Malcolm X

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A profile of the controversial and charismatic African-American leader, who preached an uncompromising ideology of social justice and black militancy.

Biography

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Malcolm X
born: 19-05-1925
birth place: Nebraska, USA
died: 21-02-1965

Malcolm became disillusioned with the Nation of Islam over time, however: his mentor, Elijah Muhammad, had numerous illicit affairs, in direct contravention of Islamic teachings, and he also witnessed NOI ministers living luxurious lives at the organisation’s expense. After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm made an ill-advised speech about Kennedy having been the architect of his own downfall, which caused widespread public consternation, and resulted in a 90-day public speech ban imposed by Muhammad. He respected the ban, but it proved the final straw in his relationship with Muhammad and the Nation of Islam; on 8th March 1964, he publicly split from the organisation, renouncing Muhammad specifically, and the Nation of Islam in general.

He formed his own movement, the Muslim Mosque Inc., on 12th March 1964. Muhammad responded by insisting that Malcolm return all Nation of Islam property, including the home in which he lived in East Elmhurst, New York, which Malcolm refused to do. Relations thereafter became increasingly volatile, and he was the focus of repeated attacks, by members of the Nation of Islam, unable to leave his home without bodyguards.

At the urging of Islamic friends, he made a Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, in April 1964, which affected his political outlook profoundly. On his return he took a new name, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, and began preaching a more inclusive, non-violent philosophy that extended beyond the strict racial boundaries of the teachings of the Nation of Islam, although he still maintained that Black people had the right to defend themselves against any White aggressors. He founded the Organisation of Afro-American Unity, which included all people of African descent in the Western hemisphere, and the tensions between himself and the Nation of Islam increased even further, to the point where the Nation of Islam leadership are alleged to have directly ordered the assassination of Malcolm and his family.

The Assassination
On 14th February 1965, Malcolm’s East Elmhurst home, still the subject of a bitter legal ownership battle with the Nation of Islam, was firebombed. Malcolm and his family were fortunate to escape physical injury, and no one was ever prosecuted in relation to the attack.

Malcolm’s security was increased after the attack and, the next night, he spoke of the firebombing to a gathering of Organisation for African American Unity members at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, claiming a conspiracy between the Nation of Islam and the Ku Klux Klan was responsible for the attack. Privately, however, he confided to his biographer that he was beginning to doubt whether the attacks against him were Nation Of Islam inspired. Despite the daily threats on his life, he maintained a hectic schedule of personal appearances, including a well-publicised appointment to deliver another speech to the OAAU at the Audubon Ballroom, on 21st February 1965. Despite his private doubts about the real source of his attacks, it was to prove a perfect setting for a Nation of Islam assassination conspiracy.

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