http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...have-saved-MJ-Brother/articleshow/6082182.cms
On the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s untimely death aged 50, the King of Pop’s older brother and fellow member of The Jackson Five, Jermaine Jackson, spoke to BBC World Service. Excerpts from the interview...
Why do you say that Islam would have saved Michael Jackson?
I felt that if Michael had embraced Islam he would still be here today and I say that for many reasons. Because when you are 100 per cent clear in your mind as to who you are and what you are and why you are and everybody around you, then things change in a way that’s better for you. It’s just having that strength. God is so powerful. He was reading a lot of books, I brought him books from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. I was the one who originally put him in Bahrain because I wanted him to get out of America because it was having a cherry-picking time on my brother.
But he wasn’t willing to convert, was he?
Not that he wasn’t willing to convert. All of his security became Muslims because he trusted Islam, because these are people who would lay their lives down and also who were trying to be the best kind of human beings they could possibly be, not for Michael Jackson, for Allah. So having those people around, you knew that you would be protected because it is protection from God.
Michael was most concerned about children around the world going to bed without food. He would talk about it. And he was concerned about our planet. And that was his whole thing – to raise awareness. He was doing these things before the Al Gores, and global warming-ists, he was on it. And he sung about it. He did videos about it. Spent millions and millions and millions of dollars on videos just to show the world for three minutes, look at what we are doing.
Did you ever believe the child molestation charges brought against him? Do you believe them?
Well, they were certainly discounted in court.He was cleared on all counts. The child Jordan Chandler came and said he had never touched him. His father committed suicide. And that’s what I mean about the media trying to attack my brother and to shame him around the world because of something that they know he did not do. And still a lot of people don’t want to believe it. The love that they are giving my brother now that he is dead, is the love they should have shown him when he was alive. The FBI investigated my brother for 17 years and found nothing. And then they just vindicated him after his death. So that’s the BS that America does. It’s bullshit. And I will say they clearly should have given him that when he was alive. That would have made him feel better within his heart.
What’s it been like since Michael’s passing?
It’s been tough. There are no words to describe the feeling. We’ll never get over it.
Do you miss him?
I miss him very, very much because we’ve been so connected throughout our lives, since the very beginning. Healing comes from performing the songs, accepting awards on his behalf, doing tributes because it’s just something that you can’t explain.
Do you see your role now as protecting Michael’s legacy?
Not just my responsibility, the whole family’s. Jackie’s, Rebbie’s, Tito’s, Marlon’s, Randy’s, Janet’s, La Toya’s, myself. It’s all of our role, to keep not just his legacy alive but the entire Jackson family. Because we are a family first, before all of this music and success. We’re family. We were a family before that, so even if that goes away we will continue to be a family.
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