Without a doubt Quanell X is one of America's most dynamic alternative leaders. The current Information Minister of The New Black Panther Party is from Los Angeles but was raised in the Houston community of South Acres. Recently, New Majority Editor Paul Bennett spoke to Mr. X about a story published in the January 29, 2008 issue of the Houston Chronicle which indicated that Mr. X was sorry for past comments which he had made towards the Jewish community. During the interview Mr. X readily admitted that some members of the pro-Black community were upset with his comments whereas some middle class Blacks were happy to read his words of reconciliation.

Bennett: My first question is not even related to the issue I want to address. As I look at what I would call alternative African American leadership. I often times see you, Minister Robert Muhammad and Brother Deric Muhammad being interviewed by national media. Even the late Khalid Muhammad was sought by national media to speak about specific issues. All of you have strong roots in Houston. What has taken place in Houston which has produced such leadership?

Quanell X: All three of us are followers of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. All three of us are students of the Most Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. That's really the crux of the truth of the story. The reason we have been so effective is because we all were trained in a different school of thought, methodology, concepts, ideas and approaches. And we learned this from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. I had the honor and privilege of soldiering with Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad who I believe was the most dynamic follower of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. We criss-crossed America for three and a half years going to different cities, holding rallies and giving speeches. He taught me and enlightened me. He added to what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan had given me. He taught me strategic analysis. He taught me battle tactics and strategy. He taught me to identify my enemy and select his weak points.

Bennett: Now let's transition to why we are here. You mentioned how Khalid Abdul Muhammad taught you how to deal with your enemy. There are some who would suggest that past statements by you, Mr. Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan concerning Jews have been negative and have identified them as enemy of African Americans. But two months ago there was a story in the Houston Chronicle which seemed to indicate that you had apologized to the Jewish community for past statements which had been made by you. Explain?

Quanell X: There was so much more to that story that was not printed. I apologized for disrespecting the wishes of my leader, teacher and guide the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in 1995 on the day before the Million Man March. We were instructed not to say anything that would harm or hurt Minister Farrakhan in his desire to sit down with Jewish leaders and to discuss his past remarks and their relationship to the Black community and Black leadership. I followed the advice of then Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with him). He instructed me to say that which is extremely inflammatory, insulting, and aggressive toward Jews. I did what I was instructed to do by my mentor at the time. But I went against the wishes of Minister Farrakhan. So, I apologized for going against the wishes of Minister Farrakhan. And I apologized to every Jewish survivor of a Nazi death camp that heard the vile and malicious repugnant manner in which I spoke. Because after surviving the Holocaust and being in a death camp and having a tag tattooed on your wrist which recognized you as a Jew, I had no moral right or authority to invite all Jewish people to war because of the actions of a small group of Jews who were calling for Louis Farrakhan's death and who were also at that time calling for him to be pulled out of the Million Man March. And so as a young and still spiritually evolving young man, I followed my mentor's advice, but I ended up hearting the man who was an instructor and teacher to both of us. That's what I apologized for.

Bennett: So on a scale from one to ten, with ten being a totally truthful account of the Houston Chronicle story, how would you rate it?

Quanell X: A five.

Bennett: And why a five?

Quanell X: Because it left out the conversation I had with Jewish leaders about certain members of the Jewish community who have played intrigue roles in the entertainment industry and who are helping young Black rappers who are mentally, spiritually and psychologically dead. They are helping them promote a sort of music that has become a sub-culture lifestyle of death and destruction. I told them that if they (entertainment executives) are a Jew who believes in the first five books of the Bible and the Torah which was brought forth by Moses that their duty should be to enlighten humanity. I told them that if they were a Jew (entertainment executives) and they see a young rapper who is mentally and spiritually captured into a lifestyle of sin that their duty should be to teach him about the Torah and the history so that you can loosened the knot that is around that man's mind and tongue so that he may speak and give a different language and tone to his music. I said those Jews should be dealt with by other Jews for not respecting their Jewishness or the Torah. I went on to say that I don't see Jews as a race of people. I see Jews as a religion and Jews are those who practice the religion of Judaism. And then I asked them a question. I said if I criticize certain aspects of Black leadership or Black lifestyle in our community. And I criticize them in love and trying to be a part of the solution, does this make me anti-Black? No one would accuse me of being anti-Black. But if I criticize a member of the Jewish community who is absolutely wrong and going against the principles of Judaism why does this make me an anti-Semite? I cannot be an anti-Semite, because the word Semite is from the Semitic people of Ethiopia who are dark black skinned Jews. So in order for me to be anti-Semitic, I would have to be anti-Black. The original Semitic Jews were Black African Jews.

