noi.org

Press Statement

In the Name of Allah (God), the Beneficent, the Merciful

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger.

We greet the members of the press and our Brothers and Sisters from the community with our greeting words of peace: "As-Salaam Alaikum," which means in the Arabic language, "Peace be unto you."

In the Holy Qur'an, it is written in Chapter 69, Sura Al Haqqah ("The Sure Truth"), Verses 1 - 3:

In the Name of Allah (God), the Beneficent, the Merciful
The sure Truth!
What is the sure Truth?
And what would make thee realize what the sure Truth is?

As a Believing Community in the One God Allah, we know the sure Truth cannot be hidden from those who believe and do good.

On behalf of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, we are thankful to Almighty Allah (God) for the opportunity today to present the sure truth and the facts regarding Captain Muhammad Aziz, and the false allegations against him and his unjust conviction in relation to the death of Malcolm X.

The front page article appearing in the March 31, 1998 issue of The Village Voice, entitled "Malcolm X's Killer Appointed to Run Malcolm's Mosque," and the subsequent repeating of the content of this article by major news organizations throughout the last week require our response.

Was the motive of Peter Noel and The Village Voice to use an assault on Captain Aziz as an attempt to besmirch the good name and good works of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan?

Why after having served time for a crime he did not commit, there are to this date attempts to deny Brother Captain Aziz a place in society free of slander and ridicule? Specifically, why would The Village Voice newspaper not do a feature article on the good work that Brother Captain Aziz has done in our community since his release from prison as Director of Support Services at Phase Piggy Back, a substance abuse agency?

Why if the editors and writers for The Village Voice newspaper are sincere in their efforts to present the truth about Muhammad Aziz, did they not even contact him or contact us to ask if he was involved? Prior to the publication of the article in question, The Village Voice did not even attempt to interview Muhammad Aziz. Why?

Why are you trying to create mischief and cause ill will between the Black community and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam? It is as if certain mischief-makers will leave no stone unturned in their callous efforts to stop the increasing love and respect that people all over the world have for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

Why has it taken more than 33 years for the truth to be told about the assassination of Malcolm X? What were and are the roles of the Government of the United States, the State of New York, and the City of New York in the assassination of Malcolm X? More specifically, what role did the Government's Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) play in this tragedy?

What information did the Government of the United States, the State of New York, and the City of New York know in advance of the trial in 1966 that could have exonerated our brother Muhammad Aziz, known at that time as Norman 3X Butler?

Even though Brother Captain Aziz has constantly maintained his innocence, why was he not offered an opportunity to take a polygraph, before the trial, during the trial, or during his many years of unjust imprisonment? Why have news organizations continued to systematically engage in libelous acts of assassinating the character of Brother Captain Aziz?

Why hasn't the government opened the files on the assassination of Malcolm X? What is the government trying to hide after all these years? The truth of the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fred Hampton, and others should not remain concealed.

Therefore, we call on President William Clinton to ask the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA to open the files concerning the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fred Hampton, and others who have been victims of government repression.

Brother Captain Aziz should immediately receive a full "pardon of innocence" from Governor George Pataki of New York.

For too long, we have allowed forces outside our community to use the legacy of Malcolm X as a point of division, when much of Malcolm's life and ministry was dedicated to unity. The family of Brother Malcolm and the community that he served deserve to know the truth about his assassination. And the truth is: Brother Captain Aziz had nothing to do with Malcolm's death.

As we move toward the close of the 20th century, it is a time for atonement, reconciliation and responsibility. The Government of the United States needs to atone specifically for the assassination of Malcolm X, and in general there needs to be a repairing of the damage that has been done to our community.

At a time of unprecedented growth of the American economy, we are now witnessing the socio-economic depression and dislocation of our people throughout New York City, and across the country.

Consequently, a man like Captain Aziz is going to help us reclaim our community. We appeal to people of good will to work with us to help us redeem our children and our families.

In that vein, we are launching a 1998 Spring Revival to "Save the Family" as we prepare for the Million Family March, to be convened by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in Washington, DC, on October 16, 2000.

Muhammad Aziz is a righteous man, a man of Allah (God), whose life has been guided on the right path by Allah (God) for decades. He is a father, a grandfather, and a great grandfather. He is a family man. And we stand with our Brother Captain. We stand with the truth, and in standing with and for the truth, we stand with Allah (God).

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad has instructed us to do for self, love self, and protect self. We know our ultimate protection is from Allah (God) and that, even though the motives and the intentions of The Village Voice and many of you here today are in opposition to the truth, the truth will prevail.

Muhammad Aziz did not kill Malcolm X. Muhammad Aziz was falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and unjustly imprisoned for twenty years, and to this day is unfairly the target of racial hatred, fear, ignorance, and misinformation.

Yet, thanks be to Allah (God), twenty years of unjust imprisonment has not broken Brother Aziz's spirit or discipline. That is why we are so thankful to Allah (God) that he is now our Brother Captain responsible for the training of the men.

As Muslims, we are obligated to be in complete obedience to the Will of Allah (God), and it is out of our obedience to Allah (God) that we will not allow the vicious attacks on our brother to go unchallenged. This is why we are pleased beyond the shadow of the doubt that our Brother Captain Aziz voluntarily, on his own accord, submitted to polygraph tests during the last three days, the results of which will be announced by Attorney Earl A. Rawlins.

But before introducing Attorney Rawlins, let us hear from our beloved Captain, Muhammad Aziz . . .