According to a report from the Associated Press,
authorities are investigating whether sniper suspect John Muhammad was a member
of the 5 Percent Nation, a religious group that the report says has influenced
numerous rappers over the years, naming Brand Nubian, Wu-Tang Clan and Busta
Rhymes.
"How the f*ck they going to associate me
wit the sniper?" Busta Rhymes told AllHipHop.com. "The government
been know about the Five Percent Nation. They trying to disort the public perception
because we anti-what they are about!"
Busta has a song called "Struttin’ like
a G.O.D.," on his soon to be released album, It Aint Safe No More.
The song is about ’empowerment’ dedicated to Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr.,
Farrakahn and other black leaders. On that album, Busta said he has references
to the recent sniper attacks.
While it is a known fact that Muhammad was a
member of Louis Farrakhan’s Nation Of Islam, detectives said that the letter
left at the scene of one of the sniper’s shootings contained lingo that is used
by followers of the 5 Percent Nation, which was founded almost 39 years ago
as an off shoot of the Nation Of Islam. The group rejects drug use and fornication
and teaches the importance of the family.
The group teaches that black people are the original
people of the planet earth and are the fathers and mothers of civilization.
Black men are referred to as God’s (derived from the word ALLAH: Arm, Leg, Leg,
Arm, Head). They also teach that the science of "Supreme Mathematics is
the key to understanding man’s relationship to the universe."
While they are not Muslim’s, they do believe
that Islam is a way of life, however the group claims it is not a religion.
The group officially states that their intended goal is to achieve peace.
The sniper’s letter demanded that authorities
refer to him as God. Authorities are also basing their investigation into these
ties because the letter also used the phrase, "word is bond,” a very popular
that has been around for decades.
"He calls himself God and uses ‘word is
bond’, like that’s exclusive to one culture," Busta continued. "I
dont believe that it was them [the suspects]. They can push whatever they want.
They are blaming anybody because they people was not having it."
The letter also had five stars on the page, which
a detective said were similar to stars that symbolized children to followers
of the movement.
In the media frenzy that has followed the sniper
shootings, authorities are also questioning his ties to Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan,
who publicly stated that he feels authorities are going to arrest him, or that
he may even fall victim to an assassination attempt, denied his organization
supports terror or any violent activities. Farrakhan has been accused of inciting
anti-government sentiment, due to his vocal opposition to the looming war with
Iraq.
"It is horrific for us to learn that someone
who once was a part of our ranks may be involved in something as horrific as
this," Farrakhan told AllHipHop.com in a press statement. "I respectfully
say to the members of the media and to the American people, Timothy McVeigh
confessed that he was a Christian but nobody blames the church for his misconduct.
Ninety-five percent of the nearly two million inmates in the prison system in
the United States will tell you, if you ask them ‘what is your faith?’ they
will say, ‘I’m Christian.’ But no one would blame Jesus or their pastor
for their behavior that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus."