Farrakhan: Bush should reveal proof against bin Laden, re-examine foreign policy

CHICAGO, Oct. 17, 2001, (AP)--Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says President Bush should make public the evidence that Osama bin Laden was involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``Don't hide behind national security,'' Farrakhan said Tuesday. ``The nation would be more secure if you give the American people a reason to fight.''

Farrakhan said it is not enough for America and its allies to say they have proof that bin Laden and his al-Qaida network were responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

``They have lied before and there's no guarantee they are not lying now,'' he said of the government. ``There's nothing wrong with asking the American government to show us the proof.''

The Muslim leader campaigns for black empowerment but has drawn criticism for statements against whites, Jews and gays. He once called Judaism a ``gutter religion'' and has ties to groups opposed to the existence of Israel.

The British government has released a dossier of evidence connecting bin Laden to the Sept. 11 attacks, but the United States has refused to make its own display of evidence on the grounds that it could compromise its intelligence sources.

Farrakhan has previously condemned the ``wild beasts'' who carried out the terrorist attacks and agreed with government leaders that a strong response was warranted.

But he has also said that some of the hatred overseas of the United States is the result of the nation's foreign policy, and he called for a re-evaluation.