(SFGATE) — DETROIT (AP) — The black community must unite across Christian-Muslim lines and recognize the common goals among the diverse approaches of its past leaders, from Malcolm X to W.E.B. DuBois, because they all "wanted our liberation," Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan told thousands of supporters Sunday in Detroit.
Farrakhan spoke to a packed Detroit Joe Louis Arena during his keynote address during the annual four-day Saviours' Day convention. He touched on a range of topics, including problems facing the bankrupt host city, where the National of Islam started.
He spoke of the common reverence for Jesus that that Muslims and Christians share, and praised the work of Christian ministers in spreading the word of God. Farrakhan went through what he called his "Pantheon" of black leaders, describing how Martin Luther King, Booker T. Washington, DuBois and Malcolm X were part of a common struggle.
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