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Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam Kourtney Mascarenas Malcolm X

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MALCOLM X AND THE NATION OF ISLAM KOURTNEY MASCARENAS MALCOLM X ¡ Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. ¡ His father Earl Little was a Baptist minister and a former supporter of the early black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. ¡ They were forced to move twice before Malcolm’s fourth birthday due to death threats from the Black Legion, a white supremacist group. ¡ In 1929, their home in Lansing, Michigan was burned to the ground. ¡ His father’s body was found lying across the town’s trolley tracks, and his death was ruled an accident. MALCOLM X CONT. ¡ His mother suffered from an emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. ¡ Malcolm and his siblings were sent to foster homes of to live with family members. ¡ He was a very good student in school until one of his teachers told him to become a carpenter instead of a lawyer. ¡ He lost interest in continuing his education. MALCOLM X CONT. ¡ He moved from the Michigan State Detention Home, to a juvenile home in Mason, Michigan, to the Roxbury section of Boston to live with his older half sister Ella. ¡ Had a very unstable and tragic childhood. ¡ In his teenage years he became involved in criminal activities. ¡ Known as “Detroit Red” ¡ Developed into a street hustler, drug dealer, and leader of a gang of thieves in Roxbury and Harlem. ¡ Was sent to prison for robbery from 1946 to 1952. ¡ Sentenced to 10 years in prison, granted parole after serving 7 years. MALCOLM X’S CONVERSION TO ISLAM ¡ During his time in prison, Malcolm began to read books on philosophy, religion, and history to educate himself. ¡ Him and his brother Reginald who was apart of the Nation of Islam in Detroit would talk about the Muslim Religion. ¡ Malcolm was intrigued with the Nation of Islam and began to read the teachings of the Nation of Islam and about its founder. ¡ During his release from prison he changed his name to Malcolm X saying that his last name "Little" was a slave name. NATION OF ISLAM (NOI) AND THE MESSENGER ¡ The NOI was not a mainstream civil rights association like the NAACP and CORE. ¡ They preached more about racial solidarity and superiority. ¡ The leader Elijah Muhammad preached about how African Americans were God’s chosen people who would triumph with the help of Allah. ¡ It was also talked about how African Americans should become more highly educated and practice small-scale community capitalism by owning businesses. ¡ The NOI was a combination of Black nationalism and the teachings of the Muslim religion. NATION OF ISLAM (NOI) AND THE MESSENGER CONT. ¡ What was The Messenger? ¡ The Messenger was a print publication by the NOI ¡ Malcolm X, who was a spokesperson and editor for The Messenger and he was very articulate and witty which appealed to the desperation of urban Blacks. ¡ Malcolm attracted thousands to the NOI Mosque No 7 and he gave passionate speeches and he preached the ideals of self-reliance and faith. ¡ Malcolm also defined which Americans as the enemy and because of his charisma and strong leadership he was feared by many white Americans and evens some middle and upper class African Americans. ¡ Malcolm became a household name known by everybody from the whites to the blacks. FOUNDING OF NATION OF ISLAM ¡ The Nation of Islam is an organization that was founded during the 1930s which was based upon the principles of traditional Islamic teachings and Black nationalist ideas. ¡ The NOI was originally founded by Wallace D. Fard, a Saudi Arabian, and he preached that African-Americans belonged to the Tribe of Shabazz from the Lost Nation of Asia. ¡ He believed that Christianity was a religion for slave owners and that members should replace their slave names with Arabic names. ¡ He disappeared into the woods during the 1930s and many believed that he was an incarnation of Allah. EARLY YEARS AND MISSION OF NOI ¡ Elijah Muhammad took control of the NOI. ¡ He was a strong leader and his theology was coherent. ¡ His teachings consisted of the teachings of Islam which includes monotheism, submission to Allah and a strong family. ¡ Muhammad preached about self-discipline and economic self-reliance with Blacks owning local businesses and “patronizing only black-owned stores”. ¡ This appealed to many Blacks in northern urban ghettos including New York, Chicago, and Detroit. ¡ This is where unemployment was high, housing was old and neglected, and schools were run down and over-crowded. ¡ Muhammad also believed that the white race was the devil and that it was time for black people to assert themselves after 6,000 years of white people holding the power. RISE OF NOI UNDER MALCOLM X ¡ Malcolm was appointed minister and national spokesman and he was also in charge of establishing new mosques around Harlem, Detroit, Boston, and