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Nation of Islam Members Threaten Local Rapist
ATLANTA, Aug 9 (News Agencies) - Members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) have issued a warning to the individual who raped two elderly women in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, by asking him to turn himself in, or face serious consequences, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Wednesday.
On Monday, Nation of Islam members stood with Atlanta police, ministers and City Hall officials to talk about the unidentified rapist who attacked two elderly women, one aged 78 and the other aged 60. They announced a reward of $13,000 for anyone who provided information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attacker.
And Nation of Islam members have already set a deadline.
Steven Muhammad, a NOI member, said, "By this Saturday, If he doesn't [turn himself in], he won't be able to check himself in to the police department."
Muhammad, who attended the conference, said that NOI members would patrol the Virginia-Highland neighborhood where the two women were raped.
"They will look for the suspect and ask people if they know who the man is. They have a sketch of the attacker. They also will ask people in Atlanta's black community for tips about the man," Muhammad said.
NOI members in slick conservative suits and bow ties have a long tradition of patrolling high-crime areas, especially inner city black neighborhoods. They were also hired, until a few years ago, by the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to patrol their high-rise public housing buildings.
But Atlanta's Virginia-Highland neighborhood, where the rapes were committed, is a predominantly white area.
Lt. Randell Robinson, the police department's sex assault unit commander, did not object to Muhammad's pledge. But he said anyone with information should call the Atlanta Police Department at 404-853-4260.
The NOI was in news earlier this month when a London High Court overturned a 15-year order barring NOI's leader, Louis Farrakhan, from entering the United Kingdom.
The legal battle over his exclusion has been ongoing, and NOI members expressed jubilation at the court's decision. But several British newspapers warned that the controversial leader's entry in the country could lead to increased racial tension.
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