Preachers, and a Violin

At Harry's Place there's been a discussion about the contradictions evident in the failure of the British authorities to ban the entry to the UK of Sheikh Abdur-Rahman al-Sudays, Imam of the Ka'ba, to preach at the East London Mosque on the day (June 11) that the new Muslim community centre was opened next door to it - the guests included Britain's grand rabbi Jonathan Sachs and Fiona Mactaggart, Minister for Racial Equality. Prince Charles, who was in Washington for the funeral of former US president Ronald Reagan, also took part by way of a pre-recorded message. Yet al-Sudays is apparently the same Muslim preacher who, according to MEMRI

beseeched Allah to annihilate the Jews. He also urged the Arabs to give up peace initiatives with them because they are "the scum of the human race, the rats of the world, the violators of pacts and agreements, the murderers of the prophets, and the offspring of apes and pigs."

"Read history," called Al-Sudayyis in another sermon, "and you will understand that the Jews of yesterday are the evil fathers of the Jews of today, who are evil offspring, infidels, distorters of [others'] words, calf-worshippers, prophet-murderers, prophecy-deniers... the scum of the human race 'whom Allah cursed and turned into apes and pigs...' These are the Jews, an ongoing continuum of deceit, obstinacy, licentiousness, evil, and corruption..."

According to Middle East Online, in May al-Sudays was denied a visa to enter Canada for allegedly preaching hatred against Jews.

As Harry's Place points out, it seems ironic, and even incomprehensible, that a preacher of al-Sudays' views and anti-Semitic rhetoric can be admitted to the UK to take part in a formal, official function, while a ban is still maintained on the black American Nation of Islam preacher Minister Louis Farrakhan.

I've a particular reason for mentioning Louis Farrakhan, as I've just been watching the NOI video of the story of his 1993 performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the New World Symphony Orchestra under Michael Morgan. It's perhaps not widely known that in his boyhood Farrakhan trained and studied as a classical violinist, giving public solo performances and winning national competitions by the age of 14. Later, unable to pursue a classical career in the segregated South, he continued to play as a calypso violinist. The Final Call video gives a fascinating account of how, some forty years later, Farrakhan decided to perform the Mendelssohn concerto, reviving his technique and taking lessons with a Russian Jewish teacher and soloist, Elaine Skorodin. There are contributions from Skorodin, from Michael Morgan, and from members of Farrakhan's family. The video concludes with a complete live performance of the concerto before a wildly enthusiastic audience at the Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem, N.C. in April 1993.

What's remarkable about the performance of this very difficult work is the assured virtuosity of Farrakhan's playing: his tone is masterful, and the style of the playing shows above all a Russian influence, with suggestions of Oistrakh and Stern at many moments. Whatever one's views of Farrakhan as a preacher - and it's beyond dispute that he has delivered himself of many ant-white and anti-Jewish sentiments over the years - as a violinist he falls into the category of inspired artist-communicator, and one of the first rank.

Why the British authorities should ban Farrakhan, who is not even a Muslim, yet admit and officially encourage an extreme and militant Islamist like Al-Sudays, is puzzling, to say the least