Philadelphia. ¡ He was also an eloquent speaker attracting thousands of followers. ¡ Malcolm spoke a lot about the anger, bitterness, and frustration that every African-American felt during the civil rights movement. ¡ He utilized a lot of media such as the radio, the newspaper and the television to spread the NOI message. THE FRUIT OF ISLAM (FOI) ¡ The Fruit of Islam has been described as a “military” organization which was formed by the collective, male population of the NOI. ¡ Their main purpose is to protect the NOI. ¡ They carried weapons in order to use them as self- defense but this has been described as problematic because it goes against the Islamic doctrine of peace. ¡ The members are regarded with the highest prestige because they are the protectors of the NOI. ¡ This was very important in protecting Black nationalism and defending African American NOI members against the “wickedness” of the whites. CHANGE IN MESSAGE ¡ In 1964, Malcolm X went on a pilgrimage to Mecca which was a life altering moment for him. ¡ When he came back to the United States, he converted to Sunni Islam due to the overwhelming positive response because of his shared thoughts and beliefs of different cultures. ¡ “I met blond-haired, blue-eyed men I could call my brothers” ¡ Upon return he changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and he no longer spoke about the inherent evilness of white Americas. ¡ He spoke for all races but he also acknowledged that racism was still very prevalent in the United States. ¡ Malcolm X still advocated for Black nationalism and praised African American entrepreneurship as well as advocating for self-defense. ORGANIZATION OF AFRO-AMERICAN UNITY (OAAU) ¡ After Malcolm’s pilgrimage he became a lot more involved in trying to establish deeper ties with civil rights leaders. ¡ He then formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity or also known as the OAAU. ¡ This evoked both cooperation and militancy by voicing support for any action group that world while still fighting over talking. ¡ Malcolm X met with Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife Coretta Scott Kink in support for the recently imprisoned MLK. ¡ A lot of what Malcolm did while working for the OAAU was meeting with various civil rights leaders. IMPACT OF LOUIS FARRAKHAN ON NOI ¡ He was the protégé of Malcolm X and his Muslim name was Abdul Haleem Farrakhan which was given by Elijah Muhammad. ¡ After Malcolm Left the NOI due to political differences, Farrakhan replaced him as head of minister of Harlem’s Temple No. 7. ¡ After the death of Elijah Muhammad, Farrakhan was appointed head of minister of Boston Temple No. 11 which had been established by Malcolm earlier ¡ He also worked to keep the teachings of Elijah in a breakaway group in 1978 which was also called the Nation of Islam. ¡ He was also responsible for over 2 million conversions into the NOI. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALCOLM X AND FARRAKHAN ¡ Of course after Malcolm X’s condemnation of the Nation of Islam, there was a lot of differences between the two civil rights activists. ¡ Malcolm X did not like the teachings that Elijah implemented due to his resignation and he focused more on black nationalism rather than hating whites. ¡ He displayed a large sense of African American Pride. ¡ Louis Farrakhan believed in Elijah’s teachings of how the whites need to stop taking all the power and to get rid of the evilness. ¡ It is also believed that Farrakhan was what built up Malcolm X’s assassination which occurred of February 21 of 1965. ¡ Farrakhan continues to run the NOI and preach their teachings as well. INTEGRATION OF THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT & THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY ¡ The Black Power Movement also known as the Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. ¡ This party justified the use of violence in accomplishing Black justice. ¡ This movement also sparked a number of other blacks to speak out about civil rights. ¡ The Black Panthers also believed that the non-violent campaign of MLK had failed to produce any new progress and did not promise any changes to the lifestyles of the African Americans. ¡ Although they primarily talked about the Civil Rights of Black Americans they also spoke out for other minority groups. INTEGRATION OF THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT & THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY ¡ The Black Power Movement also known as the Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. ¡ This party justified the use of violence in accomplishing Black justice. ¡ This movement also sparked a number of other blacks to speak out about civil rights. ¡ The Black Panthers also believed that the non-violent campaign of MLK had failed to produce any new progress and did not promise any changes to the lifestyles of the African Americans.
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