Noted for his fiery and controversial rhetoric on race relations, Farrakhan came under the influence of Nation of Islam minister Malcolm X in the late 1950s. He joined the Nation of Islam after having given up a rather successful musical career as a calypso singer known as "The Charmer". He remains an avid music lover and is considered by many to be an expert classical violinist, citing the composer Felix Mendelssohn as one of his favorite composers. After controversial remarks about Jewish Americans during the first Presidential campaign of Jesse Jackson, Farrakhan has continuously had to defend and/or explain himself to media organs whom many of his supporters believe misconstrue or erroneously report on the Nation of Islam leader. His highly successful "Million Man March" in 1996 softened some criticisms as the gathering was designed as a "Day of Atonement and Reconciliation", aimed at encouraging Black Men to assume greater responsibility for their families and communities. An enigmatic and charismatic public figure, Farrakhan continues to grow in stature. He continues to be one of the most vocal critics of institutional racism, and he remains equally critical of Black Americans who take no personal or collective responsibility for their social, political, and economic circumstances. He is fervently devoted to Islam and is fluent in Arabic, an ability that he used when he assisted Jesse Jackson's negotiations with the Syrian government for the release of Navy Lieutenant Robert O. Goodman, Jr. who had been held as a hostage by Syria after Goodman's plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1984. Show less «