Louis Farrakhan, the militant leader of the racist American based Nation Islam (NOI) left Australia on Sunday barely more than 24 hours after his contentious arrival. On the face of it he appears to have adhered to the terms upon which his entry was conditional. However, the remarks he did make during his brief visit confirm critical assessments expressed in the debate about whether or not he should have been granted an entry visa.

The first telling remark he made was to explain away his anti-Semitic reference to Jews as "bloodsuckers", contending that there are"bloodsuckers" amongst all religions and races. However, while he continues to espouse a conspiracy with all the components of classical anti-Semitism present, such as the ubiquitous and all powerful Jewish banker, and while he continues to distribute notorious anti-Semitic tracts, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, there is clearly no let up in the anti-Semitism advanced by the NOI and its leader.

It is the issue of reconciliation which was most threatened by his trip and to which his second comment is referred, largely his remarks in Redfern. There are dire problems confronting the Aboriginal population, poor health care, high mortality and imprisonment. All this compounded by the sensitivities, complexities and uncertainties of Wik, make for a volatile environment. This is where Farrakhan hoped to strike a chord, build a constituency of support and spread his extremist message. In doing so he would seek to radicalise (and Islamise even though many Muslims see his version of Islam a unauthentic) the Aboriginal people and send it on an extremist path which is not in its traditions.

For those Aborigines who are understandably disillusioned and confused, his simplistic solutions may have some appeal. However, there are no quick fixes to these problems and it would be foolhardy to believe that there are. Aware of this Aboriginal leaders gave no hospitality to this man who imposed himself upon them. Indeed, he has no solution to the reconciliation process because he opposes reconciliation between black and white and instead advocates separation.

His third revealing remark was to criticise American action against Iraq. This should have surprised no one who is aware that when in Iran he described America as "the Great Satan", a thought he no doubt shared in his meetings with Saddam when he visited Iraq in 1995.

The putative reason for this remark is concern for Iraqis' suffering under sanctions, but his concern for peoples welfare is highly selective and is determined by his political loyalties. Thus, for example, he had no complaints about those (black people) suffering, under the Nigerian military regime to whom he paid a state sponsored visit. His comments about the regimes hanging of Nigerian writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was, "You hanged one man? So what? Ask them to, How many did you hang?"

Similarly, on a solidarity visit to the Sudanese military regime he expressed no concern about the thousands of black animists and Christians killed in the civil war or the Sudanese black women and Children sold into slavery for a few dollars.

Given the cool reception Farrakhan received by the majority of Muslims, Aboriginal leaders and the wider community, the Australian component of his world tour cannot be considered a success. Still, he will use the fact that he has been here to propagate about his role as an international statesman and champion of black rights everywhere.

The fact that some should seek to radicalize the Aboriginal community should serve as warning, that if socio-economic difficulties are left unaddressed, the potential for extremism amongst the alienated is possible. Indeed, this is the lesson of history. This time it was a black American targeting Aborigines, but the same principles and tactics have been employed in the past by American white extremists targeting depressed regions of rural Australia.

Some external players, not least of which is David Irving, will draw their own conclusions from the Farrakhan episode. Clearly they perceive Australia as an attractive playing field to impart their ideas. To that extent Farrakhan's entry symbolically sends a worrying signal to other extremists that Australia can be 'conquered'. However, the conditions which have prevented Irving's entry into Australia i.e. his criminal record, have not changed. The onus is on the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to ensure that this distinction is maintained and that no cracks emerge in the system.

Overall, Australians can be proud that Farrakhan's racist ideas were widely viewed with the derision they deserve. Only by coming together to advance the reconciliation process and the values underpinning multiculturalism can it be demonstrated that extremist and racist views exported form various parts of the world have no place in Australian society.

Danny Ben-Moshe is the Executive Director of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission

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