NYDN 7-14-00 'Brother' Stunner TV housemate is hatemonger's aide By RICHARD HUFF and PATRICE O'SHAUGHNESSY Daily News Staff Writersne of the housemates on CBS-TV's "Big Brother" program is a follower of hatemonger Khalid Abdul Muhammad and appeared with the former Nation of Islam leader at the Million Youth marches here. He also marched � toting a gun � with Muhammad in Jasper, Tex., in 1998 to protest the murder of James Byrd, a black man who was dragged to death by three racists. 'Big Brother' cast member William (l.) cozies up to Nation of Islam big Khalid Abdul Muhammad at Million Youth March in 1998. Called simply William on the show, William Collins, 27, also known as Hiram Ashantee, is one of two African-American cast members in the highly publicized program that locks 10 strangers in a house wired with 28 cameras and 60 microphones for 90 days. Collins' biography on the show's Web site describes him as a youth counselor from Philadelphia who likes cheese steaks, chess, basketball and vacations in Harlem. It doesn't mention his association with Muhammad, who was ousted from the Nation of Islam for calling Jews "bloodsuckers," has called Mayor Giuliani a "cracker" and a "devil" and urged people at the 1998 Million Youth March to attack police. Collins, a member of Muhammad's New Black Panther Party, was at the activist's side at news conferences and at the march. "We feel very comfortable about William's participating in �Big Brother,'" said Chris Ender, a spokesman for the CBS show, in which contestants are identified by their first name. He declined to discuss the matter further. News of Collins' links to Muhammad came a day after it was revealed that housemate George, a 41-year-old Illinois man, shot and killed a man in a hunting accident 12 years ago. Producers acknowledge that they strive for conflict and strong personalities on reality-based TV shows. "Big Brother," which airs five nights a week, launched July 5 with an audience of 22.4 million viewers. Since then, ratings have fluctuated, with Tuesday's telecast averaging 8.5 million viewers. Collins was quoted in a Sept.3, 1998, Philadelphia Inquirer story on that city's emerging black leadership. "Today's youth is not into holding hands and singing, �We Shall Overcome,'" Collins is quoted as saying. "It takes a figure like Dr. Khalid, who can relate to us, who is not afraid of us." Collins was a Philadelphia organizer of Muhammad's Million Youth marches. The first, in Harlem on Sept. 5, 1998, featured anti-white and anti-Jewish speeches. It ended with violent skirmishes between cops trying to shut down the rally and demonstrators who hurled chairs and trash cans after Muhammad told the crowd, "Take their goddamn gun!" Sixteen cops were injured in the melee. Collins told the Inquirer the next day, "All in all, I thought it was an excellent day until the police refused to negotiate our peaceful exit. ... But I thought our people showed composure. They expected us to riot and close down businesses. They were wrong." He also appeared with Muhammad at last year's Million Youth March, a small rally held without incident. Collins has been engaging his housemates in discussions of race and ethnicity. He and Cassandra � the other African-American on "Big Brother" � talked about their feelings living among white and Asian housemates on Tuesday's show. "I don't fit in here at all," Collins said. "Overall, there's a general idea by mainstream whites of what everyday life is like for African-Americans, and if you don't fit in with that, you're isolated." Each said that if they hadn't been placed in tight quarters with the other houseguests, they'd probably never associate with them. Every two weeks, viewers vote to remove one of the contestants. Last night, Collins and former stripper Jordan were nominated for eviction. One of them will get the boot Thursday night. William on polygamy: "Polygamy is not all about women living in the same house with a man. What I know about Islam � if a man is to have more than one wife, the first wife decides." William on sex: "I can express my mind through my body, but I can't express my body through my mind. When you're brain-dead, do you think your husband would enjoy having sex with a vegetable? What a sacred union." William to housemate Jamie: "You'll be the last one I'll vote out of the house. You're so beautiful. I need something beautiful to look at. ... And you're so innocent. I know that." William on race: Housemate Brittany says she has been the minority on occasion. "I'm always the minority," William replies. In a lighter moment, he quips, "One thing that does break the [racial] barriers is when you can laugh at them." William to housemate Eddie: "Does having one leg help you get women?" He expresses his regret that "Big Brother" hadn't put "a younger black woman" on the show for him, "someone I could at least flirt with." Source: BigBrother2000.com
