The media hype on the racial chasm in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia, PA, where some white men accosted a black female and some black robbers killed a white chap, have us on a race riot vigil. Both of these incidents are very serious matters that must not be swept under the rug. They also mask other hidden agendas that are worth grappling with. Local and national leaders' reactions to these Gray Ferry incidents suggest that there are both national and international implications hidden in the media circus that now pervades this neighborhood.

It was remarkable to see a Catholic cardinal, who could be a heartbeat away from becoming Pope, involve himself into what some would consider only local issues. Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua walked in a preemptive march from King of Peace Catholic Church to Consolidation Baptist Church that defused the need for the Nation of Islam to conduct their 5000 man march. The national symbolism of Bevilacqua's participation demands that we understand its full message.

If you watch the Philadelphia evening news, you come to expect the routine murder report along with the daily weather report. Murderers are equal opportunity people who kill regardless of the victim's color. Nevertheless, overtly intimidating families because of race or ethnicity is not an everyday occurrence, making it fodder for the media headlines.

When you think about a white Catholic cardinal joining forces with black Protestants to quell the impact of the Grays Ferry incidents, that is a symbolic show of unity by the Christian community. It was not long ago that Philadelphia black Catholics were on the evening news lamenting their parishes being closed. We can undoubtedly make a case that it made little financial sense to continue operating these parishes, but the Catholic Church sent the terrible symbolic message that they wrote off these poor black parishioners, leaving a religious vacuum for Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam to fill.

I therefore concluded that Cardinal Bevilacqua's national and international stature suggests that Philadelphia is a major battle ground in a modern crusade between Christendom and Islam with the Black Community as the prize.

The Jewish community finds itself in a very precarious position both domestically and internationally from the potential fallout of the Grays Ferry upheaval. Affirmative Action soured the Black / Jewish relationship underpinning the present day schism. The Arab world seized upon this golden opportunity to exploit the Black / Jewish hostile divorce to set in place a long term strategy that will place them juxtaposed to Israel in American foreign policy.

In 1972, I was a part of The National Black Political Convention and the follow up meetings to ratify the Black Agenda. I recall very anti-Semitic monologues by some people that were caustic to the point where I wondered if they were not agents of Arab governments. Farrakhan's rhetoric today is typical of what I heard.

I also viewed Islam at that time as merely a cult; however, Farrakhan's caustic rhetoric over the years helped to legitimate the Islamic Faith in Mainstream America. Consider that the U.S. Jewish population is roughly 3,137,000 and the Muslim population is around 527,000 and growing. If I were Jewish I would be concerned because the present Israeli leverage on American foreign policy is slowly disintegrating.

There is no doubt that the Nation of Israel knows what these demographics portend. It, therefore, makes excellent strategic sense for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order Jewish settlements built in Jerusalem today before the U.S. policy in the Middle East starts shifting towards a more balanced stance between Arabs and Jews.