Malcolm X

Malcolm X

The militant African-American leader was born Malcolm Little, later taking the Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. His life story, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, was published posthumously in 1965, making him a pahlawan among African Americans.

Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was Earl Little, a lay preacher and supporter of Marcus Garvey. One of Earl Little’s uncles had been lynched, and three of his brothers died at the hands of whites.

His mother’s family was from Grenada. The family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926, and then to Lansing, Michigan, where Malcolm grew up. He saw his family’s house burned down by the Ku Klux Klan.


Two years later, in 1931, his father was found dead after having been run over by a street car; it was believed that he had been murdered by the group who set fire to his house. Soon afterward Malcolm’s mother was declared insane and was moved to a mental institution.

Malcolm did well at anabawang high school, graduating at the top of his class, but a teacher he admired told him that it was unrealistic for African Americans to aspire to be lawyers. After several years in foster homes, Malcolm spent some time in a detention home and then moved to Boston to be with his sister.

He found work shining shoes, then joined the New Haven Railroad, but he quickly found himself involved in crime. He was refused an army position in World War II after allegedly claiming that as soon as he had a gun, he would organize other African Americans.

In 1946, he was arrested with another African American and two white women stealing goods to sell to a pawnshop. The women claimed that they had been coerced into the crime, and Malcolm was jailed for 10 years. In prison, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam, which held the belief in the inherent superiority of black people.

Released from prison in 1952, he visited the Nation of Islam headquarters in Chicago, where he met with Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the sect. Many African Americans believe that their surnames came to them from white slave owners; Malcolm Little changed his family name to “X.”

Over several years, Malcolm X toured the United States and was regarded as one of the best speakers and organizers for the Nation of Islam. He talked much of the exploitation of African Americans by whites and urged black separatism rather than integration and racial equality. Indeed, he felt that there should be greater black self-dependence and that violence was justified for self-protection.

This latter belief alienated him from many of the civil rights leaders at the time who urged for nonviolent resistance to racism. In 1959 Malcolm X went to Africa for the first time, visiting the United Arab Republic (Egypt), Sudan, Nigeria, and Ghana, partially to help organize a tour by Elijah Muhammad that followed.

The Nation of Islam in the United States grew in numbers, and in 1961 he founded Muhammad Speaks, the official journal for the Nation of Islam. Settling in Harlem, New York, he became a minister at Mosque Number Seven.

Malcolm X had become a controversial figure in the Black Muslim movement, meeting with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in September 1960 when the Cuban politician was in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly.

The Cuban delegation refused to stay in the Shelburne Hotel after being asked to pay in advance, and moved to the Hotel Theresa in Harlem, where Malcolm X and other African-American community leaders met them.

In 1963 Elijah Muhammad suspended him from the movement when he described the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy as a “case of chickens coming home to roost,” a remark that was regarded as extremely controversial.

In March 1964 Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and in the following month went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He had wanted to set up his own organization as a more radical wing of the Nation of Islam, but his time in Saudi Arabia led him to see that whites were not necessarily innately evil and that compromise was possible.

In October 1964 he reaffirmed that he had embraced orthodox Islam, but this did not prevent death threats from white extremists and also rival Black Muslims. He was shot dead on February 21, 1965, at a Harlem ballroom. Three Black Muslims were later convicted of the murder.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, compiled by writer Alex Haley from numerous interviews with Malcolm X shortly before the latter’s murder, was published posthumously and became an overnight best seller. Malcolm X had married Betty X (née Sanders) in Lansing, Michigan, and they had six daughters; the youngest two, twins, were born after Malcolm’s murder.

Nation Of Islam

Nation of Islam

Mixing elements of traditional Islamic belief with dark nationalism, the Nation of Islam has played an of import too oft controversial operate inwards racial politics inwards the U.S. since its founding inwards 1930.

H5N1 release of of import African American leaders convey emerged from its ranks, including Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, too Louis Farrakhan. H5N1 primal tenet of the Nation of Islam is that most of the social too economical problems faced past times blacks are the effect of a long-term conspiracy with whites to disempower them.

