The
Newsletter |
|
| Remembering Malcolm X Overseas The Abuja Islamic Education Trust
|
Transformed by the Islamic manifestation of
universal brotherhood in the Haj where men of different colors, races and stations in life
pray together and freely mingled with each other, his thoughts and words ceased to be
irritatingly uncompromising and turned prudently accommodating. And boosted by his
newfound international prestige, he was on the verge of elevating the civil rights
struggle of the Black Americans to the United Nations as a human rights violation case. Earlier in his ministry, the message of Malcolm X echoed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, some of which were suspect even from the Islamic perspective: The White men are the devils; Colored people are God’s chosen people, and the only ones who can enter heaven; Elijah Muhammad is a Prophet of God. But this all changed when Malcolm discovered true Islam. In the last year of his life, he softened his position by allowing sympathetic Whites to help his cause. He recognized that there were "sincere, well-meaning, good White people", and clarified that he was only speaking against "the White racists". Earlier, he referred to the American Negroes as "Black men". After his trips to Africa, he began referring to the American Blacks as "Afro-Americans", rendering more substance to his teaching that Blacks should rediscover and be proud of their African roots.
|
Copyright © 1999 - 2000 |
