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Biography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X or also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz is an African-American Muslim leader, advocate civil rights and human rights for blacks, as well as supporters of the idea of ​​Pan-African and Pan-Islamism. After his death, the spread of his autobiography made Malcolm an ideological hero, especially among black youth.

Dark Life Malcolm X

Malcolm X is real name Malcolm Little. He was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to uneducated, poor, Christian and black nationalist supporters.



He believed that the white man had killed his father and unfairly placed his mother in a mental hospital, and put himself and his siblings in a different orphanage.

At the age of fifteen, when Malcolm finished eighth grade, he realized that he hated formal education and established religious education. The dark background led him to the black world.

In these gloomy times he was nothing more than a lazy atheist. He became a drug addict and participated in illicit trafficking, gambling and robbery when he needed money.

Repentance Malcolm X
In 1946 Malcolm was sent to prison for theft. The event marked the beginning of his intellectual and social transition. Thanks to the encouragement of John Bembry, his friend in prison, he began to learn to write and read books.

The prison is a place to read Western and Eastern books of philosophy and literature, works on Christianity, genetics, and American slavery. The reading range exceeds the average reading of American undergraduate level. From his informal education he also knows the teachings of Islam and the history of Muslim heroism.

Through the encouragement of his brother Reginald and his colleagues in prison, in 1948 Malcolm turned to the doctrine of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam. He was intrigued by Elijah's main doctrine that a black God would free the Arika-Americans and destroy their oppressive skin demon.

The spirit that Elijah brought was in accordance with the conditions faced by black Americans, where racial discrimination at that time was very strong.

After joining the Nation, Bliss stopped smoking and gambling and refused to eat pork. He also changed his last name from Little to X, a custom among Nation of Islam followers who thought their family name came from white slaves.

After being released from prison, Malcolm helped lead the Nation of Islam during a time of greatest growth and influence. He met with Elijah Muhammad in Chicago in 1952 and then began to arrange mosques for the Nation in New York, Philadelphia and Boston and in cities in the South.

Malcolm then founded the Nation newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, which he printed in the basement of his house. Then it initiated a practice that requires every male member of the State to sell a number of newspapers on the street as a recruiting and fundraising technique. He also articulated the Nation's racial doctrine about the evil inherent in white people and the natural superiority of black people.

Malcolm's social experience, intellectual achievements, and his dedication to leaders led him to a high position in the Nation of Islam.


At first Malcolm was appointed as the leader of the Number 11 Mosque in Boston, then in mid-1954, Malcolm was appointed by Elijah as the leader of the Number 7 Mosque in the Harlem District, New York. This mosque is the second largest mosque in the Nation after the mosque in Chicago.

In 1958, Malcolm married Betty Sanders and from this marriage he was blessed with six children.

As the Third World and US political activities continued to develop in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Malcolm increasingly dared to issue anti-racism statements. He openly supports the freedom of African-Americans, Africans and Muslims.

Even Malcolm did not hesitate to criticize Elijah's protective policies and avoidance of unnecessary contacts with Sunni Muslims.

Conflict between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad
From 1959 onwards, Malcolm's efforts to modify Elijah's policy made his loyalty questionable.

His short visit to Saudi Arabia and African countries, as Elijah's envoy, as well as the national broadcast "The Hate That Hate Produced", further strengthened his popularity. On the other hand, however, the rising popularity caused many Nation members to envy him.

Malcolm was disappointed that Elijah Muhammad's visit to Muslim countries in 1959, as well as his Umrah, did not bring much political change to the Nation.

Malcolm gradually changed administration at the Elijah Mosque Number Seven. Despite always responding sharply to Sunni Muslim criticism of Nation's theology, he continued to teach Arabic and maintain good relations with other Muslim diplomats.

Furthermore, Malcolm began to play down the Nation's doctrine of "the nature of the devil in white and the natural superiority of blacks." He taught his assistants with African and Asian culture, and the warm problems of the period. This change shows the role of social and political activists without the restrictions they want to live.

In 1963 there was a strong tension between Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad regarding the political direction of the organization. Malcolm urged that the Nation be more active in widespread civil rights demonstrations and not just be a fringe critic.

Muhammad's violation of the Nation's code of conduct further exacerbated his relationship with Malcolm, who was devastated to learn that Muhammad was the father of the children of six of his personal secretaries. Two of them even filed a paternal complaint and made this issue public.

Malcolm brought bad publicity to the Nation when he publicly announced that the assassination of John F. Kennedy was an example of "chickens coming home to roost" (a violent society suffering from violence). In response to this provocative statement, Elijah Muhammad suspended Malcolm for 90 days and the rift between the two leaders became permanent.

Malcolm finally left the Nation in March 1964 and the following month founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. During the pilgrimage to Mecca that same year, he underwent a second conversion and embraced Sunni Islam, adopting the Muslim name, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz.




After leaving the Nation's theology, he claimed that the best solution to racial problems in the United States was a return to Islam based on the Koran and Hadith.

On his second visit to Africa in 1964, he spoke for the Organization of African Unity (known as the African Union since 2002), an intergovernmental group formed to promote unity, international cooperation, and economic development in Africa.

In 1965 he founded the Afro-American Union Organization as a secular vehicle to internationalize the plight of black Americans, and to move from a civil rights struggle to human rights.

The animosity that developed between Malcolm and the Nation led to death threats and violence against him. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm was killed while giving a lecture at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem; three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the murder.

His struggles, ideas and lectures contributed to the development of black nationalist ideologies and Black organization movements. Malcolm also helped popularize the values ​​of autonomy and independence among Afro-Americans in the 1960s and 70s.

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