Several members of the Nation of Islam convey singled out Jews every bit playing a specially of import operate inwards this white conspiracy. While praised for its focus on self-sufficiency too pride with African Americans, the Nation of Islam has been criticized for its calls for racial separation every bit good every bit its oft racist too antisemitic teachings.


Two groups that preceded the Nation of Islam too pose much of its religious too political groundwork were the Moorish Science Temple too the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The Moorish Science Temple was founded inwards 1913 past times Drew Ali (born Timothy Drew).

Drew believed that Islam was the master copy organized religious belief of the Africans who were brought to the U.S. every bit slaves, too he preached that a furnish to Islam was a necessary footstep for truthful liberty for African Americans. The Universal Negro Improvement Association was founded past times Marcus Garvey, who advocated dark separatism too self-sufficiency.

The Nation of Islam itself is normally said to convey begun inwards 1930 when Wali Farad Muhammad (born Wallace Fard) founded the Lost-Found Nation of Islam inwards Detroit, Michigan. Farad claimed to hold upward an orthodox Muslim born inwards Mecca, only the facts of his early on life are obscure too silent debated. Fard preached a mixture of Islam, dark separatism, too his ain beliefs.

At the heart of his philosophy was the assertion that blacks needed to costless themselves from the tyranny of white oppression past times rejecting Christianity inwards favor of Islam (or, to a greater extent than specifically, Fard’s version of Islam). Only thence would blacks find their rightful house every bit the most advanced people on earth.

He every bit good preached that dark people were the master copy race of human beings too had lived on world for 66 trillion years. White people were the effect of an experiment done 6,000 years agone past times an evil scientist named Yakub, too lacked the physical, spiritual, too intellectual abilities of blacks.

After Farad all of a abrupt disappeared from Detroit inwards 1934, leadership of the grouping he founded was passed to his trusted associate, Elijah Muhammad. It was Muhammad who built the Nation of Islam from a modest circle of believers to a national, too fifty-fifty international, force. Muhammad founded a temple inwards Chicago, too later on World War II, membership climbed steadily.

Like Farad earlier him, Muhammad preached that white people were “blue-eyed devils” who had systematically oppressed blacks. He augmented Farad’s teachings with an increased focus on practical agency to better the lot of African Americans too permit them to hold upward self-sufficient. Under Muhammad’s leadership, the Nation of Islam owned several businesses too had pregnant existent estate holdings.

In the belatedly 1950s too early on 1960s, the populace ikon of the Nation of Islam grew through the piece of job of charismatic members, most notably Malcolm X. In 1964, however, Malcolm X broke away from the Nation of Islam too its teachings of strict racial separation.

The pause was caused past times his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he came into contact with Muslims of many unlike ethnicities, too his uncovering that Elijah Muhammad had fathered several illegitimate children with women staff members of the Nation of Islam.

In 1965, Louis Farrakhan replaced Malcolm X every bit government minister of the Nation of Islam temple inwards Harlem. Farrakhan every bit good publicly denounced Malcolm X, proverb he was “worthy of death.” Later that same year, Malcolm X was assassinated.

Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the murder, too it was widely assumed that the assassination was approved of past times the leadership of the Nation of Islam. Rumors virtually Farrakhan’s possible cognition of or interest inwards the killing persisted for decades.

In 1975, Elijah Muhammad died, too leadership of the Nation of Islam passed to his son, Warith Muhammad. The younger Muhammad moved the organization away from many of his father’s teachings, specially his to a greater extent than strident views on race, too toward a to a greater extent than traditional version of Sunni Islam.

He every bit good changed the mention of the scheme to the World Community of Al-Islam inwards the West. Dissatisfied with the novel direction of the movement, Farrakhan reconstituted the Nation of Islam nether its master copy name, returning focus to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad.

Under Farrakhan’s leadership, the Nation of Islam has been both reviled too praised. The publication past times the Nation of Islam of The Secret Relationship betwixt Blacks too Jews: Volume One, inwards 1991, caused a swell bargain of tilt for its allegations that Jews had been at the pump of the slave trade from its beginnings through the nineteenth century.

