GREAT WORDS & REFERENCE By Reverend Vincent Ken Lackey

 LONG TERM SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS ABOUT SALEE AMINA, Having known her over 40 years   (12/2022)

 

INTEGRITY- I have always seen Dr. Salee Amina to be very professional, honest, direct, clear and precise. She said what she meant and meant what she said. I never saw any type of foolishness, conning or manipulation of any sort. She invariably kept her word. 

This woman has been very forthright in every way. I know her to be someone who would never say anything about anyone that is not true. I have known her more than half of my life and I have always seen her to have a great heart and to give and help. That is what I have seen of her, and never saw anything bad in her. She has always been encouraging and supportive. Even when I observed her in business meetings, negotiating on different levels throughout the years, she has always operated with integrity. i have never once seen her engage in any type of conning, manipulation, any underhanded statements or actions. She has always been upright, & everything she said and did always checked out. She’s completely professional-with honesty & integrity; intelligent & gifted.

MORALITY: Over 38 years, I know that she and Mr. Barnes split up in about 1981 , maybe, and she had married for only a few months, with Mr. Mohammed, I believe. But for the most part, she has been single, yet I never once saw her with any boyfriend or having any sort of romantic relationships whatsoever.  Also, I never saw her hug, kiss or hold hands with any man; and even l, after 38 years, have never been allowed to hug her. I see men often try to hug her, but she always backs off and bows her head down and puts up her hands and backs away, telling them that she does not hug men. In fact, in over 40 years, I have never seen even her arms. no less her legs. She dresses always covered up, usually in loose clothes. I HAVE NEVER MET ANY WOMAN MORE MODEST.

I have never seen her hug, kiss or hold hands with men. I have never seen her show any type of immorality. I have seen her character to be impeccable.

Professionalism and credibility: In addition to having been a bodyguard to some Of the royals, I also was one of the three men who guarded the Star of Peace diamond, the largest flawless diamond in the world, at over 170 carats, which I knew was sold by Salee Amina to an Arab royal, who we agreed not to name. I was one of the bodyguards over the diamond, with other guards, named Roger and Will. 

I have photographs of me with the diamond, and we traveled around the world with it, on the private 747 jet of one of the royals, bringing the diamond with us.  People may try to pretend Salee is not all of the extraordinary and very high-class person that she actually is, but I have lived it and witnessed it, up close and personal. 

Now someone is on the internet, spreading lies against her, and trying to say that Salee Amina lied about being the person who handled the sale of The Star of Peace diamond, and the lies against her have been spread by that person around the Internet, and are now being repeated to the courts by an antagonistic attorney, who represents someone who Salee Amina alleges attacked and battered her. It seems that some criminals want to paint her as a pretender, a deceiver, a manipulator, a liar: BUT, I WAS THERE !  She is profoundly honest.

PROFESSIONALISM AND HIGH-LEVEL REPUTATION: I also have been at one of the most popular hotels in Beverly Hills, when Salee Amina was involved in a negotiation in a transaction for His Highness, Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in buying millions of dollars in antiques. I often spoke to His Highness, Sheikh Sultan (I was his bodyguard – a position that Dr, Salee Amina got for me).  His Highness always spoke very highly of Salee Amina, even continuing to do so many years after she no longer worked with them. 

 

In fact, once visited His Highness Sheikh Sultan, in his palace in Abu Dhabi (At the time I had worked for him, he was the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.  Dr. Salee Amina was his investment advisor, and also, she had been hired as an investment advisor to his father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, and was hired to negotiate military planes & helicopters for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who I think was Crown Prince then.)  When I visited Sheikh Sultan several years later, I noticed that Mohammed Ai and former President George H.W. Bush were also waiting to see him in the next room, with several security people. But, His Highness called me in first, before he met with his other important guests, and he immediately asked about Salee Amina. 

 

I have never met even one person who spoke ill of her, in all of the decades that I have known her. Everyone who actually knows her holds her in very high regard.

 

HONESTY AND HUMILITY:  I was with her in the Middle East, and I saw people offered Salee Amina everything, every kind of bribe or gift or commission - but she never took any of it. People around her took commissions and kickbacks: but she never did, and everyone knew that about her. She was not only held in high regard, she was held in the highest regard! One example is that when we traveled the world in the royal jets, they booked rooms for everyone in the royal entourage, but they gave suites to the royal family members, and also to Salee Amina. The others only got rooms, but she got suites.

