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Officials
at Howard University Hospital didn't return a phone
call seeking comment on Farrakhan's condition. A man
who answered the phone at the Nation of Islam headquarters
in Chicago said the organization had no comment on Farrakhan's
condition.
Farrakhan
said he will work hard to recover "because I do
not believe my earthly work is done." He said he
asked his executive board to solve problems during his
recovery.
Farrakhan
likened his situation to that of Fidel Castro, who temporarily
relinquished power because of illness.
"While
many rejoiced _ believing and thinking that if Fidel
Castro and the Cuban Revolution expired they could move
Cuba and the Revolution in a new direction _ his absence
from the helm only proved that Cuba will not fall apart
over the absence or passing of their illustrious leader,"
Farrakhan wrote in the letter.
He
also warned followers to be "ever watchful for
any smart, crooked deceiver and hypocrite who would
create confusion over my present condition."
Experts
said Farrakhan's death could seriously alter the future
of the group.
"Through
the organization's history, the death of a leader has
meant a number of divisions," said Lawrence Mamiya,
a professor of religion and Africana studies at Vassar
College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "Whether members
of the Nation will follow aboard is up for grabs."
After
the death of Nation leader Elijah Muhammad in 1975,
the organization split. Since then there have been several
smaller divisions.
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