Ronnie Steven "Rizza" Islam (born March 17, 1990) is an American member of the Nation of Islam and a member of its paramilitary wing the Fruit of Islam.[1] According to the Anti-Defamation League, he is a social media influencer with over 500,000 followers across several platforms, posting antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-vaccine rhetoric, and promoting a range of conspiracy theories".[1]
Rizza Islam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronnie Steven Islam March 17, 1990 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Nation of Islam minister |
| Website | intellectualones |
Early life
editIslam was born on March 17, 1990, in Compton, California.[2] A member of the Nation of Islam (NOI), he attended the local NOI mosque as a child, and also became involved in the Church of Scientology.[1]
Nation of Islam work
editIslam took on many roles within the Nation of Islam as a teenager, and later trained Fruit of Islam members while working at the WLC.
Under the guidance of Tony Muhammad, Islam gained prominence within the NOI. He met with Louis Farrakhan on multiple occasions in 2015 and 2016 as part of his work with anti-vaccine activism and promoting peace between rival street gangs in Los Angeles. Islam introduced prominent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Muhammad and Farrakhan in 2015.
In February 2021, at the NOI's annual Saviours' Day conference, Islam shared the stage with prominent NOI leaders such as Ishmael Muhammad and Ava Muhammad.[1]
World Literacy Crusade
editRizza Islam's mother, Hanan Islam, and his adoptive father, Alfreddie Johnson, were the executive director and founder, respectively, of the World Literacy Crusade, a Scientology-backed nonprofit organization.[1]
Fraud charges
editIn 2015, Islam, alongside some of his siblings and his mother, were arrested on medical and insurance fraud charges at a Scientology-affiliated Narconon rehabilitation center at WLC offices in Compton, California.[3][1][4] In March 2023, the trial's jury selection was again postponed.[5] On June 27, 2023, the case was dismissed.[citation needed]
Views
editThrough his social media channels and live events, Islam has promoted misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines,[6] targeting African American communities with messages equating vaccines with eugenics[7] and the Tuskegee syphilis experiment.[8] Islam has spoken at meetings of America's Frontline Doctors.[7] He has baselessly claimed that celebrities praising vaccination have been funded by "the medical industry" to promote vaccination, while not being vaccinated themselves.[9]
He has been called one of the "disinformation dozen" responsible for 65% of COVID-19 anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories on the internet and social media, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in 2021.[10][11] Islam's Facebook account has been terminated in February 2021, as part of the platform's efforts to limit the spread of misinformation about COVID-19.[11][12] Instagram and YouTube later deleted his accounts.[13][better source needed]
Rizza Islam has tweeted that Jewish people control sectors such as banking and the media.[14] In 2020, Islam made multiple anti-Semitic statements during an appearance on TIDAL and Revolt TV, "Drink Champs".[1]
Islam has claimed that nobody is born lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and that LGBTQ identity is foisted upon individuals by "international bankers" and the US government to support population decline.[1] He has also likened LGBTQ rights to rights for pedophiles, which he says the US government supports.[1]
Book
editIn 2019, Islam self-published the book Message to the Millineals, a 161-page missive promoting racial separation, written to "sound an urgent warning and to propose a solution."[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rizza Islam". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Islam, Rizza. "About Rizza". Rizza Islam. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Ortega, Tony (January 14, 2021). "Hanan and Rizza Islam get trial date for $4 million Medi-Cal fraud at Scientology rehab". The Underground Bunker. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "Defendants in Scientology Narconon fraud bound over for trial". KABC-TV. 2019.
- ^ Ortega, Tony (March 1, 2023). "Rizza Islam trial likely to be delayed". The Underground Bunker. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ Parks, Miles (April 15, 2021). "The Most Popular J&J Vaccine Story On Facebook? A Conspiracy Theorist Posted It". NPR. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Gilbert, David (December 19, 2020). "Trump's Favorite Doctors Are Pushing a Conspiracy to Stop Black People From Getting the COVID Vaccine". Vice. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Contreras, Russell (January 15, 2021). "Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines". Axios. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021.
- ^ Mason, Jacquelyn (February 18, 2021). "The Nation of Islam and anti-vaccine rhetoric". First Draft News. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ Salam, Erum (July 17, 2021). "Majority of Covid misinformation came from 12 people, report finds". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Disinformation Dozen" (PDF). Center for Countering Digital Hate (PDF). 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Covid vaccine: Social media urged to remove these 12 anti-vaxxers dubbed as 'Disinformation Dozen'". Hindustan Times. March 27, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Muhammad, Charlene (March 30, 2021). "Attacking voices of concern and dissent on Covid-19 vaccines". Final Call News. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Harpin, Lee (April 29, 2021). "Leading anti-vaxx influencers promote Jew-hate to hundreds of thousands". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ ISNOINews (November 12, 2019). "Book review of "Message to the Millineals" by Rizza Islam".