Mayor Appoints Nation Of Islam Minister To School Board

The mayor of Syracuse, New York appointed a Nation of Islam minister to the city’s school board on Monday.

Stephanie Miner appointed Mark D. Muhammad to replace outgoing board member Bill Bullen.

Muhammed, 54, is not only a Nation of Islam minister but also a professor of professional communication at Onondaga Community College and an adjunct professor in the Renee Crown honors program at Syracuse University.

The minister also holds a Master’s Degree in speech communication from Syracuse. Further, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in business technology from Onondaga Community College.

“Mark is a positive influence on our community and has been for many years,” Miner said. “I am confident he will go on to do good work for the children and families of the school district.”

“I am honored to serve the citizens of the city of Syracuse in this role and look forward to working with others who are dedicated to improving achievement for all students. I thank Mayor Miner for this opportunity,” Muhammad said.

In late November, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan sparked controversy with a keynote speech he delivered at a conference on slavery reparations called the 2nd Annual Black United Summit International. That conference was held at Morgan State University.

Farrakhan’s speech lasted more than two hours. During one part of his delivery, he called for retaliation for the Aug. 9 death of Michael Brown at the hands of white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

“As long as they kill us and go to Wendy’s and have a burger and go to sleep, they’ll keep killing us,” he said. “But when we die and they die, then soon we’re going to sit at a table and talk about it! We’re tired! We want some of this earth or we’ll tear this goddamn country up!”

The Anti-Defamation League also characterizes the Nation of Islam leader as an anti-Semite.

It is not clear if Muhammad agrees with Farrakhan on every controversial statement that the Nation of Islam leader has made.

[Image credit: Wikipedia]

Mayor Appoints Nation Of Islam Minister To School Board