Bennett: What was the response of the Jewish leaders you spoke to when you told them this?

Quanell X: They listened and they agreed. And then I asked them to tell me, if Hugh Hefner was a Jew? Hugh Hefner claims to be a Jew. Hugh Hefner is one of the biggest pimps and prostitutes on the planet. I asked them "should not other Jews call Hugh Hefner out and say you are not a Jew. But rather you are of the synagogue of Satan?" There are good and bad in every group. There are bad Muslims. I speak out against bad Muslims. But if I can speak out against bad Muslims and bad Black people, respectable God fearing Jews who love the Torah should speak out against people like Hugh Hefner who claim to be Jews.

Bennett: What was these Jewish leaders response to that?

Quanell X: They really had no comment.

Bennett: I'd like to get you to comment to passages written in the Houston Chronicle by reporter Mike Tolson and whether or not they were a true representation of your views in his story. Mr. Tolson writes that towards the end of your visit to the Holocaust Museum Houston you "appeared moved by what you saw and learned, much of it for the first time." Was that the first time you'd ever seen pictures of the Holocaust?

Quanell X: In all honesty a lot of what I saw was for the very first time. I saw the shoes which the Germans had taken off the feet of the babies. Before they put the children in the gas chambers they would take the shoes off their feet. I was able to touch the shoes of some child who had been slaughtered in the gas chambers and ovens of the Holocaust. I touched some of the actual human ashes of Auschwitz; human ashes. What human being would not be moved by that? I saw a lady who lost her mother, father and three siblings. She was the only one left alive because her mother gave her to another woman and said "Will you just take my baby?" How can you not be moved? It's almost the equivalent of meeting an African mother who was actually on a slave ship. There was a son who would sneak out and steal food for his family. When the Nazis came, his father told him "You have to go." But he did not want to leave his family. The father told his son that he had to go and could not take his younger brother and sister because they were too small and that their cries would give him away. As he was leaving, his mother called out to him, "If you leave who will feed us?" But his father rushed him out the door. The last memory he has of his family is the voice of his mother saying, "If you leave who will feed us?" What human being of a Godly conscious cannot be moved and hurt by that? Those are the things I had witnessed for the very first time.

Bennett: What's your response to this quote attributed to Martin Cominsky, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League by Mr. Tolson: "I'm pleased to hear that Quanell X is working to change himself. We've been concerned about his connection to the New Black Panther Party and to other extremism. We hope that he will distance himself from groups which have a history of promoting bigotry and hatred. We're pleased that Quanell X has embarked on a journey of change. We look forward to seeing the results of his efforts." Isn't there a touch of arrogance in this statement?

Quanell X: Well, I can understand the motivation behind Mr. Cominsky's statement. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that if you meet a man today and see him 25 years later and he is the same, that you are a meeting a man who missed the opportunity for change. I am changing. I am growing. I never want to have myself aligned with so called groups which promote bigotry and hatred. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that "Hate consumes the hater." I want to align myself with groups and individuals that hate injustice; that hate evil; that hate wickedness. But I don't want to align myself with anybody who hates people because of their skin color or religious beliefs. Mr. Cominsky is right. I don't want to align myself with groups which promote hate. I'm sure he does not want to align himself with a Jewish person or group that promotes hate of Palestine, Muslims, and non-Jews.