Generosity. understanding. compassion, humility, polite qood manners. Over 38 years, I have observed that Salee Amina is always polite, even to people she does not like, usually ignoring jibes or cutting remarks, either staying calm and defusing the situation or just saying nothing and walking away. I have never seen her verbally attack back at someone who is rude to her. I have also seen the fact that she is willing to help, always willing to go the distance to help people, always encouraging, positive, contributing, caring, considerate She always, always, always has a positive influence on everyone around her. That's just who she is.  I have never seen anything less. In 38 years. the woman has never let up in showing kindness. Even when things goes wrong, she forgives and holds no grudges.

EXAMPLES OF HER COMPASSIONATE NATURE:  She cooks for people. and shares it with whoever wants food. When my wife died, I could not bear to be in our home. I was so depressed, that I let everything go. Even my dog didn't get fed. I could not clean up the place. Old smelly food was all over, every dish was dirty, and the place was a mess. Salee Amina came and cleaned the entire house, did all of the dishes. cooked food and made the place spotless. Then, she drew a beautiful portrait of my wife, and gave it to me as a present. (She is also a very accomplished artist.) She remembers people's birthdays and brings them presents, even people she only knows only slightly. A friend of mine with a television station in the San Francisco Bay area loves the color goldenrod, and Salee Amina bought her a beautiful goldenrod silk outfit for her birthday and took her to lunch. My friend, Henry Winston, who in his career had managed both boxers Mohammed Ali and George Foreman, has diabetes and serious health issues. Salee Amina often called to check up on him, and brought presents every time she visited. I have seen when people have problems, she helps, without asking for anything in return.

I know that she helped many non-profits and charities. When I was involved with an organization that took care of people with mental disorders, addictions, drug problems, Salee Amina came in there, like Mother Teresa's assistant, and she started cleaning the place up, which looked tike a pig pen, even the mold and mildew, and she bought groceries and filled the refrigerator and freezer: and she even personally cooked the food and prepared meals for the people, from her own money, serving them. Every' day, for about two weeks, she worked on that place. until every inch of it was turned from an ugly slum into a showplace. She took no money, but only did these things out of the goodness of her heart.

 

While working on my latest book, I asked her to help me to write the introduction. I was in Winslow, Arizona, and she drove all the way there, from Beverly Hills, California, to help me. When she arrived, she gave a ride to a young hitchhiker, and it seems that while she was tying down his bike in her trunk, her wallet was taken. It took 3 days for her bank to send her a new card, and on the way back home, her car blew up. I saw photos of her face. which looked like broiled chicken, and she had medical papers that she suffered ruptured eardrums. Any normal person might blame me that it wouldn't have happened if they didn't come to help me, but not her -  She has always been willing to help and is very understanding. This is true with everyone I have seen her with.

Often, when she met with people, she gave gifts and cards. She made people feel welcome. I have seen that she always has a kind word, and she treats people with decency, from the highest positions to the lowest levels. My business associates, my friends, my employees — she treats everyone as equals, and talks in a way that does not set her above them, even though it is obvious that she is very intelligent and refined and she has so much class and dignity.

Also. I see she is always willing to always offer her help in people's business endeavors, even giving advice and assistance for free, although she was a very highly trained and experienced professional. and could charge much for her services. I have heard her describe good deeds as an opportunity to serve God, by serving people. I've seen her give away her own things to others. I do not know all of the negative that these people are saying about her in this legal battle, but: in ail the years I have known her, have never once heard anyone say anything negative about her, from His Highness, all the way down to his driver and my own workers. and even street people.

Forgiveness. LACK OF RETALIATION: I was a personal eye witness to people having stolen several vary valuable fur coats and jewelry which Salee Amina had with her. I watched the police tell Salee Amina that they were willing to immediately arrest the young men who they believed had stolen the goods, but she said that it would ruin their young lives and that she believed the correctional system doesn't help anyone. She chose to forgive them, rather than make them waste their lives in prison.  I know the young men involved, and in the 30 years since that happened, she simply forgave, and she had not brought it up. There are few, if any, people who would be so forgiving.

