I received a copy of an article that was published in your magazine recently that I find to be poorly researched and slanderous to the Nation of Gods and Earths, or as Precious Williams' called us the Five Percent Nation

I received a copy of an article that was published in your magazine recently that I find to be poorly researched and slanderous to the Nation of Gods and Earths, or as Precious Williams' called us the Five Percent Nation. I am a part of the great and mighty Nation of Gods and Earths and would like to correct the many falsehoods that have been published about us.

First and foremost, WE ARE NOT A RELIGION. A religion, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary is "a believe in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe; a particular integrated system of this expression; the spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a superhuman power or powers; an objective pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion." This definition does not define the Nation of Gods and Earth. We know that the Original Man (Black, Brown, Red and Yellow) is God, the Supreme Being, Allah. We do not subscribe to a mystery (unknown) God in heaven, supernatural or superhuman powers. Precious had stated that "converts need only be black, hate everybody who has money, and embrace their own divinity." If the proper research would have been done, she would have discovered that there are Black, Puerto Rican, Chinese, Indian (from India), Japanese, Native Americans, and White people who are a part of the Nation of Gods and Earths. We teach civilization to all of the human families of the planet Earth, not just Black people! If we hate everybody who has money, why are there "high-profile", multi-platinum hip-hop artist, with more money than they know what to do with, subscribing to our way of life? I also find it most interesting that rappers such as Jurassic 5, Rakim and others of their like are never mentioned as adherents to our way of life. Most religions encourage their members to embrace their own divinity, the god that dwells within their temple (body). Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism all teach that god dwells within.

The Nation of Gods and Earths does not advocate drug use, misogyny, tax evasion or any illegal activity whatsoever! Our principles are living a righteous way of life based on Universal Law and Order. Every man indeed is the God of his Universe...his actions or inactions cause everything that he sees around him. His actions are directed by their consequences, as we know and understand the saying "so you sow, you shall also reap." When he drinks and smokes, he can only blame himself (Allah) if he gets sick, regardless of whether he tries to place the blame elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the all-encompassing power of politics and mass media would prefer to label the whole based on the actions of the few. Most who are part of this Nation are enrolled in school, have jobs and are respectable members of their communities. Many are involved with community programs aimed at uplifting the community, women's health issues, and teaching the children. I myself have been employed by the same company for the past 8 years (Yale-New Haven Hospital), attended the prestigious Emory University in Atlanta, GA, have been invited to the White House by past President, Bill Clinton on several occasions, and am currently studying for my RN and Master's Degree. These accomplishments are mostly overlooked by those who have the power to define, and therefore their definitions are erroneous and misleading. As with any nation, organization or religion there are always a few who do not practice the tenets of their faith, although they claim membership. Christianity, for example, teaches that "thou shalt not kill" and yet many murderers profess Christianity as their religion. Yet Christianity is not viewed as a religion where murder is acceptable and adherents need only murder someone. If you use one set of standards to measure The Nation of Gods and Earths, use these standards consistently with all "religions".

In conclusion, I want to denounce the evidence presented in this story as partial and inconclusive. The research was poorly conducted, with limited sources sited and should be corrected immediately or retracted. For a magazine of your prestige, I would have expected a more thorough investigation of the evidence before presenting it to your readers.

Ashanti Shahmecca Earth

New Haven, CT