Autobiography of Malcolm X
In the autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley identifies the predominant religious system as that of Islam. However, Malcolm X subscribed to the Black Muslim religious system. The religious system borrows from the teachings of mainstream Islam and combines the political and social ideals of blacks in America. The Black Muslim religious system grew out of the Nation of Islam, which Wallace Fard had previously commenced. It is through the teachings of Wallace Fard that the Nation of Islam was founded as a religion of the black Americans. Moreover, the Black Muslim religious system was the answer to Christianity, which most vocal and radical black people, such as Malcolm X, believed to be a religion of the white people. Subsequently, due to his earlier criminal history and clashes with the police, Malcolm X decided to join the Nation of Islam, which was led by Elijah Muhammad at the time. He admits that “I understood, that I had sunk to the very bottom of the American white man’s society when-soon now, in prison-I found Allah and the religion of Islam and it completely transformed my life” (101). The main tenets of Islam, especially that Malcolm X subscribed to was to unify the black community under one religion so that they could speak in a single voice. Through the foreword by Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, we can identify other tents of Islam. Attallah writes that “they did believe it was the only current American-based ideology that had the potential to unify black people and teach self-pride the way their childhood affiliation with the Garvey movement had done” (5). The Black Muslim religious system was therefore based on separation from the ideologies that they believed were of the white man and which was only meant to bring discord and disunity among the black people.
The Black Muslim religious system and the Nation of Islam grew as a reaction to what the blacks noticed was hate from the whites. The basic and crucial tenets of the Black Muslim religious system thus sought to separate from the white man. A documentary done by Mike Wallace on the Nation of Islam distinctly highlighted the hate that had developed for the white people, especially among the black people (11). A lot of social and political events led to the founding of the Black Muslim religious system. Socially, the black man in America was segregated and very much discriminated against during the period. Blacks were restricted from accessing most of the existing social amenities that existed in the country. Additionally, blacks were not allowed to share the same school and even train or bus rides with the white people. The religion of Islam was therefore seen as non-discriminatory and did not give any regard to color. On the other hand, Christianity was viewed as the religion of the slaves, which was only meant to exploit the black man. According to Malcolm X, the only liberation would come from the Black Muslim movement, which sought to champion the blacks (13). Malcolm X provided deep insights into the social issues that faced the society at the time, which could only be cured by the Black Muslim religious system. In the political environment, the Black Muslim religious system was found on the basis of the autonomy of the blacks.
Malcolm X believed that it was only through secession that the blacks would eventually find their freedom from the white people. Malcolm X thus says that the Nation of Islam was founded on the principle of saving the blacks from the North American wilderness. He insists that “Master W. D. Fard gave to Elijah Muhammad Allah’s message, and Allah’s divine guidance, to save the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, the so-called Negroes, here in “this wilderness of North America” (112). The political environment at the time of Malcolm X did not favor the Nation of Islam, and in most cases, the believers in the faith felt that the government constantly had them on surveillance. Malcolm X believed that Islam represented equality, justice, and freedom and opened up to Alex Haley in that aspect. While he was in prison, he clearly realized that it was only through Islam that the blacks in the North American wilderness could find their redemption. He was constantly at loggerheads with the law enforcement agencies for outspoken criticism of the white people and the rallies he held. At one point, Malcolm X met with Dr. Martin Luther King to join hands in seeking political redress to the matters that were affecting the blacks in America. The two iconic black men did not share the same religious beliefs, but they indeed shared the same societal views for equality, freedom, and justice. The only way of achieving the equality both men desired was to disrupt the political system of America at the time, which was predominantly white. As a result, they became enemies of the state and had consistent altercations with the law enforcement agencies.
The journey of conversion of Malcolm X began early from his childhood while growing up in Lansing, Michigan. His father was an ardent follower of the teachings of Marcus Garvey and thus became a target of the Ku Klax Klan. Marcus Garvey had the vision of returning Africans to their home of origin. In the act of retaliation, the members of the Ku Klax Klan burned their house down and later killed their father. Malcolm X attributed all these violations to the whites living in their neighborhood, and his hatred and mistrust for them began. Malcolm X moved from Michigan to Harlem, where he interacted with crime in his daily life and thus became a criminal. The life in crime did not last long as he was arrested and sent to prison.
It is in prison that Malcolm X began to transform and made decisions that would plunge him into the limelight for the rest of his life. In prison, he began to read and find meaningful education. Malcolm credits his friend Reginald for introducing him to the Nation of Islam. He says that from that moment he became a changed man. He emphasizes that, “I couldn’t believe it! And now Islam meant more to me than anything I ever had known in my life” (122). The conversion took place in the prison, and from there on, Malcolm X became a new man, thus abandoning his earlier name. He believed that the white people had caused the loss of his lineage, and he thus had to take a variable because he no longer had a lineage. At the same time, Elijah Muhammad made him cut ties with the brother, who had transformed into Islam. After reading a letter from Muhammad, he says that “From that day on, as far as I am concerned, everything that my brother Reginald has done is wrong” (123). This shows how deep Malcolm X came to believe in the Nation of Islam and its teachings. He admits that Mr. Muhammad himself taught that “The white man is the devil” (120). That explains his tribulations with the law enforcement and the Nation of Islam as soon as he got out of jail.
The surrounding world and even his own religious system were not ready for the transformed Malcolm X, who came out of prison. He came out a transformed radical man who wanted nothing of the white man. His radicalism set him on the warpath, both with his own religious system and even the government. Malcolm X admits that when he visited Mecca for the pilgrimage, his views about Islam changed, and he began warming up towards Sunni Islam. The Nation of Islam’s divorce became complete after he traveled to Africa and formed the Pan-African Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) and the Islamic Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI). His differences with the Nation of Islam deepened, and there was a range of death threats he continued to receive during his lifetime from the members of the Nation of Islam. As he continued to grow in his religion, his altercations with the law also became evident. In most cases, the government and the whites accused Malcolm X of racism and political division among the American citizens. Malcolm X was assassinated on 21st February 1965, three months from his forty-first birthday. A lot of conflicting reports have surrounded his murder with some believing it was the government, while others believe it was his form Nation of Islam brothers.