Truthfulness: t have always seen that when she says something, it is exact. it is specific and it is true. it is not almost true or mostly true: It is exactly true. From what I know about Salee Amina, would say that it is impossible that she would invent lies... If someone thinks she lied, then it is likely that they are ones who are mistaken,  or they have been misinformed about what they think are the facts - which can be different than the actual true facts or the full and unembellished, un-slanted and untwisted story.

CHARACTER AND NO PREJUDICE: have always known Salee Amina to be a woman of extraordinary faith, with a keen awareness of demonstrating her spiritual beliefs through good deeds and rightful conduct. it has always been obvious to me that doing what is right is her primary motivation, whether it is to her advantage or against her best interests, she operates under a stringent set of personal ethics. have seen this. without exception, and I have known her for such a long time that if there was the slightest inclination towards wrongdoing in her, I would have seen it, but It is totally absent. That is the truth.  She embraces in kindness all of humanity, and accepts people of all faiths.

I have had the opportunity of observing Salee Amina in many different circumstances: Long ago, I knew her former husband (Mr. Barnes) and I know her children. Also, I was bodyguard to her daughter.  I traveled with them. I have been to her home with her family. I have known her almost four decades, during which time, I have literally never known her to do an unethical, wrongful, or inconsiderate thing. I would say that she has a tendency to think of others before her own self, and that she always looks to serve, not to be served; to give, not to take; to show compassion, consideration and respect -  not to ask for anything in return or to be whatsoever demanding. 

I have observed that whenever Dr. Salee Amina asks someone to do something, I noticed, she always says, “If you wish to,” or “If you want to,” or “If you are willing to,” or “If it’s OK with you.”  She never orders people around or forces anyone to do anything.

In fact, when have seen people who do not know her show her any disrespect, I'd expect any typical woman to retaliate with outrage or insults: But, instead, she stays calm and speaks in a direct, but polite way; then walks away. I would call her personality very unusual and highly spiritually aware. She shows respect to all people of all nationalities, races and religions, and she quotes scripture from the Christian Bible, the Muslim Koran, the Jewish Torah, the Hindu Bhagavagita; and she quotes the Buddha, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa and Mahatma Ghandi.  Never have I seen or heard her demean or degrade anyone or insult anyone's religion or lifestyle. In fact, when others do that, she politely points it out and courageously protects the rights of those being put down. 

However, I have known people who met her and liked her, but the second that they found out that she is Muslim, or that she worked for the Arab royals, they refuse to talk to her or have anything to do with her. Even though it seems that they can’t say anything she ever actually did wrong. They simply suddenly hate her and want to harm her or try to damage her reputation. So, I know there is prejudice in the world. 

In my 57 years, I have never met anyone even remotely like her, and that is the truth. I hate this injustice that is being done to her, but it seems that historically, anyone who speaks truth to power or stands up for the rights of others or who dares to be different gets attacked.  It happened to all the great religious figures in history, as well as several political leaders, some of whom end up assassinated by opponents, haters or enviers. 

I also have known many other people who know Salee Amina: and I had never once heard a bad thing said about her. I noticed that everyone I met had nothing but good things to say about her, both in the IJSA and in the Middle East, where I worked for five years. I saw her in the Middle East in a position that was very powerful, which would typically bring out the ego or arrogance in a person, but not her.  There is nothing arrogant about her. She is humble and treats others with respect - Even if they act abusively, she refuses to abuse them back. She states the facts as they are, without any insults or threats. and walks away. She believes in unconditional love & true forgiveness.

As an author of eight books, I dedicated my first book, ‘Whispers in the Wind’   “To Dr. Salee Amina Mohammed, a gift from God, without whom I would not have the stories to tell.”  

To the best of my knowledge, belief and recollection, I swear that all that I've stated as facts here are true and correct.

Sincerely,    Rev.  Vincent Ken Lackey                                                                                             -(originally dated:  2017, recertified, notarized & sworn 22/ 2022)     2022 University Ave.  Berkeley, CA 94704   The Perfect Marriage Center (perfectmarriagebook.com)  on Amazon.com  Ministry of the Church of God    6101 International Boulevard, Oakland, California 94621