Coupled with antisemitic remarks made past times Farrakhan too a release of other highranking Nation members, the mass renewed charges that the Nation of Islam is an inherently racist scheme devoted to divisiveness too conspiracy-mongering. Farrakhan’s scheme of the Million Man March inwards 1995, however, brought praise from many for its positive message to African American men.

Elijah Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad was the most of import early on leader of the Nation of Islam, leading the organisation for over xl years. Muhammad taught that blacks were the master copy human race in addition to that whites were evil beings who had conspired to oppress blacks out of jealousy.

The segmentation betwixt the races was a distinction betwixt good in addition to evil, in addition to although whites mightiness currently seem to concord the advantage, the twenty-four hours was shortly coming when blacks would, amongst their superior news in addition to ingenuity, destroy their white oppressors.

His mixture of religious zeal, dark militantism, in addition to utilisation of conspiracy theories to offering compelling explanations for the plight of disadvantaged blacks played a key utilisation inward the increase of the Nation of Islam equally an of import social movement. He was likewise cardinal to the evolution of after influential individuals such equally Malcolm X in addition to Louis Farrakhan.


Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah Poole inward 1897. As he was the boy of a sharecropper, Muhammad’s early on life was dominated yesteryear poverty. In 1923, he moved to Detroit in addition to began working at an automobile factory. In 1930 Muhammad came into contact amongst Wallace Fard.

Fard claimed to survive from the “East” (although his actual personal history is obscure in addition to filled amongst conflicting accounts of his early on life). Preaching a mixture of Islam in addition to dark separatism, Fard found a large publish of converts amid the African American community inward Depression-era Detroit.

Muhammad attended ane of Fard’s meetings in addition to became a convert to the Black Muslim movement. Muhammad shortly became a trusted deputy of Fard, in addition to it was from Fard that Muhammad received his Muslim name. When Fard of a abrupt disappeared from Detroit inward 1934, Muhammad assumed leadership of the Black Muslim movement.

He moved the headquarters of the organization to Chicago in addition to made several spiritual in addition to practical changes inward the organization. Muhammad preached that Fard had been an incarnation of Allah, in addition to claimed himself to survive Allah’s messenger. He likewise freely mixed ideas of traditional Islam amongst those of dark nationalism, peculiarly equally outlined yesteryear Marcus Garvey.

During World War II, Muhammad was sent to prison theatre for avoiding the draft. He likewise openly expressed sympathies toward the Japanese, whom he felt were allies inward the struggle to destination white ability inward the United States. After his release from prison theatre inward 1946, Muhammad continued to construct the Nation of Islam’s attain in addition to membership. Chief amid his aides inward this work was Malcolm X, who became minute alone to Muhammad himself inward his influence inward the movement.

After returning from his trip to Mecca inward 1964, however, Malcolm X broke from the Nation of Islam, asserting, amid other things, that Muhammad had fathered several illegitimate children amongst immature staff members of the Nation of Islam. The assassination of Malcolm X inward 1965 in addition to the conviction of 3 Black Muslims for the offense cast a shadow of suspicion over Muhammad, along amongst his novel principal aide, Louis Farrakhan.

Throughout his life, Muhammad preached strict separation of the races in addition to couched these beliefs inward a cosmology that drew on imagery ranging from the Old Testament to scientific discipline fiction. He taught that whites were a race who had been bred yesteryear an evil scientist 6,000 years ago. Whites were without the intellectual, physical, or moral qualities that were seen inward blacks.

He oft spoke inward apocalyptic damage virtually a time to come battle inward the heaven inward which the “Mother Plane,” a gigantic spaceship built in addition to manned yesteryear blacks of superhuman intelligence, would effortlessly destroy the supposed ability of the white man. After this battle, a new world would survive created according to Allah’s volition inward which blacks volition concord dominion.

Muhammad died inward Feb 1975. His boy became the novel leader of the Nation of Islam, simply he discarded the advert equally good equally some of his father’s beliefs. After he formed the Muslim American Community, several members of the Black Muslim campaign left to follow Farrakhan’s reestablished Nation of Islam, a grouping devoted to reinvigorating the message of Muhammad.

Elijah Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad was the most of import early on leader of the Nation of Islam, leading the organisation for over xl years. Muhammad taught that blacks were the master copy human race in addition to that whites were evil beings who had conspired to oppress blacks out of jealousy.

The segmentation betwixt the races was a distinction betwixt good in addition to evil, in addition to although whites mightiness currently seem to concord the advantage, the twenty-four hours was shortly coming when blacks would, amongst their superior news in addition to ingenuity, destroy their white oppressors.

His mixture of religious zeal, dark militantism, in addition to utilisation of conspiracy theories to offering compelling explanations for the plight of disadvantaged blacks played a key utilisation inward the increase of the Nation of Islam equally an of import social movement. He was likewise cardinal to the evolution of after influential individuals such equally Malcolm X in addition to Louis Farrakhan.


Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah Poole inward 1897. As he was the boy of a sharecropper, Muhammad’s early on life was dominated yesteryear poverty. In 1923, he moved to Detroit in addition to began working at an automobile factory. In 1930 Muhammad came into contact amongst Wallace Fard.

Fard claimed to survive from the “East” (although his actual personal history is obscure in addition to filled amongst conflicting accounts of his early on life). Preaching a mixture of Islam in addition to dark separatism, Fard found a large publish of converts amid the African American community inward Depression-era Detroit.

Muhammad attended ane of Fard’s meetings in addition to became a convert to the Black Muslim movement. Muhammad shortly became a trusted deputy of Fard, in addition to it was from Fard that Muhammad received his Muslim name. When Fard of a abrupt disappeared from Detroit inward 1934, Muhammad assumed leadership of the Black Muslim movement.

He moved the headquarters of the organization to Chicago in addition to made several spiritual in addition to practical changes inward the organization. Muhammad preached that Fard had been an incarnation of Allah, in addition to claimed himself to survive Allah’s messenger. He likewise freely mixed ideas of traditional Islam amongst those of dark nationalism, peculiarly equally outlined yesteryear Marcus Garvey.

During World War II, Muhammad was sent to prison theatre for avoiding the draft. He likewise openly expressed sympathies toward the Japanese, whom he felt were allies inward the struggle to destination white ability inward the United States. After his release from prison theatre inward 1946, Muhammad continued to construct the Nation of Islam’s attain in addition to membership. Chief amid his aides inward this work was Malcolm X, who became minute alone to Muhammad himself inward his influence inward the movement.

After returning from his trip to Mecca inward 1964, however, Malcolm X broke from the Nation of Islam, asserting, amid other things, that Muhammad had fathered several illegitimate children amongst immature staff members of the Nation of Islam. The assassination of Malcolm X inward 1965 in addition to the conviction of 3 Black Muslims for the offense cast a shadow of suspicion over Muhammad, along amongst his novel principal aide, Louis Farrakhan.

Throughout his life, Muhammad preached strict separation of the races in addition to couched these beliefs inward a cosmology that drew on imagery ranging from the Old Testament to scientific discipline fiction. He taught that whites were a race who had been bred yesteryear an evil scientist 6,000 years ago. Whites were without the intellectual, physical, or moral qualities that were seen inward blacks.

He oft spoke inward apocalyptic damage virtually a time to come battle inward the heaven inward which the “Mother Plane,” a gigantic spaceship built in addition to manned yesteryear blacks of superhuman intelligence, would effortlessly destroy the supposed ability of the white man. After this battle, a new world would survive created according to Allah’s volition inward which blacks volition concord dominion.

Muhammad died inward Feb 1975. His boy became the novel leader of the Nation of Islam, simply he discarded the advert equally good equally some of his father’s beliefs. After he formed the Muslim American Community, several members of the Black Muslim campaign left to follow Farrakhan’s reestablished Nation of Islam, a grouping devoted to reinvigorating the message of Muhammad.