gave His son to die for the people and at the same time the minister wears the ring of a traveling man.” (Reference: Nasir Makr Hakim; “The True History of Master Fard Muhammad”).

Their social scientist can give explanations about every pathological aspect of human behavior, but refuses to acknowledge that slavery was a criminal act and it is this denial that will continue to create racial and social tension, in particular in the United States of America. The United States after 400 years of oppression, racism and human injustice has never even had a serious national discussion relative to race. This writer believes that African people today suffers from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. Those nations that participated in this crime are guilty as charged, but none of their commercial shrinks with their psychological analysis and empirical research data models, have ever spoken about the effect that 310 years of slavery had on the psychological and social development of Black people. Our hearts were sacred until these wicked conspirators brought their foreign and alien culture to the purest people to have ever walked upon the face of the earth and took them as captives. (Reference: Asa G. Hilliard, III; “The Reawaking of the African Mind”).

The final blow to Hiram Abiff was that he was hit in the head with a setting maul in which killed the Master Builder. The Slave Makers stripped the Asiatic Black man of the knowledge of self and literally stole the minds of our African ancestors. This perhaps was the most devastating blow, not only to Hiram Abiff, it was this blow to the head that rendered the Grand Master dead and when you kill a peoples mind (mind is god) and rob them of their humanity—there is nothing more crippling. The Asiatic Black man even in 2008 has yet too psychologically, socially, politically, and economically recuperate from the long term affect of the blow 450 years ago. This blow left African people with historical amnesia (many of them forgot from whence they came). This is why we unconditionally accepted an imposter White Jesus as being God and is drunk off European Christianity because we are out of our minds; we must work to recapture the African mind. Yes, this writer is sorry to inform you that Christianity is the slave master’s religion. (Reference: Naim Akbar; “Chains and Images of Psychological Slavery”).

The African mind is the one that built the pyramids, who also advanced the ideas in mathematics, medicine, astronomy, architecture, agriculture, religion, spirituality, etc. That blow to Hiram's (Black man and woman) head is what made us Negroes or 'the walking dead.' The black Masonic scholars lack the knowledge of self and they are constantly looking to be led by white Masonic Scholars which to write the philosophy and history of Speculative Freemasonry for them. Elijah Muhammad said of all the knowledge that one can acquire; there is none more valuable than acquiring the knowledge of self. He also, said my teachings can be summed up in six words “accept your own and be yourself.” Historians and anthropologist have stated that inscribed and in written in the language of Metu Neter (Hieroglyphics) on all the walls of the pyramids stated, “MAN KNOW THY SELF”. (Reference: Elijah Muhammad; “The Message to the Blackman in America”).

The tribe of Judah must roar once again. Mr. Roberts stated: "It is claimed that Solomon was once symbolic of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. An emulation of his merits, philosophy, love of God, and wisdom will assure his followers of an exemplary life in this world. While living as Solomon did, any man will be able to the grim tyrant of death, and receive him as a kind messenger sent from our Supreme Grand Master, to translate us from this imperfect, to that all perfect, glorious, and celestial lodges above

In all of the Masonic and Shriners travels, they are never going to expose us to true interpretations of what the symbolism really means. Many of the 32nd and 33rd Degree Masons that are Shriners, in particular the Black ones, do not even know where Egypt and Saudi Arabia are on the world map. They are strictly caught up in lodge ritualism and perhaps think that the geographical place in which the Order speaks of does not exist in present day terms. I am not foolish to think and believe that the people who are occupying Egypt and Arabia today are the original people who built world civilization (they are not the original inhabitants of those lands). The Arabs and the Jews are imposters—supplants who have stolen our original birthrights for their own. Dr. Chancellor Williams eloquently writes about this in his book, Destruction of Black Civilization, "these imposters pushed the dark skinned Kimites into Southern Egypt, as well as into Sudan and back down to Ethiopia." (Reference: Chancellor Williams; “Destruction of Black Civilization”).

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us: "Why isn't the devil settled on the best part of the planet Earth? Answer, because the earth belongs to the original Black man and knowing that the devil was wicked and there would not be any peace among them. He put him out in the worst part of the earth and kept)  the best preserved for himself ever since he made it. The best part is in Arabia at the holy City Mecca. The colored man or Caucasian is the devil. Arabia is in the far east and is boarded by the Indian Ocean on the South.”. (Elijah Muhammad: “The Student Enrollment lessons”).

The best part of the earth, teaches the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, is Mecca (which is North East Africa) and the Muslim Sons (Shriners) and the Muslim followers of Islam are taught to turn to the East for enlightenment and spiritual guidance. But even as they turn symbolically to the mothers and fathers of civilizations they do not realize that Saudi Arabia is a Black country.

Ben Ammi's original Hebrew Israelite Nation agrees with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's historical contentions as they relate to the so-called Middle East and Africa. The Hebrews ask the question: The Middle East or Northeast Africa? Geographically, the "Middle East" makes absolutely no sense in our contemporary understanding of the region. It is a term that was imposed during the days of England's domination of world affairs, and which reflects their Euro-centric perspective. Voyages to that was/is known as the "Far East" (China, Japan, the Orient, etc.) required passing through the region; hence, they called it the "Middle East." Though the sun has long set on the British Empire, the deceptive term remains etched on the maps and minds of the world. Yet, it is simply impossible to depict Africa on a map without Israel and the surrounding land being squarely situated in the Northeastern Quadrant, hence our insistence upon Northeastern Africa. (Reference: Ben Ammi and Ahamadiel Ben-Yehuda; “A Viewer’s Guide to the African/Edenic Heritage Museum: Exploring the African Presences in the Promise Land”).

So, the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of Mystic Shrine are turning toward the Northeastern African continent for moral and spiritual guidance, but the Black man has been intellectually duped because of his ignorance of world history and thinks the Masonic traveling ritual is pointing to some mulatto imposter Arab of Mecca and Egypt and do not know it is talking about him the original man—God. You are that biblical stone written about in the book of 1 Peter 2: 6-9, which stated, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold, I lay a Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth in him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious; but unto them which is disobedient, the stone which builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: where unto also they were appointed. But ye area chosen generation, a royal priesthood a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into this marvelous light.” (King James Version of the Holy Bible1 Peter 2: 6-9).

This is one of the world’s best kept Masonic secrets and no Masonic scholar has ever revealed this symbolic history relative to the African American experience and its correlation to Hiram Abiff. The black Masonic order does not have the knowledge or the courage to explore and be innovative as scholars who desire to make a contribution to Masonic scholarship and to the field of Speculative Masonic thought. They are steeped in mundane ritual work while others are giving them THE SIGNS, THE TOKENS, AND THE WORD and they still lack the ability to find the LOST WORD.

Fahim A. Knight-EL Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of good will of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolisms and reinterpret the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlighten world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.

Stay Awake Until We Meet Again,
Fahim A. Knight-El