Controversy has enveloped Farrakhan in recent weeks and those who have aligned with him in in light of his latest anti-Semitic comments, particularly influential congressional Democrats. Some, like U.S. Senator from Hawaii Brian Schatz, have publicly called for everyone to disavow him while other elected officials, particularly those in the Congressional Black Caucus, have been slow to distance themselves from the Nation of Islam leader.

Such hesitancy is likely because, as The Atlantic explained Monday, the Nation of Islam is seen as a positive force in many black communities because of their anti-violence work and rehabilitation ministry to black men who have been to prison. The article noted that the NOI ...