But members of the Nation of Islam in the UK say the decision is 15 years overdue.

BBC: Farrakhan's UK visa stirs up controversy

According to the Times, Rendell, who is Jewish, commended the Nation of Islam for its emphasis on family values and self-sufficiency.

CNN: Commentary: Listen to the candidates, not their associates

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan has been praised for his messages of personal responsibility and self-sufficiency, and for his dedication to the civil rights struggles of African Americans.

NPR: Minister Louis Farrakhan

Farrakhan said a meeting with Lieberman would be important, calling him a possible bridge between the Nation of Islam and the black Jewish population in the United States.

CNN: Farrakhan says he would welcome meeting with Lieberman

Just last month, in what could be one of his final public appearances, Farrakhan announced to members of the Nation of Islam he would be stepping down for health reasons.

CNN: A more conciliatory Farrakhan: 'I've evolved'

This time, Ed, I have brilliant, brilliant men and women surrounding me, not just persons from the Nation of Islam or nationalists, but those who are highly learned, highly skilled, highly trained visionaries.

NPR: Louis Farrakhan on the Millions More Movement

Malcolm, who achieved fame in the early sixties as a compelling spokesman for the black-pride philosophy of the Nation of Islam, is an unlikely hero for a big-studio prestige picture: he begins as a predatory street criminal, becomes a studious Muslim ascetic, and fulfills himself as a scourge.

NEWYORKER: Malcolm X

Later, as an official with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Williams worked to bring developers into struggling neighborhoods--neighborhoods sometimes suspicious of a bean counter wearing a bow tie. (Williams adopted the bow tie because he liked the look of a couple of Nation of Islam guys who worked in the office--though he says the choice was strictly sartorial, not religious.) Still later, when Williams worked at St.

CNN: Can Tony Williams Save D.C.?

The second strand is the unresolved question of Islam's role in the nation.

ECONOMIST: Pakistan

Syria is a nation with a Sunni majority governed by a minority Alawite, an offshoot sect of Shia Islam.

CNN: Rescue of 'martyrs' yields survivor in Syria

Joseph (of Egypt) took charge in an infidel nation, and he wasn't able to rule by all of the rulings of Islam.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy