Malcolm X and his leadership of Black American Muslims

WordForPeace.com Special 
M

alik El-Shabazz, popularly known as “Malcolm X” was an Afro-American minister, human rights activist, leader of Negro American Muslims and a civil rights champion. He was born on 19th may 1925 in Omaha. His father was a baptist evangelist named Reverent Earl Little and mother Louise Little. Malcolm was the 4th of eight children for the Little couple.

Malcolm and his family shifted their house to Lancing, Michigan during his childhood. His childhood was not good. His father was killed and his mother got admitted to the mental hospital. Malcolm abandoned studies at his younger age and arrived in Newyork. He lived in Harlem by doing some wages. Then he became a part of underworld like many other negros. Malcolm was drug addicted and led a devastating life. He became a part of all evils which happened in the streets of Harlem, and he was subsequently imprisoned in 1946 in the case of robbery.

During his jail life, he got acquainted to an organisation named “Nation of islam” led by Elijah Muhammed. By joining this organisation, his name was changed to Malcolm X. That’s the method in Nation of islam. ‘Little’ is the family name of Malcolm.

The Nation of islam believed that the Whites who brought the ancestors of Blacks destroyed their tribe. Though the family name ‘Little’ is an artificial name given by Whites. This  organisation of Blacks dismissed these family names which were given by Whites instead of their Afro-Asian surnames. And they added the letter ‘x’ instead of the surnames which was lost somewhere. The members  in the organisation retained this letter with their names until they accepted other Islamic names. Though Malcolm’s name was a little changed as Malcolm X. He was known as Malcolm X until he self-described his name as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He chose this name when he went for hajj to Mecca.

In fact, Malcolm became a faithful follower of the Sufi saint Elijah Muhammed and an turned an instructor after he was released from jail. His early religious views and stands were based on extremism. His speeches  and works helped the Nation of Islam, especially for Negroes. But later Elijah Muhammed dismissed Malcolm X from his organisation in 1963.Though Malcolm X established an organisation named as organisation of Afro-American unity. This led the fight of blacks. And thus, Malcolm X was shot dead in a speech conference which was held in Audubon dance club in New York.

The Nation of Islam didn’t accept traditional Muslim life style. Malcolm x realized the actual meaning of Islamic practices in eastern lands when he went for the hajj and abandoned the rituals of Blacks. He tried to embrace Islam in reality. For that he rejected the path oaf extremism.

Malcolm x tried to present Islam as a human rights movement during the end of his life. He tried to make a hard relationship between American Blacks and Africans. The energetic leadership of Malcolm X accelerated the growth of Islam in America.

The Islamic faith of Black Americans had a connection to the religious preaching initiatives of Ahmadiya movement which was raised in India. Ahmadis organised a religious conference in America and compared Christianity to dajjal and argued against the Whites as ‘devils’.These activities helped to attract blacks to Islam in America. W.H Fard who arrived in America in 1930’s also pointed it out.

The author Bishr Basheer, is an Islamic student of Madheenathunnor collage of Islamic science and doing graduation at Calicut University