Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan delivered a three-and-a-half-hour keynote speech at the Saviors' Day conference in Detroit, Michigan on February 23, 2020. In his speech, Farrakhan spoke about the killing of IRGC Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani by U.S. forces. Farrakhan said that he thinks he had met him during his visit to Iran. Farrakhan said that President Donald Trump killed his "brother Soleimani," whom he called a "bad man" for killing Americans. Farrakhan questioned the U.S. presence in the Middle East, suggesting this was in order to protect its "little flunky nations" against Iran. He added that Soleimani was no terrorist, he was a "brother from Iran," who was helping the people of Iraq rid themselves of an occupying army. Farrakhan added that former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also killed his "brother," Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, and this is the reason he did not support her or vote for her. Farrakhan recounted that he told Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that he represents the Mahdi, who said that "America is number one on his list to be destroyed" and that it can be destroyed within 12 hours. In a "message for the Jewish people" he said that he is "not a hater" and that he has never given an order to "hurt a Jewish person" but he is going to "put a little truth on you, today." Farrakhan continued to say that America is falling because it has become "the habitation of devils, the hole for every foul person, a cage for every hateful bird." He asked: "Have you become a nation of devils?" Farrakhan shouted at President Trump, quoting from the Ten Commandments: "You shall not commit murder," referring to the killing of Soleimani. He added, "Murder is your modus operandi [...] you want me dead and after today you might want to speed it up [...]." Several mayors of Michigan towns attended the event as well as the Chief of Staff of Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, who read a message of support to the Nation of Islam on stage. See MEMRI TV clips #7025, #7024, and #7023 from the 2019 Nation of Islam Saviors' Day convention.
Louis Farrakhan: "You know America is going to go to war. They killed Qasem Soleimani, and America is so powerful she has the right to define others. This Qasem Soleimani, I think we met him when we were in Iran.
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"Mr. Trump killed my brother Qasem Soleimani. Mrs. Clinton killed my other brother Muammar Qaddafi. That's why I couldn't support Mrs. Clinton. And some of my little black friends [were] angry with me because I wasn't going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.
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"See Mr. Trump, I respect you because you're the president of the United States of America. And you said that my brother is a terrorist. And you got the power to define people. Well you may not like me, so you may call me a terrorist tomorrow to justify what the government is planning to do to me and the Nation of Islam. But I'm just inviting you, I'm inviting you to sit down and talk because I have a message for you from God. In fact, I'll give it to you today. Let me tell you something brothers, the Quran asks a question – Do you wonder that a man born from among you has been selected by God, to be a messenger of His to the people, and a warner to the world and the nations? Yeah, that's who I am. You may know me as Louis Farrakhan. I didn't know what I was going to become as a student of Elijah Mohammed. But I'd like to tell you what my assignment is.
"See, Qasem, President Trump said, killed a lot of Americans – he's a bad man, so I killed him, he's bad – where was a man that he killed? Did he kill him in New York? Did he kill him in Philly? Did he kill him in Colorado, or California, or Florida? Where did he kill them!? He killed them in Iraq! What the hell were you doing in Iraq!?
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"That man was no terrorist. He was killing members of an occupying army on the territory of Iraq. And he as the brother of them from Iran was trying to rid them of an occupying army. Now I'm naming you, and I got weight with God. An occupying army. What are you doing in the middle east? Soldiers everywhere, who sent for them? Protecting your little flunky nations? So now if I speak like I speak, and you know I'm telling the truth, this is not hyperbole, truthful hyperbole, this is the real actual fact. You went there, not to save the Iraqi people. You went there and spent [a] trillion dollars to make Iraq a bulwark against Iran.
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"So, when I spoke to the supreme leader, I said: 'You're looking for the mahdi [messiah].' This whole nation of 90 million people is born, and are willing to die, serving the mahdi. I said: 'You are looking for the mahdi, but the mahdi came to us. And I am here representing him.' Did you hear what I said? I told him what the mahdi told Elijah – America is number one on his list, to be destroyed.
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"He can take America out in 12 hours.
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"I have a message for the Jewish people. I'm not a hater. You can't find one word in the millions of words that I've spoken that I've ordered somebody to hurt a Jewish person. No, that's not me. But to tell the truth, I'm going to put a little truth on you today, and then I'm going to close it out – you've been such a beautiful attentive audience. Now, look at the scripture: 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen...' [Revelation 14:8]. Substitute America for Babylon. She [America] is unraveling. America is falling, is falling. Why are you falling America? Because you have become the habitation of devils. A hole, for every foul person. A cage for every hateful bird. Have you become a nation of devils?
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"Mr. Trump, this nation has become a habitation of devils. Everybody rebelling against God.
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"Oh Mr. Trump, you shall not commit murder. You took credit – ah yeah, I had the boys kill Qasem... Sent the drone after him – how many have you killed? How many are you planning to kill? See, murder is your modus operandi. See here I am now. You want me dead. And after today you might want to speed it up. I don't know. But Mr. Trump, America has become a habitation of devils, and a hole for every unclean spirit in a cage, for every hateful bird. Hateful birds mean those that are in foreign countries. You're in Wuhan province, I didn't know you were there. Now you have a little something that you want to bring home to America. You're everywhere."