Farrakhan: U.S. May Be Lying About bin Laden
Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan has urged his followers not to believe U.S. claims that Osama bin Laden was behind the Sept. 11 attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon until government officials produce proof.
"They have lied before, and there's no guarantee they are not lying now," Farrakhan warned the crowd during a speech at Chicago's Christ Universal Temple.
"There's nothing wrong with asking the American government to show us the proof" that bin Laden is guilty, he advised.
Addressing his remarks to President Bush directly, Farrakhan exhorted, "Don't hide behind national security. The nation would be more secure if you give the American people a reason to fight."
The Nation of Islam leader had previously condemned the terrorist attacks as "vicious and atrocious."
But on Tuesday he said that the U.S. needed to re-evaluate its foreign policy.
"Is there a better way to defeat terrorism?" he wondered aloud. "Must hundreds of thousands of innocent lives be lost and the cause of terrorism never be addressed?"
Farrakhan's remarks were first reported by the Chicago Tribune.